Sword Dancer Stakes Handicapping Picks
Horse racing gamblers are you looking for 2025 Sword Dancer Stakes Free Pick & Handicapping Odds…plus some predictions? Need some advice on who to take? The 2025 (G1) Sword Dancer Stakes is set for August 9 at Saratoga Race Track in Saratoga Springs, NY. Here’s a preview of our top contenders.
Sword Dancer Stakes Preview
- Race: Sword Dancer Stakes
- Purse: $750,000
- Distance: 1 1/2 miles
- Track: Saratoga Race Course
- Date: August 9, 2025
- Post Time: 5:44 PM (ET)
- Live: Sword Dancer Stakes Odds: Click Here
Past 10 Sword Dancer Stakes Winners
- 2024 – Far Bridge
- 2023 – Bolshoi Ballet
- 2022 – Gufo
- 2021 – Gufo
- 2020 – Channel Maker
- 2019 – Annals Of Time
- 2018 – Glorious Empire
- 2017 – Sadler’s Joy
- 2016 – Flintshire
- 2015 – Flintshire
Before we can give you our expert 2025 Sword Dancer Stakes free pick, we have to break down the entries! In fact, we’d love to hear from you after you’ve given this post a read to see if you see an angle that we don’t!
2025 Sword Dancer Stakes Handicapping
The summer racing meet at Saratoga continues to roll on, and this weekend’s big feature is the (G1) Sword Dancer Stakes. Open to horses age four and older, the Sword Dancer is run at 1 1/2 miles on the inner turf course.
The Sword Dancer is also a part of the 2025 Breeders’ Cup Challenge ‘Win And You’re In’ series, with the first-place finisher receiving an automatic fees-paid entry to the Breeders’ Cup Turf race, to be held Saturday, November 1 at Del Mar.
One interesting aspect of the Sword Dancer is that there have been seven back-to-back winners since the race started in 1975. Most recently, the late Christophe Clement trained Gufo to wins in 2021-2022.
Clement also trained last year’s winner in Far Bridge. Far Bridge returns this year to defend his title, but with the passing of the elder Clement earlier this summer, his son Miguel has taken over training duties and will try to replicate his father’s success.
Odds listed here are provided by the Saratoga track oddsmaker.
2025 Sword Dancer Stakes Free Pick & Handicapping: Far Bridge Race Odds: 9-5
The aforementioned Far Bridge is the ML favourite here, based on past success and a banner season so far, winning three-of -four starts in 2025 and running third in the other beaten just a neck.
Last out he had a fairly easy time in taking the (G2) Bowling Green Stakes by three lengths racing 1 3/8 miles. He’s won three-of-four at the 1 1/2 miles distance, and two-of-five on the Saratoga turf.
2025 Sword Dancer Stakes Free Pick & Handicapping: Nations Pride Odds: 3-1
Over the past couple of years the well-traveled Nations Pride has had starts – and Grade 1 wins – in the US, Canada, Germany, and Bahrain and now ships in from the United Arab Emirates where he had one win in two graded-stakes starts.
He has won exactly half of his 22 lifetime races with a win and runner-up finish at Saratoga, but has just a solitary win from three tries at this distance.
El Cordobes Race Odds: 4-1
Irish-bred and UK based, El Cordobes has had a very consistent 2025 racing mostly at the graded-stakes level with two wins, two seconds and two thirds in six races.
He comes in off a two-length victory in the (G2) Princess of Wales Stakes at Newmarket, although he only faced three other runners there. He has two wins, a second and a third at the distance and will be making his North America racing debut.
El Rezeen Race Odds: 15-1
Although he took five starts to get his maiden win in 2024, El Rezeen did so at Saratoga racing at this same 1 1/2 miles distance. After that he scored a second consecutive win at Saratoga going 1 3/8 miles. He then stepped up to graded-stakes company in the Jockey Club Derby Invitational.
He was third there, but beaten just a head by Deterministic, a two-time Grade 1 winner this year. In two starts so far in 2025 he’s run second, including last out where he finished three lengths back of Far Bridge in the Bowling Green.
Here’s My 2025 Sword Dancer Stakes Free Pick
As well as being the ML favourite, Far Bridge will also be the sentimental choice on Saturday with many fans rooting for Miguel Clement to replicate the success of his well-like father.
It would be no surprise to see him do so, and I won’t leave Far Bridge out of the exacta, but I think there’s some value to found with El Cordobes. Although I’m always a bit wary of horses making their stateside debut, I can’t ignore that he’s only finished out of the money once in seven lifetime races on the turf.
There is very little early speed signed on here, and I think he’s going to inherit the lead with Far Bridge sitting right off. I expect those two will lead the field all the way around, and could very well control the race right to the wire.
Note that in the starters listed below, #8 Grand Sonata is also entered in the (G1) Arlington Million Stakes at Colonial Downs on Saturday and will most likely run there.
Full Field: 2025 Sword Dancer Stakes Odds
By post position
- #1 – El Cordobes 4-1
- #2 – Rebel Red 8-1
- #3 – Vote No 15-1
- #4 – Padiddle 30-1
- #5 – Nations Pride 3-1
- #6 – Far Bridge 9-5
- #7 – El Rezeen 15-1
- #8 – Grand Sonata 10-1
- #9 – Utah Beach 8-1
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