Florida debut winners part of 10-horse Sanford Stakes

SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. – Trainer Phil Serpe won last year’s Grade 1 Spinaway with Leave No Trace and he’s hoping for some more 2-year-old success here this summer when he starts Jive for the first time in Saturday’s Grade 3, $175,000 Sanford Stakes at Saratoga.

Jive was one 10 2-year-olds entered Wednesday for the Sanford, the first of three dirt stakes for juvenile males to be held at the meet.

Jive is one of two horses owned by Brian Cohen in the Sanford. His other is Dickens, who is trained by Juan Alvarado. Brian Cohen is the racing manager for his father Alan’s Arindel Farm, but also has some horses of his own.

Jive, who won his debut at Gulfstream Park for Alvarado, shipped to New York to run in the Tremont Stakes on June 11 but was scratched in the paddock when he fell against the back wall of his saddling stall.

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The horse remained in New York with Serpe, who breezed him four times, including last Sunday at Belmont Park when he went in company with Dickens, whom Cohen shipped to New York when he sent Clapton to run in last weekend’s Grade 2 Suburban.

Jive, a son of St. Patrick’s Day, won his maiden by three-quarters of a length on May 19. Dickens, a son of Adios Charlie, won his maiden by two lengths at Gulfstream on June 10.

Gold Sweep, the nine-length winner of the Tremont Stakes, will likely be favored in the six-furlong Sanford. The others entered are Call the Cavalry, Factor U and Me In, His Rights, Market Street, Ramming Speed, Triple Trea, and Yo Yo Candy.

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