Saratoga: Maiden winner Pony Express may start in Jim Dandy

Eye-catching maiden winner Pony Express is possible for a start in the Grade 2, $500,000 Jim Dandy, a nine-furlong route for sophomores, July 27 at Saratoga.

Trained by John Sadler, Pony Express was last seen dominating a 1 1/16-mile maiden special weight on June 15 at Santa Anita when leading at every point of call and drawing off with ease under Umberto Rispoli to graduate by nine lengths in a final time of 1:43.15. The effort was awarded an 84 Beyer Speed Figure from Daily Racing Form.

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Jason Blewitt, executive vice president of co-owner West Point Thoroughbreds, said the talented son of Gun Runner has been well worth the wait.

“He is a horse that John and the team have loved, and we had to give him a little time last summer, which was a bummer, but it was certainly the right thing to do,” said Blewitt. “He was really good last out and he’s trained even better coming out of the race.”

Blewitt said Pony Express is nominated to the Jim Dandy and will be nominated to the West Virginia Derby (G3) on Aug. 4 at Mountaineer with both races in play for his next outing.

“He’s fast, he’s explosive, and if you’re talking a compact field in the Jim Dandy, he might be a fun horse to have up here. But it’s up in the air. We’ll take a look at the nominations and try to figure out what makes the most sense,” Blewitt said. “John doesn’t ship with regularity, so there’s a reason he’s going to ship.”

Pony Express was a $500,000 purchase at the Keeneland September yearling sale and is out of the dual graded stakes-winning Quiet American mare Quiet Temper, who produced dual stakes-placed Collaborate. He has improved with each race as distances have increased, something Blewitt said can be expected considering the colt’s breeding.

“He’s bred to go long, Gun Runner and the female family of his is blue-blooded; a collector’s item type family,” said Blewitt. “Distance and stamina should not be an issue. He’s a beautiful, well-put-together horse, and the pedigree is there. It’s just a question of him now fulfilling that potential, and that first step was the maiden win. Let’s see how he does against better horses.”

Pony Express’ fourth dam is Reine de Course mare Blitey, a Phipps homebred who produced multiple graded-stakes winners Dancing Spree and Furlough and graded-stakes winners Fantastic Find and Dancing All Night. His family also includes Hall of Famer Heavenly Prize and multiple Grade 1 winner Finder’s Fee.