Jim Dandy worthy of Grade 1 status

With McCraken’s splendid return to form last weekend at Churchill Downs, the prospect for intense racing among the sophomore males at Saratoga this summer went up a notch.

McCraken captured the Grade 3 Matt Winn Stakes in his first start since finishing eighth in the Kentucky Derby.

When the son of Ghostzapper won the Grade 3 Sam F. Davis at Tampa Bay on Feb. 11, he was undefeated in four starts and considered by many analysts as the leader among Triple Crown hopefuls.

One of those wins came in the Grade 2 Kentucky Jockey Club at Churchill Downs last fall, which enhanced his standing.

In the Matt Winn, McCraken was squeezed a bit in the early stages after a slow start.

He soon found his rhythm and relaxed into a comfortable stride down the backstretch be-

fore rallying four-wide and drawing off in the lane.

McCraken sent his career earnings to $472,228 with a record of 5-0-1 from seven starts.

Prior to the Derby he was a dull third in the Blue Grass at Keeneland.

Trainer Ian Wilkes is a regular at Saratoga, so it is likely that McCraken will be here for the meet.

If he decides on the Jim Dandy Stakes as his next outing, that Travers prep will have quite a field as things now stand.

The $600,000 event is a

Grade 2 race at 1 1/8 miles on July 29.

Also under consideration for the Jim Dandy are Derby winner Always Dreaming and Preakness winner Cloud Computing.

Belmont Stakes winner Tapwrit, who was second to McCraken in the Sam F. Davis, made his career debut at Saratoga last summer and is also possible.

Which brings me to the Grade 2 status of the Jim Dandy.

Even though the race is a prep event at Saratoga and not the main goal that is the Travers, it seems to me it should not be punished as such.

Quality of field, purse money, and the stature of the race over time are factors

that go into the annual review and subsequent grading of stakes races in North America.

The Jim Dandy, inaugurated in 1964, carried Grade 1 status in 2001.

It is named for the horse that upset Triple Crown winner Gallant Fox, at 100-1 odds, in the Travers Stakes in 1930.

On its roster are classic winners Arts and Letters (1969), Personality (1970), Affirmed (1978), Conquistador Cielo (1982), Louis Quatorze (1996), Bernardini (2006), Street Sense (2007), and Palace Malice (2013).

In the last ten editions of the Jim Dandy, eight Grade 1 winners have hit the board.

A lot can change between now and its 54th running on July 29.

This crop of 3-year-olds has yet to find a leader, so the Jim Dandy could possibly be attractive to some runners from other regions of the country.

If the Jim Dandy attracts the winners of the Triple Crown series along with the likes of McCraken and others, it will be a Grade 1 race no matter what is printed on the program.