Sword Dancer 2025
Two huge turf races serve as the highlights of this weekend’s stakes calendar, including the “Win and In” Sword Dancer Stakes, which features a berth into the Breeders’ Cup Turf for the winner. While the Arlington Million at Colonial Downs has a bigger purse, this race has bigger, ahem, stakes at Saratoga, as a qualifier in the Breeders’ Cup Challenge Series.
The reigning champion Far Bridge looks to defend his crown and eight other contenders will look to prevent a repeat at the Spa. Post time is set for 5:44 p.m. ET as Race 10 of 12 on the Saturday, August 9 card.
Sword Dancer Stakes 2025 Entries, Horses, Jockeys, and Trainers:
| Post | Horse | Jockey | Trainer | Odds |
| 1 | El Cordobes | F. Prat | C. Appleby | 4-1 |
| 2 | Rebel Red | I. Ortiz Jr. | C. DeVaux | 8-1 |
| 3 | Vote No | K. Carmouche | K. Danner | 15-1 |
| 4 | Padiddle | R. Santana Jr. | F. Abreu | 30-1 |
| 5 | Nations Pride | W. Buick | C. Appleby | 3-1 |
| 6 | Far Bridge | J. Rosario | M. Clement | 9/5 |
| 7 | El Rezeen | D. Davis | T. Pletcher | 15-1 |
| 8 | Grand Sonata | M. Franco | T. Pletcher | 10-1 |
| 9 | Utah Beach | J. Ortiz | I. Correas | 8-1 |
Nine horses are listed as entries, but we’re likely to have eight at the starting gate. Grand Sonata is cross-entered in the Arlington Million and is likely to run on the Colonial Downs turf in that race. Far Bridge is favored to run it back here, but appears to have some very stiff competition, as we only have one really true long shot and a couple of medium shots.
Three internationally-bred horses are in the field, headlined by Nations Pride, who has been around in the circuit for a while. The same is true of the British-bred Rebel Red, but El Cordobes will be across the Atlantic for the first time with rider Flavien Prat and top-notch turf trainer Charlie Appleby. It should be a great race.
Here are some thoughts on each horse at the odds at time of publish:
1. El Cordobes (4-1; Prat/Appleby): International racing powerhouse Godolphin has brought El Cordobes to the United States for his first start on American turf. He’s a three-time winner overseas and was fantastic last time out in the Kingdom of Bahrain Princess of Wales’s Stakes with easily his best win to date over 1 ½ miles. This race will be run at that same distance. The son of European legend Frankel and a terrific turf mare in Bold Lass. Frankel was a perfect 14-for-14 in his career.
It is worth noting that regular rider William Buick has the mount on Appleby’s other entry, Nations Pride, but Prat is having a stellar 2025 with a 24% win rate as of August 6.
2. Rebel Red (8-1; I. Ortiz/DeVaux): Frankel is also the father of Rebel Red, who was bred outside the U.S., but broke his maiden on the Saratoga turf just over a year ago. The four-time winner in 13 starts gets a strong rider in Irad Ortiz Jr., whose brother, Jose, was in the mount for Rebel Red’s Chorleywood win at Churchill two months ago. It was Luis Saez with the ride in a disappointing seventh-place finish last time out in the G2 United Nations at Monmouth. Good bloodline, solid rider, very inconsistent performances of late.
3. Vote No (15-1; Carmouche/Danner): Vote No ran fifth in that G2 United Nations Stakes event at Monmouth and comes in with pretty good form, but the Cape Henlopen winner at Delaware Park is really leveling up here. Maybe he prefers the distance, as he won that race in his only start at 1 ½ miles, but this is a much better field and one where he doesn’t have similar speed figures to the top contenders. Jockey Kendrick Carmouche is actually having one of his best years ever at 21% and has hit the board with over 50% of his rides, so this might be a horse to play in exotics and hope for a burst as others tire.
