Flintshire favorite to win Sword Dancer at Turf Classic Distance
Flintshire will compete as the 8 to 5 favorite in the G1 Sword Dancer Stakes at Saratoga on Saturday. If victorious at the 1 1/2 mile turf classic distance, Flintshire will earn his way into the Breeders’ Cup Longines Turf to be run at the 1 1/2 miles at Keeneland in October.
The five year old son of Dansili, trained by Andre Fabre, has campaigned in G1 races in Europe for Juddmonte Farms and will make his first start in the U.S. on the Travers undercard. His last win was at Sha Tin in Hong Kong in December and has eight seconds and four wins from 16 starts all against G1 company.
The other euro runner in the Sword Dancer will be Guardini who will make his first start stateside for trainer Paul Harley and Australian Racing Stables. Guardini will get Lasix and blinkers for the first time in his nine race career and will be ridden for the first time by Martin Harley.
Other runners include Red Rifle and War Dancer who exit the G2 Bowling Green Handicap a race in which they finished one, two respectively, and Twilight Eclipse who finished third behind Big Blue Kitten in the United Nations at Monmouth in July.
The most intriguing runner is Messi. He’s a German bred 5YO who won his first and only two starts in the U.S. in his two most recent races. He was given Lasix for his 1 1/4 mile OC62500 NW2X in July at Belmont and won after stumbling at the start. He returned in August to win at 1 3/8 on the inner turf at Saratoga in an OC 80K NW3X by two lengths “as the rider pleased.” He’s listed at what appears to be an overlay at 10 to 1.
Sword Dancer past performances.
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