Far Bridge tops exacta for sire English Channel in Man o’ War

Not only was multiple Grade 1 star Far Bridge the class of the short field in Saturday’s $388,000 Man o’ War (G2), but the 3-10 favorite also enjoyed a perfect trip at Aqueduct. That proved to be an unbeatable combination, as Far Bridge bested the hard-trying closer Anglophile. 

The top two are bred along the same exact lines. Both are by English Channel and out of mares by Kitten’s Joy – the champion turf males of 2007 and 2004, respectively, who together furnish quite a productive cross.

LSU Stables’ Far Bridge was coming off a narrow score in his seasonal reappearance in the March 29 Pan American (G3) at Gulfstream Park. The Man o’ War margin was a more comfortable length.

Under a well-judged ride by Joel Rosario, the Christophe Clement trainee saved ground in third stalking a slow pace. Front-running Decanted, the 22-1 longest shot on the board, hoped to capitalize by getting away with fractions of :24.92 and :49.99. But he could not withstand pressure from the advancing Capture the Flag, who accosted him through six furlongs in 1:15.58.

Decanted was already racing slightly off the fence, and as he began to wilt, he opened up a clear path for Far Bridge to ride the rail. Rosario wasted no time in sending the favorite into the breach, and Far Bridge took over by the mile in 1:40.31.

Meanwhile, Anglophile had been settled in last of the quintet. When Far Bridge’s move suddenly injected pace rounding the final turn, Anglophile scrambled into contention. 

But Far Bridge gained separation by cutting the corner. Although Anglophile pursued him gamely for the length of the stretch, he never looked like pulling the upset. 

“It was a good trip,” Rosario recapped. “You know, on the best horse in the race, I was looking for a clean trip, and we did. He showed he was the best horse.”

Anglophile’s rider, Javier Castellano, likewise tipped his cap to the winner.

“I tipped outside to go with the other horse (Far Bridge). I tried to catch up, but it was second best today,” Castellano said of Anglophile. “He (Far Bridge) was the best horse in the race, and he got through inside the three-eighths pole and dictated the pace. It was hard to catch up. He got through by the quarter-pole at the top of the stretch. Much the best was that horse.”

Another five lengths adrift in third came Padiddle, with a similar gap back to fourth-placer Capture the Flag. Decanted was a tailed-off last.

Far Bridge negotiated 1 3/8 miles on the good course in 2:17.24, becoming the third Man o’ War winner sired by English Channel. The prior two, champion Channel Maker (2019) and Channel Cat (2021), prevailed when it still held Grade 1 status. Interestingly, Channel Cat was bred on the same cross with Kitten’s Joy, while Channel Maker was out of a mare by another Sadler’s Wells-line sire, Horse Chestnut. 

Rosario and Clement were pleased that the game plan worked out.

“We always have a plan,” Rosario said. “It looked like we were going to be forwardly placed, but it looked like the other couple of horses on the outside had a little more speed than me. They did. So I tried to put him in a good spot and put him for a clear run when it was time to go.

“It looked like there was an opportunity to go in there (on the rail), and he did. He didn’t mind that, so it was great.”

“Very tactical, short field,” summed up Clement, who had won the Man o’ War twice with the magnificent Gio Ponti (2009-10). “Joel rode a great race.

“The plan was the two on the inside (Anglophile and Padiddle) were slow, and the speed was on the outside – work it out, field of five, it can’t be that difficult. He did it, well done.

“He can go to the lead, but I did not want him to go to the lead because I was a little bit worried about the ground. The horse that finished third in the Elkhorn (G2) the other day (Anglophile), I thought he ran a very good race, to tell you the truth. So I was worried about moving a little too early and him coming to catch us. The ride was perfect. The other horse had the whole stretch to catch us, and he just couldn’t catch us.”

Far Bridge boosted his bankroll to $2,142,980 from his 16-8-3-2 line. A debut winner for Clement over future celebrity Carl Spackler at Gulfstream, the bay promptly followed up in an allowance. He was acquired privately from his breeder, historic Calumet Farm, and transferred to Todd Pletcher, for whom he continued his development as a leading turf sophomore of 2023. Far Bridge won the Belmont Derby (G1) and placed in the Saratoga Derby (G1), American Turf (G2), Pennine Ridge (G2), and Dueling Grounds Derby (G3). Yet a couple of those placings might have been wins, if not for his own wayward tendencies.

Reunited with Clement ahead of his 2024 campaign, Far Bridge made a winning comeback at Gulfstream but then endured a three-race losing streak. He turned the corner by stealing last summer’s Sword Dancer (G1) at Saratoga on the front end and made it two straight with a rallying victory in the Joe Hirsch Turf Classic (G1) here. While he regressed to ninth in his seasonal finale in the Breeders’ Cup Turf (G1), Far Bridge is now 2-for-2 in 2025.

Clement commented on Far Bridge’s propensity to compromise his own chances, a trait that he might be putting behind him with age. 

“To train, he has never been an issue, but in his races, he seems to be more mature,” the horseman said. “Going up the inside, he has the rail and if he has the rail to help him, he’s always good. It’s when he’s in the middle of something (there can be an issue), but when he’s on the rail, no problem.”

Far Bridge is slated for the June 7 Manhattan (G1) back at Saratoga, where he hopes to improve upon his dead-heat third in 2024. He may have to face two well-credentialed stablemates in Carson’s Run and Deterministic.

“Let’s train them and see where they go,” Clement said of pinpointing targets for his top-class turfistes. “He (Far Bridge) goes to the Manhattan for sure. It’s a good problem to have, by the way.”