Bigger Picture pointed toward Sword Dancer

Three Diamonds Farm's Bigger Picture has been training well following his second-place finish by a neck in the Grade 2 Bowling Green on July 29 at Saratoga Race Course, according to trainer Mike Maker who is now pointing the Badge of Silver gelding to the Grade 1 Sword Dancer on Travers Day, August 26.  

On Saturday, Bigger Picture breezed four furlongs in 49.84 seconds over the Oklahoma training track.

"[It was a] super work, very professional." Maker said. "He always trains tough."

Bigger Picture, who went off as the third betting choice in the Bowling Green following his head victory in the G1 United Nations on July 1 at Monmouth, dueled with Sadler's Joy on the inside and longshot Hunter O'Riley on the outside down the stretch falling just short at the wire.

"He gives you 110 percent every time," Maker said. "[He] came out of it fine. We'll move on to the next one."

Maker has four wins, four seconds and a third in 34 starts during the Saratoga meet that he describes as "tough sledding."

"We have a few nice claims. So that makes up for the heartbreaking losses," he said. "We claimed a filly Tarquinia that won pretty handily. She looks well and we have a filly, Thrice, she looks well too."

Tarquinia broke her maiden in a romp, winning by 13 lengths in a six furlong sprint on July 27 at Saratoga Race Course. Thrice, a filly out of Hat Trick, won a 1 1/16 race on the turf on July 23 at the Spa. Jockey Eric Cancel was aboard for both wins.