Jim Dandy Stakes 2019: Post positions, odds and more
It's a compact but talented field of six for Saturday's Grade 2, $600,000 Jim Dandy Stakes, with each contender carrying some hopes of proving ready to run in next month's Travers Stakes (G1) back at Saratoga.
Each horse in the field has won at least one stakes race at age 3, while four ran in the Triple Crown series, including War of Will, the Preakness Stakes winner, and Tacitus, a close second in the Belmont Stakes.
Here's a look at the field with the morning line:
1. Laughing Fox (15-1)
2. Tax (8-1)
3. Mihos (15-1)
4. Global Campaign (2-1)
5. Tacitus (7-5)
6. War of Will (5-2)
Saturday's race appears fairly straightforward as far as pace goes. Global Campaign hasn't run since April but back then went gate to wire in defeating eventual Belmont winner Sir Winston in the Peter Pan (G3). That one-turn victory puts him at the front here, according to TimeformUS' Pace Projector.
TVG will feature live coverage with post time scheduled for 6:51 p.m. ET for the 11th of 12 races at Saratoga, and you can live stream through advanced deposit wagering services such as NYRABets. Saratoga Live, NYRA's daily TV program, airs the entire card on FS2.
Jim Dandy handicapping
Jim Dandy Stakes undercard
First post time Saturday at is 1 p.m. ET, with full Saratoga entries available via HRN. As for a closer look at the stakes...
Race 9: Grade 1 Alfred G. Vanderbilt (5:44 p.m.)
Race 10: Grade 2 Bowling Green (6:18 p.m.)
Race 11: Grade 2 Jim Dandy (6:51 p.m.)
What they're saying...
Select quotes via the NYRA Press Office.
Trainer Bill Mott on Tacitus: "His works have been very steady. They've been very similar to what they've been all spring. He's good going nine to 10 furlongs. It looked like he could be good up to a mile and a half, but he can still be effective at a mile an eighth."
Trainer Stanley Hough on Global Campaign: "He's a very talented horse. It's going to be a very tough race, but the only disappointing race he's had was the Fountain of Youth and that's when he [hurt] himself. I don't know how much it affected the actual race, but I believe it did...He's pretty easy to train. He keeps himself pretty fit. If the foot's not an issue, I don't think the time off will be an issue."
Trainer Mark Casse on War of Will: "He's good and he's ready. The best way to describe it is that he's in a good place. We're happy. A lot of times, a trainer will say, 'I wish I could have done this or that.' That's not the case here. I'm happy with him. It's up to him now."
Trainer Danny Gargan on Tax: "He's doing really well. His hair coat looks better than it's ever looked. He's eating better. Ever since we glued his front shoes, he's really come around a lot. I definitely think he's better now than he's ever been. I expect him to move forward three or four lengths. He came out of the Belmont better than he went in it. Ever since that, we've kind of been pointing to this race. He's never gone backwards at all."
Trainer Steve Asmussen on Laughing Fox: "I'm very pleased with how he's trained up here. Obviously, it's a very good race with who is targeting it. I think that Laughing Fox's best is still ahead of him."
Trainer Jimmy Jerkens after MIhos' three-furlong work Thursday: "He had a real good breeze here on the main track last week and we blew him out a little this morning. It's a small field, so hopefully he can save some ground, come along late and get something."