Tenfold gets up in a wild G1 Jim Dandy
SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. » With little more than a furlong to run in Saturday’s $600,000 Jim Dandy Stakes (G2), Flameaway and Tenfold were still going at it on the front end, as they had been virtually since the start of the nine-furlong race.
Suddenly, approaching the eighth pole, Tenfold began veering out under jockey Ricardo Santana Jr’s left-hand whip, continuing to do so even as Santana switched to his right hand. At one point, the confused horse was moving more sideways than for- ward, and looked as though he might be about to pull himself up. But Santana somehow got the Curlin colt going in the right direction again and he closed with a rush, collaring Flameaway and prevailing by three-quarters of a length.
“I wasn’t happy until they
put his number up,” said winning trainer Steve Asmussen. “Ironically, he has jumped back to his left lead and laid in [in the stretch] of his previous races. It’s obviously concerning. I’m glad he still won the race, but we all know he can do better, and we have work to do.”
The plan had been for Tenfold to race closer to the pace than he had in the Preakness and Belmont.
“He has a lot of speed, and today I saw there isn’t a lot of speed in the race,” said Santana. “I put him over there close to [Flameaway] and turned for home, and he opened up. He was watching the [infield TV] and got a little scared, but he passed the wire first.”
Favored Vino Rosso (6- 5), who lingered at the back of the field for much of the race – at one point he trailed by better than ten lengths – put in a furious late rally of his own, closing to within a head of Flameaway to claim the show spot.
“He made up probably 10 lengths in less than a quarter-mile, and he put his head down and galloped out in front,” said Mike Repole, Vino Rosso’s owner. “The biggest key now, if we decide to go to the Travers, is to get him to run 100 percent of the race and not 50 percent.”
The running time was 1:50.49 over a main track rated “fast.” Reride finished fourth. three lengths behind Vino Rosso. Sporting Chance was pulled up in upper stretch and walked off.
The connections of Flameaway were pleased with their horse’s performance.
“My horse put in a huge effort,” said his rider, Jose Ortiz. “He broke really sharp our of the one hole and didn’t have any other options. I think I was just second-best today.”
The Jim Dandy is Tenfold’s first graded win, following fifth-place finishes in the Arkansas Derby and Belmont and a fast- closing third behind Justify in the Preakness. A Winchell Thoroughbreds homebred, Tenfold has won half of his six starts and bankrolled $679,200. Tenfold paid $ 5.50 to win as the 3-2 second choice.