Turf marathoners get a chance to shine in the Bowling Green Saturday at Saratoga and the contentious 5-pack offers something for everybody’s taste.
With the champion mare Beholder holding all the aces in the Clement Hirsch Saturday at Del Mar, the Bowling Green is a better wagering race and has more options to get paid.
The Bowling Green, a $250,000 Grade 2 mile and a three-eighths turf fixture, was first run in 1958 and some serious stars have won this event over the decades.
Champion Fort Marcy got home in this race in 1970, Theatrical, a champion in Ireland and America, won the Bowling Green in 1987 and last year Red Rifle shot down his foes for trainer Todd Pletcher.
From the rail out, Twilight Eclipse will be trying to build on a clever 3-5 victory over allowance foes 22 days ago at this very distance. This runner loves this trip, he showed he belongs with this caliber rival when he took the Grade 1 Man o’ War last year and he should sit a solid stalk and kick trip.
Even though Twilight Eclipse has trained forwardly for this race since his last victory, this runner has been handled by some of today’s rivals and that must be addressed.
Flintshire is truly class personified. He was only beaten a half-length 2 years ago in the Breeders’ Cup Turf. And he won the Grade 1 Sword Dancer at Saratoga last year with juicy 114 Beyer Speed Figure. He made his seasonal debut winning the Grade 1 Manhattan in June with a 110 Beyer and is coming to the race at the top of his game.
Fit enough to work several times since his last win and Flintshire was flattered when the horse that ran third in his last race returned to win the Grade 1 United Nations Handicap at Monmouth Park on July 3.
Rider Javier Castellano got a chance to know Flintshire in his last race and trainer Chad Brown has popped at 24% this year.
Danish Dynaformer has never raced at Saratoga but he has the benefit of winning at a number of venues in his career. The colt closed into a slow pace last time and has handled yielding and firm grass in his career. This runner rates an upset chance as in the last race he beat a horse that won the Grade 1 Arlington Million in 2014.
Can’thelpbelieving has won on this inner turf course at Saratoga but it was against a much softer group. He has not won since May of last year when handling a soft optional claiming crew and with his limited speed style, he can be his own worst enemy at times.
Grand Tito has run well locally and he has some back class as scored in a Grade 2 in March at Gulfstream Park with a 104 Beyer. He brings tactical speed to the party and just may inherit the role as the pacesetter. And although he has not raced since June 11, he has won off the vacation in the past.
Grand Tito has also faced some nice runners. The horse that beat him just a length and a half in April returned to win the Grade 1 Man o’ War in May as the favorite.
This is how the Bowling Green figures to unfold on Saturday. In these long events, it often becomes a rider’s race in that the jockeys will play cat and mouse on who will make the running.
There is a paucity of speed in this race and Grand Tito could very well fall into lead. Twilight Eclipse has a shot to get an ideal 2-hole trip and that would leave the likely favorite Flintshire alone to settle and collect himself.
Expect Twilight Eclipse to feel the heat and start to wilt before the real racing begins and for Grand Tito to try to take over the race with a furlong to go.
At this point, Flintshire will be asked. He was only a head off the lead with a furlong to go in his last win and should be right on the throat of Grand Tito with the finish line in sight.
Brown and Castellano teamed up for a win in the Bowling Green in 2013 with Hyper and they will be hoping for that déjà vu feeling on Saturday.
