Race 8 at Saratoga | Saturday, July 12 | Post Time 4:29 PM Eastern

Bowling Green Stakes – Grade 2 | Purse $500,000 | One Mile and Three-Eighths on Turf | Four Year Olds and Upward

Top contenders: Harrow (6), Far Bridge (7)

Other contenders: Webslinger (5), Corruption (8), Starting Over (1)

After nailing Think Big at 6 to 1 on the grass last week in the Kelso Stakes at Saratoga as the Keeneland Select race of the day, we’ll go back to the turf at Saratoga for another interesting race where my top selection, Harrow (6) may offer similar value.

Harrow loves to win races, with eight victories in 19 races on turf. Three of those wins have come since joining the barn of Saffie Joseph Jr. in April of 2024. Although he had never run farther than one mile and one-sixteenth prior to that, Harrow was entered in a mile and one-half race on turf last September at Kentucky downs and won rather easily among a tough field of 10. He was off for a couple of months after that finished third, then first, at one mile and one-sixteenth. When stretched back out to a mile and one-half for the McKnight Stakes in January, he finished fifth of 12 but was beaten less than two lengths for the win.

Next came a trip to Barbados for the Gold Cup Stakes, where Harrow won that stakes race with a $100K purse at nine furlongs in a field of eight. Rested three and one-half months after that, Harrow stretched back out to a marathon distance like this one and finished fast for second, making the lead between the eighth pole and sixteenth pole while battling with two other horses before the winner swooped by from the outside. That was not a bad effort at all, so with Irad Ortiz, Jr. getting on for the first time and with Harrow likely to improve second off the layoff, he may be the one to beat in this race.

Far Bridge (7) has eight career wins on turf, in 17 turf races, so a very similar record to Harrow. However, Far Bridge has run in nine straight graded stakes, winning four, while Harrow has only run in one stakes race and finished fifth. That is the reason Far Bridge will likely be favored by bettors in this race while Harrow may be just a bit overlooked. Aside from the better value offered for a win bet on Harrow as compared to Far Bridge, there is little difference.

Far Bridge won the Sword Dancer Stakes last August on the Saratoga Turf, though at the time he was not considered one of the top contenders (as may be the case with Harrow today), going to post at eight to one odds. He won the Turf Classic one month later at 5 to 2 odds, then after a fifth-place effort in the Breeders’ Cup Turf, Far Bridge won two more marathon distance stakes races, in March and May. In his most recent race, a little over one month ago, Far Bridge was beaten by his stablemate Deterministic but was not disgraced when just a head and neck from winning at the end. Rosario rides him exceptionally well and has been aboard for four wins and that narrow defeat last month in six races, so even though probably not a good win bet at low odds, Far Bridge can win and should be played in the win spot on exacta tickets.

Starting Over (1) was a head behind Harrow four weeks ago at the end in the Cape Henlopen Stakes at a mile and one half and was one of two battling gamely with Harrow through the stretch before the eventual winner passed them. He is making his third start since moving to the prolific Maker barn, and third since returning from a nine-month layoff, so another “A” race is forecast. Starting over was 18 to 1 in that last race and could offer a decent return in this race as well.

Webslinger (5) was away from the races for almost nine months before his comeback race on May 31 at the shorter distance of one mile and one sixteenth. He rallied exceptionally well from 13 lengths back with a quarter of a mile to run, to miss by less than a length, and will improve second off the layoff and at the longer distance he has proven to like, having won the Chorleywood Stakes at this distance on turf last June.

Corruption (8) is trained by Mark Casse, the same as Webslinger, and has won four of eight races, all on grass. He was just a head behind Far Bridge in the Pan American Stakes in March but could only manage fourth last month in the Manhattan, in which Far Bridge was third. He broke a bit slowly in that race and did not get the good early position he had in three straight races before that, so with a better start Corruption adds to the depth in this field. 

Win Bets: Harrow (6) can be considered for a win bet at 2 to 1 odds or more.

Exactas:

Harrow (6) and Far Bridge (7) over Harrow (6), Far Bridge (7), Starting Over (1), Webslinger (5) and Corruption (8).

Far Bridge (7) over Harrow (6), Starting Over (1), Webslinger (5) and Corruption (8).

We are playing the second exacta by keying Far Bridge on top as he will be lower odds and if he wins, we want to cash that exacta ticket twice.