Far Bridge has now won a Grade 1 race at each of the New York Racing Association tracks after he fought for a half-length victory over War Like Goddess in the Grade 1, $500,000 Joe Hirsch Turf Classic at the Belmont at Aqueduct meet. It was another 4 1/4 lengths back in third to Silver Knott.
Far Bridge came into the race off a wire-to-wire win in the Grade 1 Sword Dancer at Saratoga and last year captured the Belmont Derby Invitational at Belmont.
The Hirsch, which is named for the late Daily Racing Form executive columnist based in New York, was run over “good” turf on a wet afternoon. Far Bridge ($7.90) settled in fourth as Get Smokin jumped out the lead in the 1 1/2-mile race and set fractions of 24.34 seconds for the opening quarter, 49.05 for the half-mile, 1:14.17 for six furlongs, and 1:40.79 for the mile.
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Far Bridge began his bid in earnest into the final turn but was stymied by a tiring rival. He then re-rallied to pick off rivals and darted to the rail into the stretch as Silver Knott and War Like Goddess were in a race of their own. Far Bridge snuck past the pair along the inside, withstood a determined bid from War Like Goddess, who had worked to get past Silver Knott, and completed the distance in 2:32.22.
“I asked him and he was there for me,” winning rider Joel Rosario told the NYRA publicity department. “I was just a passenger. When he saw the horse in front of him, he likes to come and get it. He’s a runner. He saw the horse in front and he kept coming and did the work.”
Christophe Clement trains Fair Bridge, who earned a 101 Beyer Speed Figure, for LSU Stables.
“After the last race, everybody said he stole it, which slightly surprised me because I thought everybody had the chance to beat him from the quarter-pole to the wire and nobody outfinished him,” Clement told NYRA. “He actually outfinished everybody. I didn't think he stole anything, and he proved today he didn't steal anything because he came from off the pace and managed to win the race.
"When Get Smokin was coming back he got checked, but Joel made a great decision by keeping him on the inside again. He's a top-class horse and he's always been a top-class horse for us. We thought he was a top-class horse as a young 3-year-old and we think he's a top-class horse as an older horse. We're lucky to have him.”
Clement said plans are for Far Bridge to advance to the Breeders’ Cup Turf at Del Mar in November.
War Like Goddess was attempting to win the Hirsch for the third consecutive year. She was the second choice behind favorite Silver Knott.
“The pace was developing exactly how we wanted it and she was traveling beautiful where she was,” jockey Junior Alvarado told NYRA. “I had enough horse when I asked her. We just got run down at the end.
“We just barely got beat by a half-length just because I think that other horse might have cut the corner and that might have helped him to get a half-length in front of me right there at the end.”
Far Bridge is a son of English Channel who was bred by Calumet Farm. He is now 6 for 13 with career earnings of $1.7 million.
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