Jim Dandy 2024: Odds, analysis for Travers prep at Saratoga

Saratoga Springs, N. Y.

The Grade 2, $500,000 Jim Dandy Stakes drew a field of six 3-year-olds led by Sierra Leone, Seize the Grey and Fierceness, who are all Grade 1 winners.

The field includes four graded-stakes winners, three millionaires and three who ran in at least one of the Triple Crown races, with two who appeared in the Kentucky Derby.

Here is a full-field analysis for the Jim Dandy with morning-line odds from the Horse Racing Nation staff. Saratoga’s 1 1/8-mile prep race for the Travers is scheduled as race 10 of 12 with post time set for 5:43 p.m. EDT.

1. Sierra Leone, 9-5. Gun Runner – Chad Brown / Flavien Prat – 6: 3-2-1 - $2,118,000. Sierra Leone returns after his third-place finish in the Belmont Stakes at Saratoga and his loss by a nose in the Kentucky Derby. He has been training at Saratoga since the end of the Triple Crown series. The son of Gun Runner finished in the top three in all six of his career starts. Sierra Leone is the leading money winner in the field. He is the only horse in this race who prefers to run from off the pace. Top choice.

2. Seize the Grey, 5-1. Arrogate – D. Wayne Lukas / Jaime Torres –11: 4-0-3 - $1,839,938. Seize the Grey won the Preakness on a muddy and sealed track. Last seen in the Belmont Stakes, he broke out of the gate quickly and set the pace for six furlongs but then faded out of contention. Seize the Grey moved to the Saratoga barn of Hall of Fame trainer D. Wayne Lukas to prepare for the Jim Dandy. Lukas won this race in 1989 and 2001. Win contender.

3. Batten Down, 5-1. Tapit – Bill Mott / Junior Alvarado– 5: 2-1-1 - $394,850. Batten Down won his last two races for Hall of Famer Bill Mott in a maiden at Churchill Downs by almost nine lengths and then the Ohio Derby (G3). Both wins were with front-end efforts and earned identical speed figures. Mott won the Jim Dandy four times, first in 1990 and most recently in 2017 with Good Samaritan. Toss.

4. Pony Express, 10-1. Gun Runner – John Sadler / Joel Rosario– 3: 1-0-0 - $36,140. Pony Express ships from California, where he broke his maiden in his third try at Santa Anita with odds of 8-1 against a field of seven while racing on the lead. Toss.

5. Gould’s Gold, 12-1. Goldencents – Ken McPeek / Brian Hernandez Jr.– 6: 1-2-1 - $218,250. Gould’s Gold broke his maiden in March at Oaklawn in his third try, and that is still his only victory. He moved on to run third in the Bath House Row at the Arkansas track. On the Preakness undercard, Gould’s Gold had the lead in the restricted Sir Barton and was beaten by a nose. In his most recent start, he was second every step of the way in the Ohio Derby. Toss.

6. Fierceness, 8-5. City of Light – Todd Pletcher / John Velazquez – 6: 3-0-1 - $1,703,850. Fierceness will make his first start since finishing 15th in the Kentucky Derby. Fierceness was the champion of the 2-year-old division based on his pair of open-length victories in his debut at Saratoga and the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile. He picked up the label of a horse who disappoints when he faces adversity after finishing third in the Holy Bull (G3) as a .20-1 favorite and fading to 15th in the Kentucky Derby as the top betting choice. In his final prep race for the run for the roses, he won the Florida Derby (G1) by more than 13 lengths. Hall of Fame trainer Todd Pletcher won the Jim Dandy four times, including last year with Forte. Win contender.

Summary: The Jim Dandy drew a small field of six with horses who ran at four tracks in their most recent starts. All but one of these 3-year-olds prefers to race on the lead or in a pressing position, so a fast pace is expected.

Sierra Leone is the only horse who has a closing running style, and he will benefit from the Jim Dandy pace scenario. Most of his races were against large fields, and this small group should allow for a smooth trip to the winner’s circle for the Chad Brown runner.