2025 Joe Hirsch Turf Classic Preview

Key takeaways:

• The Joe Hirsch is a key Breeders’ Cup Turf prep, with past winners like English Channel and Main Sequence sweeping both races.
• Rain is in the forecast, so turf condition could play a role, though Rebel’s Romance brings proven class if the ground comes up softer.
• Redistricting has tactical speed in a short field, gets Prat back aboard, and looks ready to stretch his form to 1 ½ miles.
• Far Bridge is 2-for-2 at Aqueduct, draws the ideal outside post, and has the versatility to work out the winning trip.
• El Cordobes comes off a Sword Dancer win, is improving at the right time, and keeps Velazquez for another big effort.

A group of leading turf horses, including two-time Breeders’ Cup Turf winner and reigning champion turf horse Rebel’s Romance and last year’s winner Far Bridge, line up Saturday, September 27, in the $500,000 Joe Hirsch Turf Classic Stakes. The race is traditionally run at Belmont Park and will return there in fall 2026 once the New York Racing Association's rebuilding project there is finished, but will be run once more at Aqueduct this year.

The race drew a field of seven: five who are entered to run on the grass, as well as a pair of main-track only entries. As of midweek, there is rain in the forecast for Thursday, though it should tail off in time to run on the grass. However, that is always liable to change, so we will look at both the turf and dirt entrants for the race.

Though the Joe Hirsch Turf Classic is not a Win and You’re In race for the Breeders’ Cup Turf, the race is still a quality prep, and several winners have still swept the pair in the same year. That most recently happened in 2014 when Main Sequence did it. Other horses to win the pair include English Channel (2007), Buck’s Boy (1998), Tikkanen (1994), Theatrical (1987), and Manila (1986). Little Mike, though he finished only fifth in this race before winning the Breeders’ Cup in 2012, went on to win the Joe Hirsch Turf Classic Invitational Stakes the next year.

Joe Hirsch Turf Classic Stakes Information

• Race Date: Saturday, September 27
• Track: Aqueduct Racetrack in Queens, New York
• Post Time: 2:37 p.m. Eastern Daylight Time
• Distance: 1 ½ miles on the turf
• Age/Sex: three-year-olds and up
• Where to Watch: FanDuel Racing, Fox Sports 2
• Where to Bet: FanDuel Racing

2025 Joe Hirsch Turf Classic Draw and Odds

This is the field of seven entered for the 2025 Joe Hirsch, along with their post positions, trainers, jockeys, and morning-line odds.

Joe Hirsch Turf Classic Prep Race Results

Among the five entrants for the grass, all horses come out of graded or group-level stakes races, with all but one of them coming out of a race at the top level.

Three of the runners come out of the Sword Dancer (G1), a 1 ½-mile race that is the flagship turf route of the Saratoga Race Course summer meet. El Cordobes won the race in his North American debut, rallying from midfield and holding off a late run from Rebel Red, who also turns up for the Joe Hirsch. Beaten favorite Far Bridge, who was close to the early pace but weakened to finish sixth of eight in the Sword Dancer, will also try to rebound in the Joe Hirsch.

Rebel’s Romance also comes out of a top-level race, the 1 ½-mile Grosser Preis von Berlin (G1) at Hoppegarten in Germany. It was his second win in the race, which he also won in 2022. This time around, he prevailed by half a length over multiple Group 1-winning globetrotter Junko.

Redistricting was a Grade 2 stakes winner last out, in the United Nations at Monmouth. In that 1 ⅜-mile race, he stalked the pace and took over late to win by 1 ½ lengths over Grand Sonata.

Both of the main-track only horses come out of off-the-board finishes in more modest spots. Bank Frenzy comes out of a fifth-place finish in the John Morrissey, a New York-bred stakes going seven furlongs in the mud at Saratoga on July 31. Le Gris, who was claimed to Rodriguez’s barn two starts back, comes out of a fourth-place finish in an allowance-optional claiming dirt mile on August 31 at Saratoga.

