Sword Dancer Is A "Win and You're In" For Breeders' Cup Turf

Charlie Appleby continues his assault on North America's top turf races when he saddles the potent pair of Measured Time and Silver Knott in the Grade 1 Sword Dancer Invitational over 1 1/2 miles on the inner turf at Saratoga Race Course on Saturday, August 24.

The $750,000 affair is one of five Grade 1 races on the day and provides a fees-paid automatic berth into the Grade 1 Breeders' Cup Turf, which has been upped to $5 million for its renewal on November 2 at Del Mar Thoroughbred Club.

The Sword Dancer is slated as Race 9 on Saturday's 14-race card that features the Grade 1, $1.25 million DraftKings Travers Stakes [Race 13]; the Grade 1, $500,000 Ballerina Handicap [Race 10]; the Grade 1, $500,000 Forego Stakes [Race 11]; and the Grade 1, $500,000 H. Allen Jerkens Memorial [race 12]. First post is 11:20 a.m. Eastern.

Godolphin homebred Measured Time was imperious when taking June's Grade 1 Resorts World Casino Manhattan here under William Buick, who has the return call from post 2 carrying 126 pounds.

The Frankel colt was winning his sixth from eight starts in the 1 3/16-miles contest, defeating two next-out Grade / Group 1 winners in Nations Pride [Arlington Million] and Al Riffa [Grosser Preis von Berlin] - in the process. Stepping up to 12 furlongs for the first time on turf having previously posted a runner-up effort on synthetic in November at Kempton, he is a half-brother to Rebel's Romance, who has won five Group 1s at the distance. Appleby seeks his 13th graded stakes win and fifth Grade 1 in America this year.

"We feel he should appreciate it," Appleby said of the stretch-out in distance. "We're therefore hopeful that we could see even more improvement from him."

Also a 4-year-old, gelded Lope de Vega charge Silver Knott was the nose-beaten favorite in the 2022 Grade 1 Breeders' Cup Juvenile Turf and has long been well-regarded by Godolphin.

A $1,035,915 Tattersalls October 2021 yearling purchase, he abandoned his bridesmaid era, including placing in four of his six runs during a winless 2023 season, thanks to an increase in distance. Out of classy Group 1-winning mare God Given, a Group 2 winner over 14.5 furlongs, the millionaire has won his three efforts this season - all at 11 or 12 furlongs, including Keeneland's Grade 2 Elkhorn on April 20, Aqueduct's Grade 2 Man o' War on May 11 and Saratoga's Grade 2 Bowling Green on July 28 in course record time of 2:11.03.

Flavien Prat has been aboard for the triad and returns from post 4 carrying 124 pounds.

"Silver Knott is tried and tested, as we well know," Appleby continued. "He goes there in great shape. We thought he deserved to have another crack at Grade 1 company. He's in there if by any chance that Measured Time doesn't happen to see the trip out, he's guaranteed to. Both worked well during the week, as we know. We have two very live players, so I'm looking forward to it."

Trainer Christophe Clement has won a record four editions of the Sword Dancer, most recently the 2021-22 renewals with Gufo, and sends out a pair of his own in Grade 1 winner Far Bridge [post 3, Joel Rosario, 120 pounds] and six-time Grade 1-placed Soldier Rising [post 1, Jose Ortiz, 120 pounds].

The former, owned by LSU Stables, was a respectable third in Measured Time's Manhattan, but failed to fire in Monmonth Park's Grade 2 United Nations on July 20 - his first run around three bends. He seeks to return to the winner's enclosure for the first time since the 2023 Grade 1 Belmont Derby Invitational.

"He worked Monday [August 12] on the grass and it was a nice easy work after the United Nations try," Clement said. "Not really sure what happened in that race, but we will look to bounce back in the Sword Dancer."

Soldier Rising (Madaket Stables, Michael Dubb, Morris Bailey, Wonder Stables and Michael J. Caruso) has taken home more silver than a kleptomaniac in a fine-dining restaurant, finishing second for the 11th time in 22 career starts and sixth in his past seven runs in the aforementioned Bowling Green.

After a third and second in the past two Sword Dancers, the son of Frankel hopes to do one better, as well as achieve his first stakes victory, when he makes his second start of the season.

"He worked well on Monday [August 12] and he looks good," Clement said. "He is a very hard-trying horse. He always shows up and runs his race. People like to poke fun at him for running second, but there aren't many horses out there who are as consistent as he is."

Whisper Hill Farm's homebred United Nations runner-up Grand Sonata [post 6, Javier Castellano, 120 pounds] represents Hall of Fame trainer Todd Pletcher, who seeks his second Sword Dancer, having landed the 2006 edition with another homebred who came off a big 11-furlong effort, Wertheimer and Frere's Go Deputy.

Like Go Deputy [by Deputy Minister], who prepped victoriously in the Bowling Green, Grand Sonata, by Medaglia d'Oro, seeks his second graded stakes win in the Sword Dancer and hails from a remarkably dexterous pedigree. Hall of Famer Javier Castellano, who seeks a record-tying fourth Sword Dancer, has the call.

"I thought he ran great in the United Nations and just missed," Pletcher said. "He is a pretty versatile horse. He has ran well at multiple distances and a mile and a half suits him well."

Completing the sextet is A. Bianco Holding Limited's Pioneering Spirit [post 5, Irad Ortiz, Jr., 120 pounds], who exits a second in Saratoga's rained-off Fasig-Tipton Lure on August 3 and finished a distant third astern Bolshoi Ballet and Soldier Rising in last year's Sword Dancer. A winner of a pair of Listed affairs since, including the 1 1/16-mile Bernard Baruch in September here, the hard-knocking son of American Pharaoh will be ridden by Irad Ortiz, Jr.

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