Saratoga: Rebel’s Romance faces full field in Bowling Green

Reigning Breeders’ Cup Turf winner Rebel’s Romance will take his world tour back to North America in the 65th running of the Grade 2, $250,000 Bowling Green going 1 3/8 miles Sunday over the Saratoga inner turf.

The Bowling Green slated the ninth of Sunday’s 10 races with a scheduled post time 5:49 p.m. EDT.

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Rebel’s Romance won his Breeders’ Cup in November at Keeneland, providing international racing and breeding powerhouse Godolphin with its fifth victory in the prestigious race. A winner in four different countries, the Charlie Appleby-trained 5-year-old Dubawi gelding captured Germany’s Grosser Preis von Berlin (G1) at Hoppegarten and Preis von Europa (G1) at Cologne en route to his Breeders’ Cup conquest, where he came from 10th of 13 to secure a 2 1/4-length victory over fellow Europe invader Stone Age.

En route to his Germany endeavors, Rebel’s Romance won the Glorious (G3) at Goodwood and the Fred Archer at Newmarket in his turf debut, both in England. During his sophomore season he captured the UAE Derby (G2) over the main track at Meydan and had won his first two lifetime starts over all-weather surfaces in England. He enters from an uncharacteristic seventh in his lone defeat on turf in the Dubai Sheema Classic (G1) in March at Meydan, where he finished 11 lengths behind highly regarded, Japan-based Equinox. 

“He’s a well-travelled horse. Germany, Keeneland, England and Dubai,” Appleby’s traveling assistant Chris Connett said. “He’s traveled this trip pretty well, and he’s settled in good shape. He’s a typical Dubawi. He’s got better with age. He’s a big horse that’s really grown into his frame. Hopefully, we’ll get to see him at his best on Sunday.”

Rebel’s Romance has won over a variety of different turf conditions, including firm, good and good-fast. After rain Saturday, the National Weather Service forecast is for a sunny, 76-degree Sunday.

“He’s pretty versatile,” Connett said. “The ground in Germany was on the softer side. Keeneland was definitely on the quicker side of things. I’d say ground-wise it doesn’t really matter that much.”

Rebel’s Romance arrived at the Breeders’ Cup Turf in the shadow of his accomplished stablemate Nations Pride, who captured last year’s Saratoga Derby Invitational (G1) and Jockey Club Derby Invitational (G3) after finishing second in the Belmont Derby Invitational (G1), all on the New York Racing Association circuit.

“The team always has held the horse in high regard,” Connett said of Rebel’s Romance. “As a 3-year-old he won the UAE Derby on the dirt. Up until this year in Dubai, he was unbeaten on the turf. He’s a classy animal. Nations Pride had the form and was quite impressive in his runs out here. He had been here and done it before, whereas Rebel’s Romance hadn’t been around the tighter-turned tracks. The way he’s training out here at the moment, I think he’ll perform nicely on Sunday.”

Rebel’s Romance will leave from post 9 in rein to Richard Mullen.

Trainer Graham Motion will saddle Eclipse Thoroughbred Partners and Albert Frassetto’s The Grey Wizard, who drew post 7 with jockey John Velázquez. He arrived from a runner-up effort behind Appleby-trained Siskany in the two-mile Belmont Gold Cup (G2) on June 9.

The 4-year-old Caravaggio gelding was in 11th-place early and inched his way into contention up the final, backstretch run and launched a wide bid in upper part of the homestretch. He finished two lengths behind the winner while staving off a late inside rally from 44-1 shot British Royalty. An allowance winner going 1 1/4 miles at Santa Anita and 1 1/2 miles at Keeneland, The Grey Wizard finished second to Nations Pride in last year’s Jockey Club Derby.