Joe Hirsch Turf Classic Contenders

These are the seven entrants in the 2025 Joe Hirsch Turf Classic:

1. El Cordobes: A rising star in the turf ranks, this four-year-old trained by Charlie Appleby broke through at the Group 1 level two back at Newmarket and followed that up with a score in the Sword Dancer last month. A run back to that makes him a serious contender. The biggest question for him this time around is pace, however. He was able to rally into a sharp pace last time out, while in this race, he may have to keep closer depending on how things unfold with Redistricting and Far Bridge early. Rain is also a question; he is unproven on softer going but well proven on firmer ground. But, he is in good form and shows quality form at this trip.
2. Redistricting: Flavien Prat is the regular rider of Redistricting, and it’s a positive that he stays here despite riding El Cordobes to Grade 1 glory last out. Another positive for Redistricting is the pace—assuming this race stays on the grass, it’s just a field of five, and even though he does not have to make the lead to win, he can go gate to wire as he did last out against a bunch of overmatched foes in a listed race at Monmouth Park two back. That may be the right way to go this time, too, if Far Bridge sticks to his more typical current pattern of stalking the pace instead of setting it. The concern is that he has yet to bring his best at the top level, but this may be just the right race shape to give him his best shot yet.
3. Rebel’s Romance: This seven-year-old continues to go all around the world and take down big turf prizes. He hasn’t raced stateside much, and his visit to New York in 2023 didn’t go well, but he has captured two editions of the Breeders’ Cup Turf and comes into this race off a victory in a German Group 1 over a classy foe in Junko. He has tactical speed, a major positive in a short field, and has won in short fields before. In the unlikely event that the race is moved to dirt, he also has one thing none of the other intended-for-turf horses have: dirt form. He has won two of five starts on dirt: he started his career on dirt and synthetic, and won the UAE Derby (G2) in 2021.
4. Rebel Red: This Cherie DeVaux trainee tried Grade 1 company for the first time in the Sword Dancer last month, and it was an excellent try at the top level. He made a good run in the lane and came within half a length of catching the well-regarded El Cordobes, who got the jump on him. The biggest question for Rebel Red is pace, because he often does come on a little too late to get all the way there, and this is a short field without a likely fiery pace. Depending on the rain, the turf condition may be a question as well, since he is well proven on firm ground but not so over rain-affected going.
5. Far Bridge: He goes for a repeat in this race, and on pace, it looks like this Miguel Clement trainee gets the best of it: He is fast enough to set the pace or stalk it, and even occasionally comes from midpack if he needs to. He drew outside the other possible speed, assuming this race stays on the grass, meaning he can either take the initiative if Redistricting doesn’t, or get a cozy outside stalking trip. He loves the distance, and he is a perfect two-for-two over the local course. The biggest question is how he will bounce back from the rare clunker last out, but he has bounced back with good efforts after the odd poor race before, meaning there’s a good chance he can come back with one of his better races. If that happens, he is tough.
6. Bank Frenzy: Bank Frenzy will only run if the race is washed out to dirt. Should he run, he would be trying the 1 ¼-mile off-turf distance for the first time. Most of his recent form has happened over the one-turn mile, though he had a promising win two back in the 1 ⅛-mile Commentator that suggests that more distance is a worthy thing to try. He is versatile enough to run a good race over dry or wet dirt, and he is a consistent performer on the Aqueduct dirt. Class is the question: if Rebel’s Romance can tap back into his old dirt form or one of the exclusively turf horses sticks around, and it turns out he can handle it, he’ll be in tough if they can replicate their turf form on the main. But, he’s a well-proven dirt horse with some speed and some upside trying the distance, making him an interesting upset candidate in the unlikely event this race is moved to the main.
7. Le Gris: Le Gris will only run if the race is taken off the turf. Unlike his stablemate Bank Frenzy, Le Gris has a bit of experience over longer-than-usual trips—he has tried 1 ¼ miles once, albeit running off the board, and has some recent attempts at 1 ½ miles on dirt and turf. However, he has yet to prove that he really likes these longer distances. Like his stablemate, he has some speed, but his only recent win came in a lifetime-condition $30,000 claimer, meaning class-wise he has very limited upside.

