SARATOGA SPRINGS – There are several reasons trainer Miguel Clement has special feelings for the 5-year-old horse Far Bridge (English Channel), who runs in Saturday's $200,000 GII Bowling Green Stakes at Saratoga Race Course.
The record Far Bridge has put together makes his trainer proud. Eight wins in 17 career starts, three second- and three third-place finishes. Career earnings of $2,262,980. He is a multiple Grade I winner.
“He is very consistent,” Clement said outside his barn at the Oklahoma Training Track Thursday morning. “He is a hard tryer; as long as you do well by him, he will reward you. Consistent, versatile. He is everything you want in a racehorse.”
There is a more personal connection that the 34-year-old Clement has with Far Bridge. He said Far Bridge was the last horse his late father, Christophe, saddled. That was in the GII Man o'War Stakes, a race Far Bridge won by a length on May 10.
Christophe Clement passed away 15 days later at the age of 59 of a rare form of eye cancer
“He loved Far Bridge,” Miguel Clement said. “He thought he was the best turf stayer in the country.”
This year, Far Bridge has won two of three starts. He was also victorious in the GIII Pan American Stakes at Gulfstream Park Mar. 29. The Man o'War was 1 3/8 miles; the Pan American was 1 1/2 miles.
In his last start, he finished third in a three-horse photo in the 1 1/8-mile GI Manhattan Stakes June 8.
Considering that Far Bridge likes to run longer, it was a remarkable effort. The race was won by stablemate Deterministic (Liam's Map) and that gave Miguel Clement his first Grade I training win.
“[Far Bridge] ran a gallant race and nearly won it anyway,” Clement said. “That is what a tough horse he is. Regardless of the surface or the distance, he tries very hard.”
Clement said he was thinking about training Far Bridge up to the $750,000 GI Sword Dancer Aug. 9, but the horse was doing so well, he decided to run in the Bowling Green.
Clement also has entered Tawny Port (Pioneerof the Nile) in the Bowling Green, but he might be rerouted to the $600,000 GII United Nations Stakes at Monmouth on July 19.
Pletcher Hopeful But Doesn't Think He'll Win Spa's Training Title
For so many years, Hall of Fame trainer Todd Pletcher was the hunted one when it came to the annual chase for supremacy for top conditioner at the Saratoga Race Course meet.
Everyone chased Pletcher, who, stockpiled a record 14 training titles. The first came in 1998, the last in 2020. In between, his barn dominated as had one streak of five straight titles (2002-2006) and another of six (2010-2015).
In the last four years, Pletcher has been the chaser as Chad Brown's barn has won the last four titles. A season ago, Brown won 45 races with Pletcher and Mike Maker getting 22 wins each to claim second.
Todd Pletcher | Sarah Andrew
Coming into the 40 days of summer at Saratoga, Pletcher knows that knocking Brown off his perch will be a tall order, not just for him, for everybody else.
If Pletcher is going to make a run, it will have to come from his rookies, his 2-year-olds.
“Our stable is unbalanced,” Pletcher said outside his office at the Oklahoma Training Track. “We had a disappointing 3-year-old crop this year–colts and fillies–and that kind of puts the emphasis on a few older horses and a lot of 2-year-olds.”
Pletcher's older horses include two of the best in training in Mindframe (Constitution) and Fierceness (City of Light), who could end up facing off against each other in the GI Whitney Stakes next month.
The race for the training title–and the jockey race–has always seemed to take on more significance at Saratoga. Racing fans follow it daily like baseball fans eyeball the standings every day.
“I agree with you, people follow it more here than anywhere else,” Pletcher said. “When you have a streak going, it's pretty cool. We had a good streak here at one time; we had a streak at Gulfstream.”
Pletcher won 15 straight titles at Gulfstream Park in Florida starting in 2004.
Although Brown is clearly the favorite to win this year, Pletcher won't concede anything.
“You are always hopeful it can happen,” he said. “We would have to have a real tremendous 2-year-old season to even be competitive, I think. But look, we are going to participate, for sure.”
Brisset Looking For Another Solid 2-Year-Old Filly
Trainer Rodolphe Brisset won the listed Schuylerville Stakes last week during the Fourth of July Festival with Kingsolver (Omaha Beach). Historically, the Schuylerville, the first of three stake races for 2-year-old fillies, is held on opening day of the regular Saratoga meet.
The other two stake races for the juvenile fillies are the GIII Adirondack on Aug. 3 and the GI Spinaway on Aug. 30.
Brisset isn't planning on bringing Kingsolver back for the Adirondack, but that doesn't mean he won't be represented.
He said 'TDN Rising Star' Meringue (Frosted), who broke her maiden by a neck going five furlongs on the grass at Churchill Downs on June 19, could ship here from Keeneland for the Adirondack.
“That could be the spot,” Brisset said outside his barn on the Oklahoma Training Track. “She has been breezing pretty good on the dirt and you want to find out sooner than later if they like it.”
Meringue | Coady Media
Meringue, owned by Elements Racing LLC, could also stay on the grass, Brisset said, and could run in the listed Bolton Landing on Aug. 17. That race is 5 1/2 furlongs on the grass.
But, he said, the timing might be right for him to give Meringue a chance on dirt.
“If she were to win that, you would obviously look at the Spinaway or another big one on the dirt,” he said. “If she doesn't perform the way you want to and you find she wants turf, you can rest and get ready for Kentucky Downs.”
As for Kingsolver, she will remain, for now, at Saratoga. Brisset said he might try her on the grass in the Bolton Landing.
Kingsolver is owned by Storyteller Racing, Michael Schroeck, Open Gate Horse Ventures, Brian Cahoe, Scott Catlett, Dave Russel, Matthew Ransdell, Michael Motley and Joel Braun. She won the Schuylerville after finishing fifth in her first start at Churchill Downs.
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