“I’m very happy with him. We’ve kind of pointed for this race for a while,” Motion said. “He seems like he keeps improving every time I run him. I wish this was a mile-and-a-half. The distance is what really helps him. He’s not very quick from the gate, and that’s part of the problem. It puts him at a disadvantage. Johnny knows him so well, and that’s a big help. We’ve taken some shots with this guy, but he’s always kind of responded. He’s a horse that has improved a lot since we got him, and I’m not saying that because of us. I’m saying that, because he’s gotten older and figured it out.”

Trainer Christophe Clément will saddle Soldier Rising for post 5 with José Ortiz and Tawny Port for post 10 with Joel Rosario in attempt of his fourth Bowling Green victory.

Solider Rising, owned by Michael Dubb, Madaket Stables, Morris Bailey, Wonder Stables and Michael Caruso, is five-time graded-stakes placed but is still in search of his first graded-stakes triumph. The 5-year-old Frankel gelding finished second in Belmont’s Man o’ War (G1) and Manhattan (G1) this year and completing the trifecta behind former stablemate Gufo in last year’s Sword Dancer (G1).

Clement said the Bowling Green likely will propel the hard-luck Solider Rising into a return engagement in this year’s Sword Dancer going 1 1/2 miles Aug. 26.

“One day it will be his day,” Clement said. “He came out of the Manhattan in good shape and has trained well. The plan is to go Bowling Green to Sword Dancer.”

Peachtree Stable’s Tawny Port is a new addition to Clément’s stable but will make his grass debut following a distant seventh in the Ben Ali (G3) in April over the Keeneland main track for previous conditioner Brad Cox. The Pioneerof the Nile 4-year-old was fifth in both the Mineshaft (G3) in February at Fair Grounds and the Essex (G3) in March at Oaklawn.

A winner over Turfway Park’s synthetic in his first pair of starts, Tawny Port won the Lexington (G3) at Keeneland and Ohio Derby (G3) at Thistledown during his sophomore campaign.

“He trains well on the grass. He looks like a nice stayer, so we’re going to try him and see what happens,” said Clément, whose Bowling Green accolades include Flag Down in 1996, Honor Glide in 1999 and Grassy in 2011.

Andrew Farm, For The People Racing Stable and Windmill Manor Farm’s Verstappen from post 4 with Declan Cannon will seek to recapture the winning form that earned him a victory in the Elkhorn (G2) on April 22 going 1 1/2 miles at Keeneland.

Trained by Brendan Walsh, the 4-year-old War Front gelding was seventh in the 1 3/8-mile Man o’ War on May 13 on short rest at Belmont before cutting back in distance to finish third in the 1 1/16-mile Jonathan Schuster on July 8 at Horseshoe Indianapolis.

“He ran very well the last day at Indiana. We knew that would be a little sharp for him, and he nearly won it. It was way too short for him, but we were looking at the big picture to come up here and have a go at the Bowling Green,” Walsh said. “I probably ran him back a little quick in the Man o' War off of his huge run at Keeneland, but the race was there, and you take these shots. This time around he’s been here two weeks, and we were able to work him on the turf here. He’s fit and ready to go.”

Hall of Fame trainer Bill Mott will saddle Channel Maker for post 8 with Manny Franco. The 2020 male turf champion seeks his first victory since besting Solider Rising in last year’s Grand Couturier at Belmont. The evergreen, 9-year-old, English Channel gelding was a last-out 10th in the Belmont Gold Cup (G2) and will compete in his fifth Bowling Green. Channel Maker captured the 2018 edition of the race in a dead-heat victory with Glorious Empire before finishing fourth in 2019, third in 2020 and seventh in 2021.

Completing the field are the Chad Brown-trained pair of Highest Honors in post 1 with Irad Ortiz Jr. and Rockemperor in post 2 with Flavien Prat; Dinner Party (G3) winner Never Explain in post 3 with Luis Sáez riding for Hall of Famer Shug McGaughey; and three-time winner Strong Quality in post 6 with Florent Géroux for Hall of Famer Mark Casse. Marc Keller’s stakes-placed, Bobby Ribaudo-trained homebred Daunt, drawn to post 11 with Javier Castellano, is also eligible.