As much as the $400,000 Man o' War Stakes (G2T) has only five entrants, it can present a tricky test for older turf males.
Without a speedster in the small field, the pace could turn into a jog around Aqueduct Racetrack, making the versatility of multiple grade 1 winner Far Bridge highly valuable.
LSU Stables' 5-year-old son of English Channel registered a pair of grade 1 wins last year for trainer Christophe Clement in two distinct manners.
He captured the Sword Dancer Stakes (G1T) in front-running fashion and then rallied from the back of a small field to take the Joe Hirsch Turf Classic Stakes (G1T).
That ability to be placed on the lead or at the rear should make matters easier for jockey Joel Rosario when the starting gates open May 10 in the 1 3/8-mile Man o' War at the Big A.
"He's a very good horse with tactical speed if you want him to. He's won grade 1s from the lead, from last, and he's got a good turn-of-foot. His versatility makes it fun for Joel," said Miguel Clement, the assistant trainer for his father, Christophe Clement. "He's a very good horse and he's top class. He's improving as he gets older and it's very rewarding for the stable. It's a great story to be a part of."
Bred by Calumet Farm out of the Kitten's Joy mare Fitpitcher, Far Bridge came into last year's Breeders' Cup Turf (G1T) with a chance to be named the champion turf male but those hopes were dashed with a ninth-place finish in the Nov. 2 year-end showdown at Del Mar.
Given nearly five months off, he started 2025 with a determined neck victory March 29 as the 4-5 favorite in the mile-and-a-half Pan American Stakes (G3T) at Gulfstream Park.
"He had three weeks off after the Pan American with no breezes because it was such a strong effort off the layoff," Miguel Clement said. "He's coming into this race quite well."
The main challenger figures to be Capture the Flag, who was the 3-1 second choice in the Pan American but failed to fire and wound up eighth.
Prior to that, the 5-year-old son of Quality Road trained by Todd Pletcher won the March 1 Mac Diarmida Stakes (G2T). A winner of three of 12 starts, he is owned by breeder Joseph Allen, Mrs. John Magnier, Michael Tabor, Derrick Smith, Westerberg, and Jonathan Poulin.
Imaginary Stables' Padiddle, a son of Empire Maker trained by Fernando Abreu, was third in the Pan American, four lengths behind the victorious Far Bridge.
Insights From Thoro-Graph
- Anglophile has gotten better every year he has raced. Grass stakes horses run figures in a much tighter range than dirt horses do, and this one, like many Brian Lynch horses, especially so. We account for ground loss in our figures, and a wide trip last time earned this horse a concealed slight lifetime best. Getting more than a point worth of weight on the Thoro-Graph scale under friendly allowance conditions, that effort becomes as good as Far Bridge's lifetime best, and there is a good chance this horse will run back to it.
- Far Bridge has been well managed and extremely well ridden, winning a number of close races by saving ground while running figures that were good, but not great. This horse also tends to get better later in the year, and since at the weights he would probably need his absolute best to take this, he's a vulnerable favorite.
- Capture the Flag won a grade 2 at Gulfstream with a slow figure and a ground-saving trip. That win hurts him under the allowance conditions here, and we also don't like the backward move last time, since he would have to run faster than he ever has to have any shot here.
Thoro-Graph performance figures are calculated based on a race's time with adjustments for beaten lengths, track speed, ground loss, weight carried, and when necessary, wind. The lower the number, the better the race. Complimentary sheets for the Man o' War Stakes can be found online at Thoro-Graph. Learn more about how to analyze Thoro-Graph data at www.thorograph.com/basics.
Belmont at the Big A, Saturday, May 10, 2025, Race 2Entries: Man o' War S. (G2T)
PP Horse Jockey Wgt Trainer M/L 1 1Anglophile (KY) Javier Castellano 118 Brian A. Lynch 5/2 2 2Padiddle (KY) Flavien Prat 118 Fernando Abreu 12/1 3 3Far Bridge (KY) Joel Rosario 124 Christophe Clement 3/5 4 4Capture the Flag (KY) John R. Velazquez 122 Todd A. Pletcher 7/2 5 5Decanted (KY) Irad Ortiz, Jr. 118 Keri Brion 15/1
