Saratoga: J. B.'s Thunder Back in Action on Thursday

Grade 1 winner J. B.’s Thunder will make his first start in nearly nine months when he competes in Thursday’s seventh race, an allowance/optional claiming event at 1 1/16 miles on the turf.

Trained by Al Stall, Jr. for Columbine Stable, J. B.’s Thunder made a winning debut on turf last year at Saratoga and went on to win the Grade 1 Breeders’ Futurity over Keeneland’s artificial surface. He enters Thursday’s race not having run since a ninth in the Grade 1 Breeders’ Cup Juvenile last November at Churchill Downs.

“He’s fine. We’re just trying to him started,” said Stall. “The horse doesn’t have the best number of conditions. It’s hard to find the spot you really want. He’s starting off in a tough spot, but it will set him up for Kentucky in the fall. He’s facing experienced, older horses in top form.”

Stall is biding his time with J. B.’s Thunder, whom he hopes will eventually return to graded stakes competition.

“If he doesn’t win [on Thursday], which he probably won’t, he’ll probably run in the same type of race [in his next start],” said Stall. “We’ll go race-by-race. I hope [his success last year] wasn’t a 2-year-old fluky thing. After all the time off, he’s gotten bigger and stronger. He’s gained weight and muscle. He was a little bit small as a 2-year-old, but he’s a bigger horse now.”