OZONE PARK, N.Y. – Far Bridge looks like a standout in Saturday’s Grade 2, $400,000 Man o’ War Stakes, a field that came up so light it is carded as the second race on an 11-race program at Aqueduct that has four other stakes on it.
Far Bridge, a 5-year-old son of English Channel trained by Christophe Clement for LSU Stables, is a three-time Grade 1 winner and is guaranteed to surpass the $2 million mark in career earnings regardless of where he finishes Saturday in the 1 3/8-mile turf marathon.
He won the Sword Dancer and Joe Hirsch Turf Classic last year before finishing ninth in the Breeders’ Cup Turf at Del Mar. Far Bridge kicked off his 5-year-old campaign with a hard-fought neck victory in the Grade 3 Pan American going 1 1/2 miles at Gulfstream Park.
While happy with that result, Clement was unhappy with how hard his horse had to work to obtain it.
“I thought it was too tough a race,” Clement said. “I didn’t want to have a race so hard first time out.”
Far Bridge has a versatile running style that allows Joel Rosario to place him wherever he wants early on. He won the Sword Dancer from a forward position and the Joe Hirsch and Pan American from midpack.
The Joe Hirsch was run over a boggy course that was labeled good. There figures to be ample give in the ground on Saturday, given the rain that was forecast Friday.
“I don’t think he moves up on it, but he’s like Gio Ponti,” said Clement, referring to the two-time winner of this race whom he trained when it was a Grade 1. “He’s that good that he can handle it.”
Far Bridge, who drew post 3, is the 124-pound highweight, spotting two pounds to Capture the Flag and six to everybody else.
Capture the Flag might have a pace advantage in this spot. The Todd Pletcher trainee won the Grade 2 Mac Diarmida as the lone speed on March 1 at Gulfstream. He was up close but faded to eighth, 12 lengths behind Far Bridge, in the Grade 3 Pan American.
Anglophile, trained by Brian Lynch, is seeking his first win since the Dueling Grounds Derby in September 2023, a race in which he defeated Far Bridge. Anglophile is 0 for 11 since, but is coming off a decent third behind Utah Beach in the Grade 2 Elkhorn on April 19 at Keeneland.
“I thought he ran really good behind the slow pace in the Elkhorn, catches a small group here, and acts like he’s in good form,” Lynch said. “He could be rounding into form himself. I’m excited about running him.”
Though his form indicates he comes from well off the pace, Lynch believes Anglophile can and will sit a bit closer Saturday under Javier Castellano.
Padiddle, at 43-1, finished third to Far Bridge in the Pan American coming off a maiden win for Fernando Abreu.
Decanted, trained by Keri Brion, is a maiden winner on the flat who most recently finished fourth in a steeplechase maiden race on April 5.
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