How to bet the Joe Hirsch Stakes
El Cordobes wins the 2025 Sword Dancer at Saratoga. (Photo by Coglianese Photos/Susie Raisher)
An excellent field of seven turf stayers will run 1 1/2 miles over the lawn at Belmont Park in Saturday’s $500,000 Joe Hirsch Invitational (G1). The winner of the tilt will qualify for the upcoming Breeders’ Cup Turf (G1) at Keeneland, and I’m with European invader #4 Pride of Arras (4-1) in this spot.
Joe Hirsch Wagers
Trained by the sharp Ralph Beckett, the son of New Bay is a lightly raced four-year-old with a pair of Group 2 wins to his credit who has been running well with some of the top horses overseas since his sophomore season. The four-year-old didn’t fire in two classic races as a three-year-old and was outrun in his 2026 unveiling, but the Irish-bred bay has been very good in two straight with a second behind Item at York preceding a score in the September (G3) in his latest venture. Rossa Ryan comes in to guide the top choice.
#1 El Cordobes (5-2) put in a trio of fine runs on U. S. soil last campaign, concluding with a third in the Breeders’ Cup Turf (G1) at Del Mar in the fall. The Frankel gelding, a Grade 1 winner after securing a victory in the Sword Dancer (G1) in 2025, has evolved into a fine turf stayer who comes in fresh for his first appearance since running in February in Doha. The Charlie Appleby pupil might be using this as a springboard to a bigger event next month, but he will be a major player on Thursday with something close to his best effort, nonetheless. Flavien Prat will guide the Godolphin color bearer.
The William Walden-trained #5 Minaret Station (7-2) might be a cut below the top pair in the contest, but the four-year-old colt always fires and is a sure top-three contender in the heat. The Grade 2 victor has never missed the board in his eight-race career and has proven to be capable of running this distance with two positive efforts marathoning on the green at Saratoga this season. I like the versatility of the Kentucky-bred, and he will be in my exotics wager with Jose Ortiz taking the reins.
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