Flintshire taking it easy in Sword Dancer preparation

SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. – International traveler Flintshire, the expected favorite for the $1 million Sword Dancer at Saratoga on Saturday, put in his second day of local training on Wednesday.

Flintshire, the runner-up in last year’s Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe and Breeders’ Cup Turf, is based in France with trainer Andre Fabre and is owned by the Juddmonte Farms of Khalid Abdullah. He was flown from Belgium to New York last week and was in quarantine at Belmont Park over the weekend. He shipped from Belmont to Saratoga on Monday night and on Tuesday jogged a lap and galloped a lap over the one-mile Oklahoma training track.

On Wednesday, Flintshire, a well-balanced individual, followed a similar pattern. He walked approximately seven furlongs the wrong way by the outer rail and then turned around and jogged an extremely easy mile while obviously wanting to do more than exercise rider Annelie Ackerman was allowing.

Flintshire then galloped a smooth mile while not overexerting himself.

Flintshire, 5, finished second to Treve in his most recent start June 28 in the Group 1 Grand Prix de Saint-Cloud. In all, he has a record of 16-4-8-1 and $5.3 million in earnings. He has won two Group 1 races: the $2.1 million Hong Kong Vase at Sha Tin last December and the 2013 Grand Prix de Paris at Longchamp.

He has twice finished second to Treve, who has won the last two runnings of the Arc de Triomphe, 8 of 11 career starts, and $8.9 million.

Teddy Grimthorpe, the racing manager for Juddmonte, said that Flintshire will be returned to Europe next week and pointed for the Arc on Oct. 4.