4. Padiddle (30-1; Santana/Abreu): Padiddle is the least accomplished horse in the field in a lot of ways, hence the huge price for Fernando Abreu’s entry. The son of Empire Maker did break his maiden earlier this year on the Gulfstream Park turf, but he was a pretty clear third to Far Bridge in the Pan American and Man O’War, while also finishing well behind Parchment Party and Yo Daddy in the Belmont Golf Cup on the dirt. In his return to turf, he was fourth and is coming back rather quickly to go 1 ½ miles.
5. Nations Pride (3-1; Buick/Appleby): The well-traveled son of Teofilo and Important Time is back stateside for this one, as Charlie Appleby and Godolphin look for a G1 win in August for a second straight year. Nations Pride won last year’s Arlington Million and is the highest earner in the field, but he was a very disappointing ninth in the Pegasus World Cup Turf and a more disappointing 10th last time out at Meydan in the Dubai Turf.
He obviously deserves a ton of respect and has won some mammoth G1 races, with 11 total wins in 22 starts. In two Saratoga starts, he has a win and a second, both in G1 action. Of course, he’s also running 1 ½ for the first time since finishing fifth in the 2022 Breeders’ Cup Turf.
6. Far Bridge (9/5; Rosario/M. Clement): Miguel Clement took over for father Christophe when he passed away in May at the age of just 59. Miguel is only 34, but has tons of education and experience in the business and he also has a monster of a horse here. The reigning champ already has three wins in four tries this year and comes in off of a win in the Bowling Green Stakes after finishing behind fellow Clement horse Deterministic and Integration, who is the favorite in this weekend’s Arlington Million.
Far Bridge is absolutely the horse to beat here, as his last bad effort came in last year’s Breeders’ Cup Turf. This field is not on that level, nor is he out on the west coast at Del Mar. The senior Clement also had the Sword Dancer winner in 2021 and 2022 with Gufo. The younger Clement also had a huge win in the Fourstardave last week with Deterministic on this track.
7. El Rezeen (15-1; Davis/Pletcher): Far Bridge’s father, English Channel, sired three of the horses in this field and all of them are on the outside, including El Rezeen. Dylan Davis draws the mount for Todd Pletcher, as the two are looking to use the second-place finish to Far Bridge in the Bowling Green Stakes as a springboard here. Davis was a clear second to Far Bridge, but had the ride in both wins at Saratoga for El Rezeen last year, including his maiden at 1 ½ miles.
He’s hit the board in six of nine starts and each of his last five. He’s a threat to fill out exotics, but probably not much of a threat to win.
8. Grand Sonata (10-1; Franco/Pletcher): The other Pletcher entry is very likely to run in the Arlington Million. If he does decide to run here, he could be a factor, even with Manny Franco slated for the mount. Irad Ortiz usually draws this assignment, but you notice that he’s slated to direct Rebel Red around the track.
9. Utah Beach (8-1; J. Ortiz/Correas): Utah Beach ships up from Keeneland to Saratoga for this one, as Jose Ortiz draws the mount for Ignacio Correas. The five-time winner has two of those wins this year, both in Kentucky, as the first to cross the line in the Elkhorn at Keeneland and Louisville at Churchill, going 1 ½ miles both times. He was seventh without much of a charge last time out.
Even though Vincent Cheminaud had those two wins, the younger Ortiz gets his first ride since last October atop the English Channel gelding. Ortiz’s last ride on Utah Beach came in the Sycamore Stakes, where he had a career-best 114 Equibase Speed Figure.
Sword Dancer Stakes Predictions
This is an unexciting pick, but Far Bridge is likely to be too much for the field, especially with all of the success for the Clement barn this summer at Saratoga and elsewhere. It’s his track and his race. In the event it works out as planned, the race for second and third could be very compelling. I think one of the Appleby horses comes through there and I’ll go Nations Pride with Buick on the ride, then El Rezeen for a long shot third.
Prediction: 6-5-7-9
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