Early Voting definite for Jim Dandy on July 30, Brown says

SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. – Confirming what had been expected, trainer Chad Brown said Sunday morning that Preakness winner Early Voting will make his next start in the Grade 2, $600,000 Jim Dandy Stakes at Saratoga on July 30.

Thus, Brown will run both Early Voting and Kentucky Derby third-place finisher Zandon in the Jim Dandy and go with just the undefeated Jack Christopher in next Saturday’s Grade 1, $1 million Haskell Invitational at Monmouth Park.

Brown said Early Voting shipped up from Belmont early Sunday morning after it was determined that both he and Jack Christopher had come out of their Saturday morning workouts over Belmont’s main track in good order.

“Jack Christopher looked great this morning, he looks ready to go for the Haskell,” Brown said. “I just didn’t see the benefit of putting Early Voting in a larger field against a really fast horse and what it might do to him five weeks out from the Travers.”

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The goal for all three horses is the Grade 1, $1.25 million Travers here on Aug. 27 provided they all run to expectations in their next starts.

On Saturday, Early Voting worked four furlongs in 49.25 seconds in company with Highly Motivated, who is pointing to next Saturday’s Grade 3, $400,000 Monmouth Cup at Monmouth Park.

Jack Christopher, undefeated in four starts including the Grade 1 Woody Stephens in his most recent start, worked four furlongs in 49.80 seconds by himself.

At Saratoga, Zandon worked four furlongs in 48.69 seconds over Saratoga’s main track. Though the work was by himself, Zandon did find himself stalking another trainer’s horse during the work, then galloped out on the inside of yet another horse on a busy morning.

Brown is thrilled with how Zandon has done in recent weeks. He won the Blue Grass on April 9 and then finished third behind Rich Strike and Epicenter in the Kentucky Derby on May 7.

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“The horse has put on considerable weight. He’s better than ever and his work today was fantastic,” Brown said. “He was nice and settled, he had a horse break off in front of him, he easily went by that horse near the wire, then he went inside another horse on the gallop-out and continued to move out on the gallop-out powerfully and well within himself. It was a very impressive work.”

Among Brown’s other workers Saturday morning at Saratoga was Gerrymander, the Grade 2 Mother Goose winner who went a half-mile in 50.52 seconds. Brown said he is training Gerrymander up to the Grade 1 Alabama on Aug. 20.