Familiar faces to go in Bowling Green
By Jeff Scott SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. » Since the $250,000 Bowling Green Stakes was moved up from Belmont in 2015, it has served as a useful on-site prep for the $1 million Sword Dancer Invitational (Aug. 25). For the past three years, the top three finishers in the Bowling Green have all gone on to compete in the Sword Dancer.
Money Multiplier, this year’s Bowling Green favorite at 2-1, is something of a hard-luck horse: his record includes eight runner-up finishes, six of them by less than a length – and two of them in the last two runnings of the Sword Dancer. The welltraveled 6-year-old ridgling added a ninth track to his resume when he had his passport stamped for The Emirs Trophy (G1) this past February in Qatar. Money Multiplier comes in off a half-length beat in the U.N. Stakes (G1) and a second win in the Monmouth Stakes (G2).
Hi Happy (5-2) is another horse to be reckoned with in this spot. The Argentine-bred has hit the board in all four starts for new trainer Todd Pletcher after his Northern Hemisphere career got off to a slow start in California. Back-to-back wins in the Pan American and Man O’ War, and a close-up third in the Manhattan last out, could make the 6-year-old Pure Prize horse a tough beat in here.
Since his Sword Dancer victory last summer, Sadler’s Joy has won only once in a halfdozen starts. He’s been in the mix in most of them, though, and will be running at arguably his best distance (1 3/8 miles) on would is arguably his favorite course. In his last two outings, the Woodslane Farm homebred has been beaten a half-length and a neck in a pair of Grade 1s.
Bigger Picture (8-1) was out-finished by longshot Hunter O’Riley in last year’s Bowling Green. With just one win in his last seven starts, the 7-year-old gelding may be slowing down. On the other hand, a visit to Saratoga – where he has been in the money in three of four starts – could be just the thing. Bigger Picture sports an 11-5-4 record in 32 starts.
Manitoulin (10-1), Channel Maker (10-1), Highland Sky (12-1), Glorious Empire Empire (20-1) and Sarrasin (30-1) complete the Bowling Green field.