Essential Quality looms large in Jim Dandy Stakes
DUBAI: Belmont Stakes winner Essential Quality kicks off a potentially huge second half of his season in the G2 Jim Dandy Stakes over nine furlongs at Saratoga, US, on Saturday.
The Brad Cox-trained colt makes his first appearance since powering to a length and a quarter verdict over Hot Rod Charlie in the 12-furlong final leg of the US Triple Crown at Belmont Park in early June.
Essential Quality has won six of his seven starts, with his only defeat coming in the Kentucky Derby at the start of May, when he stayed on gamely to finish a close fourth ater a wide trip.
The Godolphin homebred started his threeyear-old season with a pair of Graded-stakes wins in Derby trials and was crowned Champion juvenile in 2020 following G1 wins in the Breeders’ Futurity and Breeders’ Cup Juvenile.
Luis Saez, who has ridden Essential Quality on all his appearances apart from his debut success at Churchill Downs, continues his association with the son of Tapit.
Godolphin US President Jimmy Bell said: “Essential Quality never seems to have a bad day with his training and that has certainly been the case from the Belmont into this weekend.
“He has been training exactly the way Brad wants him to and is a horse who is seemingly always ready to run. He is very straighforward and there have been very few peaks and valleys with him throughout his career.
“When you get into races like the Haskell, the Jim Dandy and the Travers, you are taking on the best three-year-olds in the country. It’s a litle unfortunate to call this a prep-race for the Travers but it’s a race we definitely head into with good intentions and wouldn’t trade places with anybody.”
Meanwhile, Lake Avenue opened up some exciting sprint options as she went down by a neck to G1 winner Bell’s The One in the G2 Honorable Miss Handicap at Saratoga, US, on Wednesday, 28 July.
Encountering six furlongs for the first time since her debut in October, 2019, the Bill Mottrained four-year-old was a litle slow into her stride but soon recovered to setle in fith of the eight runners.
She quickened well ater being switched out by Junior Alvarado at the top of the straight and briefly hit the front inside the final half-furlong, only for Bell’s The One to swoop from the rear and collar the Godolphin filly in the final strides.
Bell said: “Lake Avenue ran a winning race and just got beat by a beter filly. We have no excuses and she ran her heart out – it was a head-bob down the lane and a very good effort.
“Lake Avenue won a G2 over a mile and eighth as a two-year-old and we thought that she was a two-turn filly, but we have realised since that she is beter over shorter trips. She ran a very nice race over six furlongs today and it took a G1 winner to beat her.”