Cross Border defends title in Bowling Green and caps big day for jockey Luis Saez Saturday at Saratoga. NYRA Photo.
By Melissa Bauer-Herzog
It was a second straight Grade 2 Bowling Green Stakes victory for evergreen New York-bred runner Cross Border Saturday at Saratoga Race Course.
The 7-year-old horse raced comfortably in third a few lengths behind the pair of Channel Cat and Channel Maker under Luis Saez in the spread out field. Pace-making Channel Cat set early fractions of :24.75 and :49.37 in the 1 3/8-mile race with Cross Border moving closer as 1:14.52 flashed on the board for the three-quarters and by the top of the stretch, Cross Border was making a serious challenge.
Channel Cat gave in almost immediately when Cross Border headed him and from there, the New York-bred pulled away. Cross Border coasted through the final sixteenth to win by an easy 1 1/4 lengths in 2:16.38.
“He loves it here,” Saez said. “This is a special horse that I love riding. He always tries hard. Today, he ran huge. It setup perfect with a good pace. When we came to the top of the stretch, he really gave me that kick and he battled. He always wants to give me everything. It all went according to plan.”
The Bowling Green was the first victory in five 2021 starts for Cross Border, who had placed third in both the Grade 1 Pegasus World Cup Turf Invitational and the Grade 2 Pan American Stakes to start the year for Three Diamonds Farm and trainer Mike Maker.
Now the winner of 10 of 35 starts with 12 other top-three finishes, Cross Border made strides toward reaching the million-dollar mark Saturday with his lifetime earnings of $948,821.
Purchased for $100,000 at the 2018 Fasig-Tipton Summer Selected Horses of Racing Age Sale by his connections, Cross Border was originally a $180,000 Keeneland September yearling his first time through the ring.
The son of English Channel was bred by Berkshire Stud and B. D. Gibbs and is one of three winners from three to run out the Empire Maker mare Empress Josephine. That mare is a half-sister to multiple stakes winning New York-bred Rhum, who is the dam of top New York sire Central Banker.
