This weekend is a relatively quiet one for North American horse racing. There aren't any Grade 1 races scheduled, and only two Grade 2s are on the agenda.
One of the best races of the weekend is Saturday's $250,000 Bowling Green (G2) at Saratoga Race Course, a 1 3/8-mile grass contest serving as a local steppingstone to the Sword Dancer (G1). Assuming the race stays on grass and the three main-track-only entrants scratch, the race will go off with a seven-horse field.
Saratoga Race Course, Saturday, July 11, 2026, Race 10Entries: Bowling Green S. Presented by Emerald Evocations (G2T)
PP Horse Jockey Wgt Trainer M/L 1 1Ole Crazy Bone (KY) Flavien Prat 124 Michael J. Maker 5/2 2 2Soleil Volant (KY) Tyler Gaffalione 120 H. Graham Motion 12/1 3 3Desvio (KY) John R. Velazquez 124 Madison F. Meyers 12/1 4 4Fort George (GB) Kieran Shoemark 122 Ed Walker 9/5 5 5Carson's Run (KY) Joel Rosario 120 Miguel Clement 10/1 6 6Minaret Station (KY) Jose L. Ortiz 120 William Walden 2/1 7 7Carcano (KY) Manuel Franco 120 Victoria H. Oliver 15/1 8 8Yo Daddy (KY) Ricardo Santana, Jr. 124 Linda Rice 6/5 9 9Kinetic (KY) Flavien Prat 124 Ilkay Kantarmaci 7/2 10 10Dr. Kraft (NY) Silvestre Gonzalez 124 Ilkay Kantarmaci 5/1
Among the North American runners, #6 Minaret Station (2-1) and #1 Ole Crazy Bone (5-2) are short-priced contenders.
Minaret Station is lightly raced four-year-old who has made only six starts over the course of three seasons, but he's shown talent along the way. He won the 1 1/16-mile Bourbon (G2) as a juvenile and took the American Derby in his lone start as a three-year-old. This year, he's unleashed late rallies to finish fourth in the Opening Verse S. and second in the 1 1/16-mile Arlington (G3), beaten by the modest margins of one length and three-quarters of a length.
Ole Crazy Bone has earned nearly $1.8 million thanks in large part to a decisive 3 3/4-length triumph in the 2025 Kentucky Turf Cup (G2) racing 1 1/2 miles. He kicked off 2026 with a close runner-up finish in a 1 1/16-mile $175,000 allowance optional claimer and may appreciate stretching back out in distance for the Bowling Green.
But Minaret Station and Ole Crazy Bone both have possible chinks in their armor. Minaret Station has yet to race farther than 1 1/16 miles, and his pedigree hints he might be best racing 1 1/8 miles or less rather than 1 3/8 miles.
As for Ole Crazy Bone, his Kentucky Turf Cup triumph came over the unique European-style turf course at Kentucky Downs. While he's also performed well over typical U.S. flat ovals, most notably running second by a head in the 1 1/4-mile KY Downs Preview Turf Cup at Ellis Park, it remains to be seen if Ole Crazy Bone can win at the graded stakes level away from Kentucky Downs.
For these reasons, I'm keen to support international challenger #4 Fort George (9-5) in his North American debut.
Fort George competed with aplomb against group stakes competition in Dubai during the first quarter of 2026. First, he won the Dubai Millennium (G3) over 2,000 meters (about 1 1/4 miles). Then he stretched out over 1 1/2 miles and ran second in the Dubai City of Gold (G2), beaten only 1 1/2 lengths by two-time Breeders' Cup Turf (G1) winner Rebel's Romance.
Cutting back to 1,800 meters (about 1 1/8 miles) for the Dubai Turf (G1) didn't work out, as Fort George finished ninth. But he was beaten only 5 3/4 lengths by Ombudsman, a multiple Group 1 winner who recently dominated the Prince of Wales's (G1) at Royal Ascot by four lengths.
Fort George has tactical speed, which should serve him well at Saratoga, allowing him to stay within striking distance of the lead in this largely paceless Bowling Green field. Stretching out over 1 3/8 miles should also help his chances; this trip is in between the distances of the Dubai Millennium and Dubai City of Gold. Throw in the fact his regular jockey, Kieran Shoemark, is traveling to retain the mount, and Fort George looms as a formidable favorite.
One longshot worth considering is #5 Carson's Run (10-1). He was a high-class competitor in his first two years of racing (2023 and 2024), winning the Saratoga Derby (G1), Summer (G1), and Jockey Club Derby (G3). In the Saratoga Derby, he defeated future three-time Grade 1 winner Deterministic. In the Jockey Club Derby, he launched a last-to-first rally over the same 1 3/8-mile distance as the Bowling Green.
Unfortunately, Carson's Run went 0-for-2 during a brief 2025 campaign, and he's likewise 0-for-2 this year. But he's been racing over shorter distances, and perhaps stretching out over 1 3/8 miles in his third start of the season can help Carson's Run recapture some of his old sparkle. Against this small Bowling Green field, a top-four finish isn't out of the question.
Selections
1st: Fort George
2nd: Ole Crazy Bone
3rd: Carson's Run
4th: Minaret Station
Now it's your turn! Who do you like in the Bowling Green?
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