SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. - At around 8:30 Sunday morning, some 15 hours after his victory in the Grade 2, $600,000 Jim Dandy Stakes, Epicenter was at the front of his stall in trainer Steve Asmussen’s Saratoga barn seemingly looking for more action. “He’s very alert, very happy with himself,” Asmussen said, sitting in a golf cart just outside the shed row. Having returned to the winner’s circle for the first time in four months with his Jim Dandy victory, Epicenter will now focus on securing his first Grade 1 victory when he runs next in the $1.25 million Travers Stakes on Aug. 27. The Jim Dandy victory was Epicenter’s third Grade 2 stakes triumph of the year. He won the Risen Star and Louisiana Derby in February and March, performances that made him the favorite for the Kentucky Derby, where he finished second to 80-1 shot Rich Strike. Epicenter was also the favorite in the Preakness where, after a slow start, he finished second to Early Voting, a result he avenged Saturday with Early Voting finishing last of four in the Jim Dandy. :: Visit the Saratoga Handicapping Store for Past Performances, Clocker Reports, Picks, Betting Strategies and more. It's likely Epicenter’s Jim Dandy performance makes him the favorite for the Mid-Summer Derby just as he was for the Kentucky Derby. “As far as Epicenter coming out of two worrisome outcomes, for him to take the time to prepare and be as focused as he appeared to be yesterday is exactly where we want to be, knowing that we’re exactly in the same position that we were going into the Derby with a horse good enough with a great opportunity,” Asmussen said. Epicenter, a son of Not This Time, now has a record of 5-3-0 from nine starts. A forward presence early in his career, Epicenter is now quite comfortable coming from off the pace. On Saturday, he rallied from last in the compact field under Joel Rosario after getting shut off by Tawny Port, under Irad Ortiz Jr., entering the first turn. Asmussen said he and owner Ron Winchell were discussing Epicenter’s development Sunday morning and agreed the colt “is figuring racing out a lot better,” Asmussen said. “He looked like he knew where the wire was this time. You’re concerned with how far back he was, but you watch the run into the first turn and it wasn’t like he had a lot of options.” Still, Epicenter moved into the five-path for the stretch drive and closed strongly without ever feeling jockey Joel Rosario’s whip. “He extended his arms a couple of times on that one,” said Asmussen, noting that Rosario didn’t have to do much pushing the race before on Jackie’s Warrior, who won Saturday’s Grade 1 Alfred G. Vanderbilt. While Epicenter will likely be favored in the Travers, his list of challengers is still a work in progress. Kentucky Derby winner Rich Strike, Dwyer winner Charge It, Haskell winner Cyberknife, Curlin Stakes winner Artorius and Jim Dandy runner-up Zandon are considered definites. Chad Brown, the trainer of Zandon and Preakness winner Early Voting, who finished last in the Jim Dandy, said he will train both horses to the race. A decision on whether Early Voting runs or not will be made closer to the race. :: Get Saratoga Clocker Reports from Mike Welsch and the Clocker Team. Available every race day.   “I got to give him a chance to get there,” Brown said. “Maybe off a 10-week break I didn’t quite have him ready, that’s possible. I thought Zandon, off his 12-week break, ran pretty well. He had a good trip; maybe with a race under his belt, maybe getting back to a style that’s worked for him before, he can move forward. He’s going to need to, it’s going to be a much tougher race.” Nest, the filly who won the Grade 1 Coaching Club American Oaks by 12 lengths, is still under consideration for the Travers, according to Aron Wellman, head of Eclipse Thoroughbred Partners, which co-owns Nest with Mike Repole. However, she is more likely to run in the Grade 1 Alabama on Aug. 20, Wellman said. Wellman said two factors that would make the Travers more attractive would be if trainer Todd Pletcher indicated Nest would benefit from an extra week between the CCA Oaks and her next start and there were some “significant defections” from the Travers field. “It’s definitely a consideration,” Wellman said, “with a pretty significant lean toward the Alabama.”