El Cordobes cut up horses in deep stretch and prevailed in a dramatic end to seize the $750,000 Grade 1 Resorts World On line casino Sword Dancer Stakes Aug. 9 at Saratoga Race Course. The 4-year-old European invader caught Insurgent Purple and stablemate Nations Delight to attain his first Grade 1 victory.
The Sword Dancer was a Breeders’ Cup Problem Sequence “Win and You are In” occasion, and the victory earned El Cordobes an computerized paid berth into the $2 million Longines Breeders’ Cup Turf Nov. 1 at Del Mar.
Skilled by Charlie Appleby for Godolphin and ridden by Flavien Prat, El Cordobes clocked the 1 1/2-mile distance in 2:25.04 over a agency turf course and received by a half a size. The win was the preliminary Sword Dancer Stakes triumph for Appleby, who heads the European division of Godolphin’s world well-known steady.
Longshot Vote No set the early tempo within the three-turn Sword Dancer and took stress from favored Far Bridge who moved up by way of a half mile in a fast :47.40. Nations Delight later moved into second halfway on the ultimate flip as the favourite and the early chief gave means. Nations Delight motored to the entrance and prolonged to a brief 2 1/2-length lead with a furlong to go as El Cordobes and Insurgent Purple gave chase and started gaining shortly behind him.
Racing between Nations Delight and Insurgent Purple within the remaining yards, El Cordobes and Prat grabbed a brief lead contained in the sixteenth pole and maintained it to the wire.
“I turned for dwelling and cut up horses and he actually gave me a superb run,” Prat stated.
Insurgent Purple, educated by Cherie DeVaux, rallied late and grabbed second by three-quarters of a size over Nations Delight who settled for third.
Far Bridge light to complete sixth after having received three of his earlier 4 begins. Far Bridge’s coach Miguel Clement stated, “We’ll take a look at him again on the barn and determine it out.”
The win was the fourth victory in 10 lifetime begins for El Cordobes, who received the Group 2 Prince of Wales’s Stakes at Newmarket Race Course in his earlier begin.
“To return over and win it for the primary time with a progressive sort of horse who completed very strongly, all of it factors to large issues going ahead,” stated Appleby’s assistant Chris Connett.
Connett stated each El Cordobes and Nations Delight would return dwelling to Europe subsequent week.
Earlier than the race, it was introduced that the Sword Dancer can be renamed in 2026 in honor of beloved coach Christophe Clement, who handed away Could 25 on the age of 59 and owned the document with 5 wins within the Sword Dancer.
Connett voiced a deep respect for the late Clement on behalf of Godolphin.
“He was a extremely good man,” Connett stated. “I used to be lucky to have identified him since 2005, and he was such an advocate for worldwide horses to come back over and run in these races. I believe Christophe would have been proud of a world runner coming right here and successful the race. He was all the time variety to us.”
