SARATOGA SPRINGS — The Jim Dandy on Saturday was a thrilling display of role reversal.
While Sierra Leone took the inside track, Fierceness chose to run on the outside — way outside.
Remarkably, Fierceness transformed from a losing horse to a winning one, a peculiar trend he has maintained throughout his seven-race career.
After a disappointing 15th-place finish in the Kentucky Derby on May 4, Fierceness stormed down the center of the track, beating Sierra Leone by a length to clinch the Grade II Jim Dandy at Saratoga Race Course.
With this victory, Fierceness, under the guidance of jockey John Velazquez, reclaimed the championship form he demonstrated as a 2-year-old and in the Grade I Florida Derby this spring.
“I was worried it was going to be a repeat of the Haskell,” trainer Todd Pletcher humorously remarked, referring to Mindframe’s narrow defeat by Dornoch at Monmouth Park last weekend.
“I’m overjoyed for the horse. He’s an exceptional talent. I feel he’s often overlooked, but when he performs, he’s outstanding.”
“After two heartbreakingly close seconds in the Belmont with Mindframe and last week, it feels amazing to finally secure a big win,” said Mike Repole, the sole owner of Fierceness and a 50% co-owner of Mindframe.
Sierra Leone, on the other hand, has now lost the Kentucky Derby, Belmont, and Jim Dandy by a combined total of less than three lengths.
The key difference in the Jim Dandy was that he was on the rail, with Flavien Prat aboard, as the field neared the finish line,
“I thought he performed excellently,” trainer Chad Brown said. “I have no excuses. The track was perfectly suited for his running style. Fierceness regained his form and ran an exceptional race.
“I thought he had every opportunity to overtake him — yes, we found ourselves on the inside of him, but Fierceness really stepped up today and ran a fantastic race.”
“I teased Johnny for going so wide,” Repole said. “He said, ‘I was expecting Sierra Leone to come outside of me.’ Then he came inside of him. Once he was in the stretch, the race was essentially over. Fantastic race by Fierceness. I’m thrilled for Todd, because he’s invested so much into this horse.”
Sierra Leone, who had betting odds of 4-5, broke from the rail and took his usual position at the back of the field.
Fierceness, from the far outside post in the six-horse field, quickly got into a stalking position behind long shot Pony Express after a sharp break.
As they rounded the turn, Fierceness took the lead and was 2 1/2 lengths ahead of Batten Down at the top of the stretch, then he veered way out to the middle of the track.
By this point, Sierra Leone had slipped back to the rail and was gaining momentum with a closing kick that almost carried him past Fierceness. But Fierceness had plenty of stamina left to finish the job, as Velazquez steered him back toward the inside.
“I expected Sierra Leone to come out, so I went out,” Velazquez said. “I just let him do it. I wanted to get him out there, and when I looked, the other horse came inside so I came back in a little bit just to make sure he saw him. I had horse left. He is incredible. This was just incredible.”
“He was traveling well, he really came underneath me nice around the five-sixteenths pole,” Prat said of Sierra Leone. “When I dropped in, I thought I was going to be a winner. I just couldn’t go by that horse.”
“Flavien said there wasn’t any choice but to dive inside,” Brown said. “Fierceness was out in the center of the track — probably looking for him — which is probably what he should be doing. He [Sierra Leone] was happy enough to go inside, and he didn’t have his momentum stopped. He had an opportunity from the eighth pole home after he got by Batten Down to really outfinish Fierceness, but Fierceness just found more today and really ran a terrific race.”
Brown is eagerly anticipating running Sierra Leone in the Travers on Aug. 24, especially since the mile-and-a-quarter distance should suit his horse.
Whether the Jim Dandy winner himself will be in the Travers is uncertain.
“He probably just needs some time off between races,” Repole said. “That will be a factor in our Travers decision. He’s a medium-sized colt. He’s not the biggest eater, like his owner. If he gets some rest, he can do things like this. That was pretty special.”
“I think he’s a little harshly criticized,” Pletcher said. “The [Kentucky] Derby, we all know how that can work out. The Holy Bull was a pretty rough journey for him. I don’t think it’s as simple as saying every other race he runs well. If you dig into it a little deeper, there’s more to it than that.”
NAKATOMI OVERTAKES SKELLY
In another race, Nakatomi managed to overtake front-runner Skelly just outside the sixteenth pole to win the Grade I Alfred G. Vanderbilt by a length and a half.
Guided by Tyler Gaffalione, Nakatomi secured his first victory since an allowance at Saratoga last summer, defeating a horse with an impressive record in the process.
Skelly entered the Vanderbilt with 10 wins from 16 career starts, along with five second-place finishes.
He had to settle for another second place after Gaffalione steered Nakatomi outside of the even-money betting favorite in the stretch.
“Tyler knows the horse very well,” trainer Wesley Ward said. “He learned a lot when he tried to go inside at Tampa two starts back. I think that’s why knowing that Skelly gets out, he had it in his mind that the horse runs his best on the outside, which he did.
“Everything just worked out. That happens rarely, especially in a Grade I, but it happened today.”
“This win feels amazing, I am just so thrilled for this horse,” Gaffalione said. “He tries so hard every time. We have just been a little bit unlucky in the past, but he finally got his Grade I today.
“I didn’t want to give my horse any excuse and I felt like I had the horse to go get him [Skelly], so I just wanted to give him a clear path [on the outside].”
Agree – Fierceness definitely showed why he deserved that champion status with that impressive win in the Jim Dandy.
Great win for Fierceness! #championstatus #JimDandy
Great win for Fierceness, he really showed his dominance in the Jim Dandy race!