Mystic Guide wins Jim Dandy
Favored Dr Post places fourth in $150,000 Grade II feature at Spa
Saratoga Springs Earlier this week, trainer Todd Pletcher decided he would not send his 3-year-old colt Dr Post to Louisville for the Kentucky Derby. Maybe he wasn’t ready for that.
Instead, he kept him home and put him in the Grade II, $150,000 Jim Dandy at Saratoga Race Course on Saturday afternoon.
Dr Post wasn’t ready for that one, either.
Sent off as the 3-5 favorite, Dr Post was never a factor, finishing fourth in the six-horse field. The horse taking the bows in the winner’s circle was Mystic Guide, sent off as the 2-1 second choice.
The Jim Dandy, normally early in the Saratoga calendar and the traditional prep race for the Travers, was moved to the end of the meet due to the coronavirus pandemic. For this year, the 11/8-mile race can serve as a prep race for the Preakness, the final leg of this year’s Triple Crown in Baltimore on Oct. 3.
Mystic Guide, who was ridden by Jose Ortiz and is trained by Michael Stidham, will likely be heading that way. Dr Post likely will not.
“I know that that is not an indication of his ability level,” Dr Post’s trainer Todd Pletcher said underneath the clubhouse after conferring with jockey Irad Ortiz Jr. “We have to figure out why.”
Dr Post came into the Jim Dandy with the credentials.
In his previous start, he was third behind two Kentucky Derby runners, Authentic and Ny Traffic, in the July 18 Haskell at Monmouth Park. The race before that, he was second in the Belmont behind Tiz the Law, the Derby favorite.
Pletcher had been encouraged with the way he was working since the Haskell, but still decided to pass on the Derby with him, sending the lightly raced Money Moves instead. The plan was to go forward to the Preakness if Dr Post ran well in the
Jim Dandy. Now, it’s back to square one.
“It was a disappointing outcome for us,” Pletcher said. “I thought he broke well and we kind of got in the position that we were hoping to. It seemed like he was making some progression on the backside, but, by the far turn, Irad said when he asked him, he didn’t get the response. When we straightened away for home, he kind of ran on a little bit again. It’s just disappointing.”
Naturally, the mood was much better in the camp of Mystic Guide, who was last seen finishing third in the Peter Pan on Saratoga’s opening day. He finished 31/4 lengths behind the top two in that race, Country Grammer and Caracaro, who were separated by a neck.
Godolphin horse Mystic Guide rallied into the stretch and took the lead. Ridden by Jose Ortiz, Mystic Guide held off Liveyourbeastlife, owned by Albany’s Bill Lawrence, to win the race by three-quarters of a length. The final time was 1:49 and Mystic Guide paid $6.60, $4.10 and $3.30.
“Once he got through turning for home, I felt really good about him because he has a really big kick,” Stidham said. “He put himself in a better spot (than the Peter Pan) and gave himself a chance. It really is a pleasure to win a race like this at Saratoga.”
Ortiz was riding the colt for the second time, after also being on board in the Peter Pan.
After he rode the first time, Ortiz thought it would be a good idea to put blinkers on the horse to give him more focus.
“I think it made the difference,” Ortiz said.
“It did exactly what I was hoping,” Stidham said.
Jesus’ Team finished third and was followed by Dr Post, Celtic Striker and First Line. Happy
Saver, also trained by Pletcher, was scratched from the race during the day on Saturday. He will run in the $100,000 11/8 mile Federico Tesio Stakes at Laurel in Maryland on Monday.
If he runs well there, he could be Preakness-bound.
Stidham will monitor how his horse does in the next few weeks, but Mystic Guide could also be on his way to Maryland.
“It is certainly a race we will look at,” he said. “If our horse comes out of the race really well and we like the way he trains in the next couple weeks, the Preakness would certainly be on the table.”