Joe Hirsch Turf Classic: 3 Best Bets

These are the three best bets in the 2025 Joe Hirsch Turf Classic:

1. Redistricting (7-2)

Speed in a short field is an excellent asset, and here we find the horse who can likely grab the front and take them around as long as he can. Flavien Prat, who returns to the irons for this race, did exactly that two races back to win the listed Monmouth Stakes at 1 ⅛. He stepped forward nicely to win the United Nations in stalk-and-pounce fashion at 1 ⅜ miles. Though Redistricting has yet to try 1 ½ miles yet, both his pedigree and his promising effort in the United Nations suggest that the extra distance could keep him on the right path.

Redistricting does have class to prove, as he has yet to break through at the top level, and despite the small size, this race has a proper Grade 1 field on the turf. But, trainer Chad Brown has proved his mettle time and time again by choosing horses who want to go this long. And, despite his reputation, Brown’s less heralded horses can still slip away at a price when they have to face a group like this. And, despite riding El Cordobes to Grade 1 glory last out, Flavien Prat keeps the faith as Redistricting’s usual partner. In short, this is the time to take a shot.

2. Far Bridge (4-1)

In a race that is short on field size but high on quality, it may come down to trip. And, Far Bridge is most likely to carve the right one. He is drawn to the outside of the turf field, and has the tactical ability to either take the lead if Redistricting doesn’t take the initiative, or work a good stalking trip if he does. He is well proven at 1 ½ miles, well proven on the lawn at Aqueduct, and he keeps regular rider Joel Rosario in the irons.

Bettors may also be a little shy on him for the first time this year since he comes out of a disappointing sixth in the Sword Dancer last out. However, he has bounced back quickly from the rare flat race before, and his usual day at the office makes him a strong contender to win this race for the second straight year.

3. El Cordobes (3-1)

Charlie Appleby has a pair in the race: the older Rebel’s Romance and the up-and-coming El Cordobes. Both are in good form, both have shown the ability to fly overseas and perform, and both have shined over the 1 ½-mile distance. Between the two, however, El Cordobes is the one likely to go off at a better price, just because he is the up-and-coming one as opposed to the reigning champion and Breeders’ Cup winner.

Only four years old, El Cordobes broke through at the group level two back and then won the Sword Dancer at Saratoga Race Course last month, getting the jump on Rebel Red. This is a deeper field, between the presence of Rebel’s Romance and the strong chance that Far Bridge will be back to take his best shot. But, El Cordobes should not have to settle too far back: his jockey, John Velazquez, knows the Aqueduct course well, and he is consistent enough to string together another good effort.

Joe Hirsch Turf Classic FAQ

Q: When and where is the Joe Hirsch Turf Classic?

A: The Joe Hirsch Turf Classic will be run on Saturday, September 27, at 2:37 p.m. Eastern Daylight Time. The race is the fifth on Aqueduct’s 12-race Saturday card.

Q: Which trainer has the most wins in the Joe Hirsch Turf Classic?

A: Bill Mott leads all trainers with six wins in this race. He has won with Theatrical (1987), Shakespeare (2005), Channel Maker (2018, 2020), and War Like Goddess (2022, 2023). Mott does not have an entrant in 2025. Among trainers who do, Chad Brown leads with three, most recently in 2021 with Rockemperor. He can win his fourth in 2025 with Redistricting.

Q: Who is the favorite for the Joe Hirsch Turf Classic?

A: Rebel’s Romance is the 1-1 morning-line favorite. He is an eight-time Group or Grade 1 winner, including two editions of the Breeders’ Cup Turf, and won at the top level in Germany last time out. The betting board could be tight, with Sword Dancer winner El Cordobes (3-1) and last year’s Joe Hirsch winner Far Bridge (4-1) also likely to take action to a point that they are shorter than their morning lines, but Rebel’s Romance is the most likely favorite.

Q: Who is the best Joe Hirsch Turf Classic jockey?

A: John Velazquez leads all jockeys with five victories between 1995 and 2012. He can extend that record to six if he wins with El Cordobes.

Q: Who won the Joe Hirsch Turf Classic in 2024?

A: Far Bridge won in 2024 for the late Christophe Clement and jockey Joel Rosario. Far Bridge returns to the field in 2025, now trained by Christophe’s son Miguel Clement, with Rosario still in the irons.

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