Saratoga 2023: Jim Dandy field, odds and analysis

Top horses in the 3-year-old male division move to Saratoga for the Grade 2, $500,000 Jim Dandy Stakes. A field of five led by the champion Forte was drawn for Saturday’s 1 1/8-mile test, which serves as the final local prep for the Aug. 26 Travers Stakes (G1).

The division is wide open with three different winners of the Triple Crown races, the recent Haskell Stakes (G1) victory by Geaux Rocket Ride and the presence of Forte in the small but select Jim Dandy field.

Here is a full-field analysis for the Jim Dandy with morning-line odds from the Horse Racing Nation staff. The Grade 2 is scheduled as race 10 out of 12 with post time set for 5:45 p.m. EDT.

1. Disarm, 4-1. Gun Runner – Steve Asmussen / Joel Rosario – 7: 2-2-2 - $720,200. Disarm was an impressive maiden winner by more than six lengths at Saratoga last summer in his second start as a 2-year-old. Then was sidelined until February, when he moved onto the Kentucky Derby trail. He was second in the Louisiana Derby (G2) and third in the Lexington (G3) at Keeneland, which was enough to get him into the run for the roses, where he raced from 12th to finish fourth. Disarm got back to the winner’s circle when he won the Matt Winn (G3) last month. Use underneath.

2. Forte, 7-5. Violence – Todd Pletcher / Irad Ortiz Jr. – 8: 6-1-0 - $2,679,830. Forte will get the chance to reaffirm his place at the top of the division after his campaign was thrown off track by his scratch from the Kentucky Derby and then having to miss the Preakness. After that 10-week layoff, Forte had a sustained rally in the Belmont Stakes to finish second by a length and a half. Remember that Forte won five races in a row from the Hopeful (G1) at Saratoga to the Florida Derby (G1), where he beat the Kentucky Derby winner Mage by a length. Blinkers go on after workouts using them to improve his focus. With three Grade 1 victories including the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile, Forte will a heavy favorite and the horse to beat. Top choice.

3. Hit Show, 5-1. Candy Ride – Brad Cox / Luis Saez – 7: 3-1-0 - $554,375. Hit Show was fifth in the Kentucky Derby and then fourth in the Belmont Stakes after his nose loss in the Wood Memorial (G2) and a victory in the Withers (G3) at Aqueduct. Like his stablemate Angel of Empire, he moved from Kentucky to train at Saratoga. His resume makes him look a cut below others in the Jim Dandy field. Toss.

4. Saudi Crown, 4-1. Green Emblem – Brad Cox / Florent Geroux – 3: 2-1-0 - $171,085. Saudi Crown won his first two starts in Kentucky, moving from a maiden win at Keeneland in April to an allowance at Churchill Downs. He moved to graded-stakes company last month at Belmont in the Dwyer (G3) where he once again went to the lead, battled down the stretch with the eventual winner and came up a nose short of a third victory against a more experienced horse. Saudi Crown appears to be the only speed horse in the field as he tries two turns and nine furlongs for the first time. Use underneath.

5. Angel of Empire, 3-1. Classic Empire – Brad Cox / Flavien Prat – 8: 4-1-1 - $1,429,375. The Pennsylvania-bred Angel of Empire is certainly a player in the division championship as the winner of the Arkansas Derby (G1), which led him to a late-running third-place finish in the Kentucky Derby and then a fourth in the Belmont Stakes. He moved from training in Kentucky to Saratoga to prepare for the Jim Dandy and the Travers. Win contender.

Summary: Brad Cox has three horses in the Jim Dandy field, joined by one each from Todd Pletcher and Steve Asmussen. Saudi Crown is the only horse in the field who is not a graded-stakes winner, having lost in the Dwyer (G3) by a nose in his first try in a stakes race.

Saudi Crown has early speed and should get to the lead easily, giving him a pace advantage in this field. If he can handle more experienced horses and the extra furlong, he can finish in the exotics.

Forte will benefit from his effort in the Belmont Stakes and is just too good for the other 3-year-olds in this field. Saudi Crown will be on the lead early and can provide value in the exacta.