Saratoga

Jim Dandy Stakes (Grade 2)

AFTER last weekend it’s all roads lead to Saratoga and the Grade 1 Travers Stakes to determine who is the best three-year-old in the US. And, hold the horses, it might not even be a colt!

While all the males are beating each other, Thorpedo Anna stands alone in the fillies’ division and connections announced last week that they are boldly going to take on the colts in the Grade 1 Travers Stakes at the end of August.

However, the 2023 Champion Juvenile, Fierceness, who went off favourite for the Kentucky Derby, reemerged as one of those in contention for overall honours with a decisive length win in the Grade 2 Jim Dandy Stakes. Second again, Sierra Leone was adding this Jim Dandy runner-up finish to a third in the Belmont Stakes and a second by a nose in the Kentucky Derby, following earlier wins in the Grade 1 Blue Grass Stakes and Grade 2 Risen Star Stakes.

Owner Mike Repole’s Fierceness, a homebred son of City Of Light, had flopped when finishing 15th as the favourite in the Kentucky Derby and this was his first run back.

“I feel so good for the horse,” trainer Todd Pletcher said afterwards.

“I feel he’s been underappreciated at times and he’s a super talented horse. He’s had a couple of off days but when he shows up he’s very, very good.”

“We came into this with the idea that he would probably not run back in the Travers. We’ll let the dust settle and see what happens,” Pletcher said.

Stablemate Mindframe, second to divisional leader Dornoch in the Haskell is was likely to be the stable representative in the Travers until injury sidelined him for the rest of the season, with Fierceness now likely to go to the Travers.

In the Jim Dandy, John Velazquez kept Fierceness second behind the pacesetting longshot Pony Express after a half-mile in 47.44secs before moving to the front nearing the final turn. Juddmonte’s Batten Down was in pursuit with Sierra Leone eventually going forward from the back with his strong finishing kick.

Moved forward

Entering the straight, Fierceness, moved out towards the centre of the track, forcing Batten Down inside, which also pushed Sierra Leone to the rail.

Batten Down weakened and Fierceness led Sierra Leone by over two lengths. The runner-up did close but Sierra Leone, who had been second favourite in the Derby behind Fierceness, had no excuses here with the rail to keep him straight and Fierceness stayed on to cross the wire in 1m 49.15secs as second favourite. It was his fourth win in seven starts bringing his earnings to $1,978,850.

Todd Pletcher explained: “It looked like there were a couple of other horses with potential speed, so we had to break, get to the first turn in good position and get in a good rhythm, and that is what we were able to do.”

Of Sierra Leone, owned by Peter Brant, Mrs. John Magnier, Derrick Smith, Michael Tabor, Westerberg, and Rocket Ship Racing, trainer Chad Brown said: “I don’t have any excuses. Fierceness came back into form and ran a terrific race. Fierceness really found more today and ran a great race. I’m happy with my horse’s performance.”

Brown indicated the Travers is also next for the son of Gun Runner. It was five and three-quarter lengths back to Ohio Derby winner Batten Down in third.

OWNED jointly by Qatar Racing and Mrs Fitri Hay, the chesnut Nakatomi won his first Grade 1 in Saratoga’s $350,000 Alfred G. Vanderbilt Handicap.

The five-year-old son of Firing Line, on his first start since a third place in the Dubai Golden Shaheen in March, ran down favourite Skelly for a decisive score under jockey Tyler Gaffalione.

Breaking from post 1, Nakatomi stayed along the rail, letting Skelly lead up the backstretch of the six-furlong race. From the outside, Skelly held an uncontested lead, with none of the other expected speed horses challenging him.

Nakatomi began his challenge heading into the far turn, and by the furlong marker, he had got to Skelly and coasting past the odds-on favourite to win by a length and a half for Wesley Ward. Skelly held on for second over longshot Twisted Ride in third.

The chesnut Nakatomi was brought for $25,000 at the 2020 Fasig-Tipton Kentucky Fall Yearling Sale by Marc Detampel, who raced him in partnership until mid-season last year, when co-owners Qatar Racing and Hay bought him for $205,000 at the Fasig-Tipton Kentucky July Horses of Racing Age Sale.

