Far Bridge Leads Home English Channel 1-2 in the Man o’ War

[Wandering Eyes]

Returning to the scene of his victory in last year's GI Joe Hirsch Turf Classic, LSU Stables' 'TDN Rising Star' Far Bridge (English Channel) stamped his authority on Saturday's GII Man o' War Stakes at Aqueduct, defeating his chief market rival Anglophile (English Channel) by a deceptively easy margin.

The prohibitive favorite was given a dig away from the stalls by Joel Rosario to open up his early options, but when longshot Decanter (Kitten's Joy) and Capture the Flag (Quality Road) elected to go on with it, Far Bridge was able to slot in from a midfield third to enjoy the shortest way around.

Continuing to stalk the top two in hand from a few lengths in arrears down the back of the track, Far Bridge was asked for an early run to take a gap at the fence four furlongs out and make the Man o' War a test of stamina. Held together on the swing for home as Anglophile was finding his best stride from the back, Far Bridge responded when asked, pinched a break and was never in danger as Anglophile closed inches to complete a middle-distance 1-2 for the late English Channel.

“Very tactical, short field. Joel [Rosario] rode a great race,” said trainer Christophe Clement, winning the Man o' War for the first time since Gio Ponti (Tale of the Cat) successfully defended his title in 2010. “The plan was the two [horses] on the inside 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.

“To train, he has never been an issue, but in his races, he seems to be more mature [this year]. 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.”

Clement said that the GI Resorts World Casino Manhattan Stakes on the Belmont undercard at Saratoga June 7 would be next on the agenda for Far Bridge, who could be joined by stablemates Carson's Run (Cupid) and/or fellow 'Rising Star' Deterministic (Liam's Map).

Third to the late Measured Time (GB) (Frankel {GB}) in last year's Manhattan, Far Bridge was a disappointing ninth in the GII United Nations Stakes, then was enterprisingly ridden to make all the running en route to an 8-1 surprise in the GI Sword Dancer Invitational Stakes back at the Spa in August. Up by a half-length to defeat two-time defending champion War Like Goddess (English Channel) in last year's Turf Classic, the bay was ninth to Rebel's Romance (GB) (Dubawi {Ire}) in the GI Breeders' Cup Turf and returned to action with a neck success in the 12-furlong GIII Pan American Stakes at Gulfstream Mar. 29.

Pedigree Notes:

The late English Channel has now sired the winners of three of the last six runnings of the Man o' War–Channel Maker in 2019 and Channel Cat in 2021. Far Bridge is one of just two winners from three to race from Fitpitcher, a granddaughter of the talented Pleasant Temper, whose 12 victories included a front-running score in the 1999 GIII Ballston Spa Breeders' Cup Handicap at Saratoga. Fitpitcher sadly passed away in 2021.

The cross of champion turf horses English Channel and Kitten's Joy has resulted in 35 individual winners, six of those at the black-type level, including the aforementioned Channel Cat and fellow graded stakes winners Spooky Channel, English Bee and Admiralty Pier.

Saturday, Belmont At The Big A
MAN O' WAR S.-GII, $388,000, Belmont The Big A, 5-10, 4yo/up, 1 3/8mT, 2:17.24, gd.
1–FAR BRIDGE, 124, h, 5, by English Channel
                1st Dam: Fitpitcher, by Kitten's Joy
                2nd Dam: Teenage Temper, by A.P. Indy
                3rd Dam: Pleasant Temper, by Storm Cat
'TDN Rising Star'. O-LSU Stables; B-Calumet Farm (KY);
T-Christophe Clement; J-Joel Rosario. $220,000. Lifetime
Record: MGISW, 16-8-3-2, $2,142,980. Werk Nick Rating:
   A+++. *Triple Plus* Click for the eNicks report & 5-cross
   pedigree. Click for the free Equineline.com catalogue-style
   pedigree.
2–Anglophile, 118, h, 5, English Channel–Trustmore Lovemore,
by Kitten's Joy. O-Michael Thomas Paradis; B-Upson Downs
Farm & Louie W. Wright (KY); T-Brian A. Lynch. $80,000.
3–Padiddle, 118, g, 5, Empire Maker–Belle Chaussee, by Giant's
Causeway. ($205,000 Wlg '20 FTKNOV; $250,000 Ylg '21
KEESEP). O-Imaginary Stables; B-Frankfort Park Farm (KY);
T-Fernando Abreu. $48,000.
Margins: 1, 5, 5 1/4. Odds: 0.30, 4.30, 12.00.
Also Ran: Capture the Flag, Decanted.
Click for the Equibase.com chart and the TJCIS.com PPs. VIDEO, sponsored by FanDuel TV.

 

Back-to-back stakes wins for FAR BRIDGE! He wins the Grade 2 Man o' War Stakes with @JRosarioJockey up for trainer @clementstable. pic.twitter.com/tZsEVJmtG8

— NYRA () (@TheNYRA) May 10, 2025

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