Bowling Green Stakes Handicapping Picks
Horse racing gamblers are you looking for 2022 Bowling Green Stakes Free Pick & Handicapping Odds…plus some predictions? Need some advice on who to take? The 2022 Bowling Green Stakes is set for July 31 at Saratoga Race Course in Saratoga Springs, NY. Here’s a preview of our top contenders.
Bowling Green Stakes Preview
- Race: Bowling Green Stakes
- Purse: $250,000
- Track: Saratoga Race Course
- Date: July 31
- Post Time: 4:59 PM (ET)
- Live: Bowling Green Stakes Odds: Click Here
2022 Bowling Green Stakes Handicapping
One of two Grade 2 stakes races slated for the Sunday afternoon card at Saratoga, the Bowling Green Stakes is open to horses age four and older and is run over the turf course at a challenging 1 3/8 miles.
The 2022 Bowling Green has drawn a compact but very tough field of six. Five of the six entries are previous graded-stakes winners, and not surprisingly all five of those are listed with odds of 6-1 or less in the morning line.
Odds listed here are provided by the Saratoga track handicapper.
2022 Bowling Green Stakes Free Pick & Handicapping: Arklow Race Odds: 2-1
Getting the tip as the slight ML favourite, Arklow makes his 2022 debut after last racing in October 2021 where he ran fifth in the (G1) Joe Hirsch Turf Classic at Belmont Park.
Now an eight-year-old veteran, Arklow sports a record of nine wins and 17 in-the-money finishes from 36 career starts while putting just shy of $3 million in the bank. At the same time he is winless in his last four, and is 0-5 at the distance.
Trainer Brad Cox and jockey Irad Ortiz Jr. team up to try for their first Bowling Green win.
2022 Bowling Green Stakes Free Pick & Handicapping: Highland Chief Race Odds: 5-2
Irish-bred Highland Chief was able to hit the board at the Group 2 and 3 level while racing in Europe and came over this season to try his luck on North American turf.
After a mediocre debut in the allowance ranks, he put it all together in his second US start and won the (G1) Man O’ War over a very tough field at this 1 3/8 miles distance. Last out he ran fourth beaten 4 3/4 lengths in the (G1) Manhattan Stakes.
Graham Motion trains, Trevor McCarthy gets the call to ride.
2022 Bowling Green Stakes Free Pick & Handicapping: Rockemperor Race Odds: 3-1
Another Irish bred, Rockemperor has been racing on this side of the pond since 2019 and ran second in this race last year.
Like Arklow, he doesn’t have a win in his last four starts and has finished fifth in three consecutive races, including last out when he was one spot behind Highland Chief in the Manhattan. On the plus side, he has been training very well at Saratoga, including putting up a bullet five-furlong work on July 17.
He’s one of two in the field for trainer Chad Brown. Flavien Prat will be in the irons.
2022 Bowling Green Stakes Free Pick & Handicapping: Cross Border Race Odds: 4-1
While he’s another looking for his first win in of 2022, one thing to be said about Cross Border is that he absolutely loves the Saratoga turf, the distance, and this race in particular.
He has won this race two years in a row – albeit the first of those came after the first horse across the line was was DQ’d for interference – and is a perfect three-for-three at the distance while picking up four of his eight lifetime wins at Saratoga.
Like his horse, trainer Mike Maker goes for his third consecutive win. Jockey Tyler Gaffalione picks up the mount.
Here’s My 2022 Bowling Green Stakes Free Pick.
On Saturday at Saratoga a horse named Jackie’s Warrior made history by winning the (G1) Alfred G. Vanderbilt Stakes, thus becoming the first horse in the long history of the track to win the same Grade 1 race three years in a row.
Although it’s not a Grade 1, on Sunday Cross Border could match that feat by winning his third consecutive Bowling Green. It would make a great story for all involved and I’d be happy to give him his due, but I’m going in another direction.
There’s not a ton of early speed signed on here, and I think that bodes well for Highland Chief. If he can get to the front he can control the pace and hopefully have enough left to hold off several closers in the field. On that basis I’ll take him for the win.
Full Field: Bowling Green Stakes Odds
By post position
- #1 – L’Imperator 6-1
- #2 – Arklow 2-1
- #3 – Highland Chief 5-2
- #4 – Cross Border 4-1
- #5 – Cibolian 15-1
- #6 – Rockemperor 3-1
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