“He went through the sale last year and I said, ‘You’ve got to buy this horse,” Wesley Ward was quoted by BloodHorse. “Sheikh Fahad (Al Thani, Qatar Racing) stayed in for his half and he bought out the other partners, so I’m just elated that my great friend Alex Cole (manager for the Hays) came in for me. I can’t thank Jim Hay and Alex and Fergus Galvin and Sheikh Fahad enough for leaving me with the horse because it really paid off for everybody today, especially me.”

Hi ho Silver again

At Saratoga on Sunday, Godolphin’s Silver Knott had little trouble in extending his 2023 US run of success to three in winning the Grade 2 Bowling Green Stakes by two and a half lengths from Soldier Rising, over the mile and three-furlong turf course.

Flavien Prat guided the odds-on favourite to the lead and shaken up from a furlong and a half out, they went clear inside final furlong to win comfortably.

The final time of 2m11.03secs beat the track record on the inner turf course. Silver Knott, a son of Lope De Vega, is now a possible for the Grade 1 Joe Hirsch Turf Classic at Aqueduct.

Vron, vron, he’s the one

Del Mar

Bing Crosby Stakes (Grade 1)

THE Del Mar feature was the Grade 1 six-furlong Bing Crosby Stakes and it was a case of déjà vu as California-bred gelding The Chosen Vron repeated last year’s success.

He was winning the 13th of his last 14 races all in stakes races, his only defeat being a fourth to Elite Power in the Breeders’ Cup Dirt Sprint,

The Chosen Vron went off as the 3/2 favourite under regular rider Hector Berrios for trainer, co-owner, and co-breeder Eric Kruljac.

Anarchist and Closethegame Sugar raced on the lead through an opening quarter-mile but The Chosen Vron put his head in front just before the five-sixteenths pole and drew clear in the straight.

He flashed by the line over two lengths in front of Closethegame Sugar, who was coming off back-to-back stakes wins at Churchill Downs, and stopped the timer in 1:08.99.

Jackstown, a Bob Baffert colt, finished third, another half-length back.

Six-year-old The Chosen Vron earned an automatic berth for a second try at the Breeders’ Cup Sprint.

“He’s a near-human being as far as his temperament and his smarts,” said Kruljac. “I can’t say enough about Hector Berrios and his role with this horse. He’s an all-around horseman; he’s not just a jockey. He makes my job easy.”

Kruljac has guided the gelding to a career of 24 starts with 19 wins, 18 of them in stakes races.

San Diego

The speedy Dr. Venkman showed he was just as capable over longer distances with a commanding victory under jockey Antonio Fresuin in the $300,000 Grade 2 San Diego Handicap at Del Mar.

Bob Baffert’s odds-on favourite Arabian Knight, making his first start since a fourth-place effort in the 2023 Breeders’ Cup Classic, took a clear lead by the time the field reached the first quarter mile mark but Dr. Venkman got to the leader into the far turn following steady fractions.

Arabian Knight had little response to Dr. Venkman’s challenge, and by the straight, Dr. Venkman had put away the 2023 Pacific Classic Stakes winner and held a late bid from outsider Katonah, to score by a length.

The San Diego win leaves the connections of Dr. Venkman in an envious position for the Breeders’ Cup, held this year at Del Mar.

The four-year-old Ghostzapper gelding was also graded stakes placed at seven furlongs, and is now a Grade 2 winner at 1 1/16 miles has three options for the Breeders’ Cup, shortening up in the Breeders’ Cup Sprint, over two-turns in the Dirt Mile, or stretching out to a mile and a quarter in the Breeders’ Cup Classic.

Building on his second to Happy Jack in the June 1 Grade 2 Triple Blend Stakes on his first start of the year, trainer Mark Glatt was pleased, stating: “So onward and upward. He’s a very nice horse.”

Sunday’s Der Mar feature was the Grade 2 Eddie Read Stakes over nine furlongs.

It went to Johannes, a four-year-old by Nyquist, trained by Tim Yakteen and ridden by Umberto Rispoli. He was following up his Grade 1 win in the Shoemaker Mile Stakes at Santa Anita in May and beat British-bred Dicey Mo Chara and Irish-bred Balnikhov, both sons of Adaay.