Kentucky-bred Far Bridge, the recipient of a smart ride from jockey Joel Rosario, made very pole a winning one to score in the $750,000 Sword Dancer S. (G1) at Saratoga on Saturday, Aug. 24. The win earned Far Bridge a berth in the Breeders’ Cup Turf (G1) in November at Del Mar.
Far Bridge led the 1 ½-mile turf event from start to finish. He showed the way early and rated comfortably along the inside. He rode the rail into upper stretch and dug in late to fend off race favorite and Grade 1 winner Measured Time (GB) to score by a length at the finish.
“It looked like one of the two Godolphin horses would go to the lead,” shared Rosario. “I broke good and just took advantage of that, let him be happy there and he did all the work. It worked out. He was going very nice, very relaxed. Set his own pace and when I called on him to go, he was there for me. He ran a big race. It’s a very nice win.”
Owned by LSU Stables, Far Bridge is trained by Christophe Clement.
Far Bridge a Two-Time Grade 1 Winner
“At the end of the day, he has always worked well when he is on the rail; he never does anything wrong,” Clement said. “Every time he comes off the rail, he is a little bit all over the place. On paper, we didn’t think there was much pace. The idea was to break in front or right behind Godolphin. He took the lead, and nobody bothered him. He rode a great race.”
Bred by Calumet Farm and initially raced by Calumet, Far Bridge was purchased privately by his current connections. While with trainer Todd Pletcher, Far Bridge captured the Belmont Derby Invitational (G1) last July. Far Bridge is by English Channel out of the Kitten’s Joy mare Fitpitcher. He is now a winner in five of 12 lifetime starts. The $412,500 winner’s share of the Sword Dancer purse raised Far Bridge’s earnings total to $1,477,700.