SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. – The morning after the Belmont Stakes, trainer Bill Mott stood a few yards away from the stall of his dual-classic winner Sovereignty and stated the Grade 1, $1.25 million Travers on Aug. 23 at Saratoga was the colt’s next major objective.
Furthermore, Mott said by the time the Jim Dandy Stakes came around – seven weeks after the Belmont – he’d expect Sovereignty, who also won the Kentucky Derby, would be “ready to do something.”
Having had an uninterrupted training schedule since the June 7 Belmont, Sovereignty is ready to kick off the second half of his 3-year-old season against four opponents in Saturday’s Grade 2, $500,000 Jim Dandy Stakes at Saratoga.
“He looked like from the day he came out of the Belmont that he should be fine after six or seven weeks and he’s continued to do well,” Mott said Thursday morning. “He’s breezed well enough, he looks great, he’s in good flesh and feels good. . . . Hopefully, he can be as good on Saturday as he is today.”
When he won the Kentucky Derby, Sovereignty rallied from 13 lengths back in a 19-horse field, outfinishing Journalism by 1 1/2 lengths. In the Belmont Stakes, Sovereignty was one length back at the first point of call, was never more than two lengths back at any point in the race and ran by Preakness winner Journalism to win by three lengths.
That ability to lay closer early could come in handy in a small Jim Dandy field where Mo Plex, the Grade 3 Ohio Derby winner, looms the controlling speed in the 1 1/8-mile race.
“Mo Plex looks to be the lone speed in the race. Naturally we wouldn’t want him to get away from us,” Mott said. “It looks like the other horses [have] more of a style that Sovereignty previously had shown. Sovereignty showed a little more tactical speed last time, so hopefully Sovereignty shows some of that tactical speed in his race on Saturday.”
Junior Alvarado rides Sovereignty from the outside draw in this five-horse field.
Mo Plex, a New York-bred son of Complexity, was a forward factor when he won the Grade 3 Ohio Derby at Thistledown on June 21 going 1 1/8 miles. Prior to that, he won the seven-furlong Bay Shore Stakes at Aqueduct.
Jeremiah Englehart, who trains Mo Plex, said he’s the most relaxed as he’s ever been bringing a horse into a big race.
“Maybe it’s you’re running against Sovereignty, and nobody expects you to be able to beat him, but at the same time I like the position we’re in,” Englehart said. “I got a horse with a lot of speed and can carry his speed over a distance and everyone else in the race is going to have to play to us a little bit.
“Sovereignty has been the only one who seems like he can change his tactics and have it work out okay – Junior has done a phenomenal job in that regard – but everyone else is going to have to adjust to us.”
Baeza, second to Journalism in the Santa Anita Derby in April, finished third to Sovereignty in both the Kentucky Derby and Belmont Stakes. Trainer John Shirreffs mentioned that in the Belmont, jockey Flavien Prat said Baeza dropped the bit “and it took him a long time to pick it up again,” Shirreffs said.
Shirreffs has worked Baeza stronger in Southern California.
“We’ve really been working with him engaging and staying on the bit the whole time,” Shirreffs said.
With Prat in California on Saturday, Hector Berrios, who has won on Baeza, has the call from the rail.
Sandman, winner of the Arkansas Derby, was next to last early but finished seventh to Sovereignty in the Kentucky Derby and then was third to Journalism in the Preakness. Trainer Mark Casse is adding blinkers to Sandman’s equipment on Saturday, though he does so with some trepidation.
“Blinkers can be good or can be bad, you don’t know until you try,” Casse said. “Maybe if he’s closer to the pace he won’t finish, I don’t know.”
Casse noted that Sandman’s best race of his 2-year-old season, a 1 3/4-length maiden win, was at Saratoga.
Hill Road, winner of the Grade 3 Peter Pan, finished fifth in the Belmont Stakes. Trainer Chad Brown said the Jim Dandy is the best way to get his horse to the Travers.
“He’s training good here, second race over the track, with some pace in the race. I’d be happy just to get a piece and advance on to the mile and a quarter race again,” Brown said.
The Jim Dandy is race 10 on a 12-race card that begins at 12:35 p.m. and also inlcudes the Grade 3, $175,000 Lake George for 3-year-old fillies on turf.
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