Sword Dancer fits Flintshire perfectly
SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. – The purse of the Grade 1 Sword Dancer at Saratoga on Saturday was doubled to $1 million this year, and the extra green played a role in luring the grass race’s undisputed star, Flintshire.
Flintshire is an international horse. Based in France with trainer Andre Fabre and bred and owned by the Juddmonte Farms of Khalid Abdullah, the two-time Group 1 winner has raced well in Europe, Dubai, Hong Kong, and the United States.
Flintshire, 5, is on target to make his third appearance in the Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe at Longchamp on Oct. 4. He was originally scheduled to prep in the July 25 King George VI and Queen Elizabeth Stakes at Ascot, but plans were changed due to soft turf there, according to Teddy Grimthorpe, the racing manager for Juddmonte.
“After the ground came up soft, we decided to wait for the Sword Dancer,” he said. “The prize money is attractive. The firm ground is attractive.”
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Flintshire is best at the Sword Dancer’s distance of 1 1/2 miles and over firm going. His appearance at Saratoga has coincided with a beautiful week weather-wise, and the course should suit him.
Flintshire was flown from Belgium to New York a week ago. He resumed training at Saratoga on Tuesday and did a bit of work over the Oklahoma turf course Thursday, which impressed Daily Racing Form clocker Mike Vesce.
“He’s a smallish colt, but I loved the way he went,” Vesce said.
Flintshire went through a high gallop/breeze of about five furlongs, with a seven-furlong gallop-out that took him around both of the relatively tight turns of the course.
“One of the reasons we sent him for the Sword Dancer is that he is an experienced traveler,” Grimthorpe said. “We know he travels well.”
Flintshire has four wins and eight seconds from 16 career starts and $5.3 million in earnings, having kept top company throughout his career. He was second of 20 runners in last year’s Arc to Treve, who has won the last two editions of the race. He then came to the United States and finished second in the Breeders’ Cup Turf at Santa Anita, beaten a half-length by Main Sequence. Fabre sent him to Sha Tin for the Group 1 Hong Kong Vase last December, and he walked away with the winner’s share of the $2.1 million purse.
In March, Flintshire finished second in the $6 million Dubai Sheema Classic at Meydan. He enters off a second to Treve in the Group 1 Grand Prix de Saint-Cloud.
Flintshire will be favored to get back in the win column in the Sword Dancer, which is a Win and You’re In race for the Breeders’ Cup Turf at Keeneland on Oct. 31.
“We’ll look at how the ground will be at Keeneland, but there’s really no reason why he wouldn’t go in the Breeders’ Cup after the Arc,” Grimthorpe said.
Sword Dancer, race 10
Key contenders
Flintshire (Beyer: 105)
◗ He is by Dansili and out of Dance Routine, both of whom were bred and raced by Juddmonte.
“He’s up there with the very best and is tremendously consistent,” Grimthorpe said. “That he’s a homebred top and bottom makes him very special.”
◗ He will be ridden by Vincent Cheminaud, a 21-year-old champion jump jockey in France. His biggest win on the flat came for Fabre in this year’s French Derby.
Twilight Eclipse (Last 3 Beyers: 102-99-104)
◗ Twilight Eclipse, the winner of the Grade 1 Man o’ War at Belmont in May, enters off a troubled run in the United Nations at Monmouth. He finished third to Big Blue Kitten in that race after having to steady along the inside in upper stretch.
“We skipped the Bowling Green with him because we wanted to freshen him up for a fall campaign,” trainer Tom Albertrani said. “We would like to go from the Sword Dancer to the Turf Classic to the Breeders’ Cup Turf. He’s been doing fantastic, training really well.”
Red Rifle (Last 3 Beyers: 107-103-59)
◗ Enters off two sharp wins for trainer Todd Pletcher. He defeated fellow Sword Dancer entrants Imagining and War Dancer in the Grade 2, 1 3/8-mile Bowling Green on Aug. 1. In his prior start, he won the Dominion Day at Woodbine at 1 1/4 miles over Polytrack.
Messi (Beyers: 94-92)
◗ Trained by Graham Motion, he has been impressive in winning both of his U.S. starts over optional-claiming company in New York. The German-bred steps up in class here.
Guardini
◗ German-based 4-year-old is 3 for 9 while racing in Germany and France. Blew out through the stretch of the Oklahoma dirt track Thursday in a solid move, according to Vesce.
◗ Adds blinkers and will be first-time Lasix.