Jim Dandy Stakes contenders work

Saratoga Springs, N.Y. – Four potential contenders for the Grade 2 Jim Dandy Stakes – Texas Red, Frosted, Upstart, and Materiality – turned in their final works for the race on a busy and, for a short while, foggy Saturday morning at Saratoga.

The fog was long gone by the time Texas Red, Frosted, and Upstart came onto the track after the renovation break.

Texas Red, with Junior Alvarado aboard, broke off four lengths behind Dalmore, a 2-year-old maiden from trainer Keith Desormeaux’s barn, easily running past and drawing away from his overmatched mate once settling into the stretch. Texas Red completed five furlongs in 59.92 seconds, his final quarter in 23.91, before galloping out in 1:13.21.

“I thought it was a great work, especially the gallop-out, since it seems the track is a little tiring,” said Desormeaux. “To tell the truth, after my race with Decked Out (finished third in the Schuylerville Stakes on Friday), I felt the track may be a little deep, and I might need this race again to peak for the Travers. But after seeing that work, I’m encouraged we might be fit enough to do it. Naturally, we’d love to win [the Jim Dandy], but we still believe this is a building process, and the plan has always been to get him to peak for the Travers.”

Frosted worked a half-mile in company with Icefield and proved dominant during the latter stages of the drill, edging three lengths clear at the wire after completing the distance in 47.91 before galloping out strongly into the turn.

“Obviously, we were looking for a little more for him this morning by putting him in company,” trainer Kiaran McLaughlin said. “Unfortunately, the company turned out not to really be company. But I was very pleased with the work, especially the way he galloped out, and right now all is well.”

Upstart, who has not run since being eased to the wire in the Kentucky Derby, also worked in company and looked very sharp, pulling away from his stablemate down the stretch after being reined in about a half-length behind and inside his target to the quarter pole. Upstart got to the wire in 47.62, then continued out full of run into the bend, completing five-eighths in 59.89 before galloping out in 1:13.62.

“It was a little unorthodox, keeping him a neck or so back along the inside just to be in there,” said trainer Rick Violette. “He hasn’t worked with a horse for a while. It’s kind of a good pacemaker, too. It was by design, and when Rodney [Paine] asked him, he shot through with no hesitation. It was a good breeze. He blew good, recovered quickly, scoped clean.”

Violette said he remains uncertain whether he’ll keep Upstart here to run in the Jim Dandy or go to Monmouth to face American Pharoah in the Grade 1 Haskell Invitational on Aug. 2.

“Right now, it’s a flip of the coin,” said Violette.

The fog did not deter trainer Todd Pletcher from sending out Materiality to work a half-mile in company with Madefromlucky at around 6 a.m. With the help of David Grening positioned at the half-mile pole and a couple of cellphones, Daily Racing Form timed the breeze in 48.83, with Materiality appearing to be going just a bit easier at the wire.

Materiality is coming off a last-place finish in the Belmont Stakes.

“We had a virus in the barn, and it affected some of our horses,” Pletcher said. “Even though we didn’t see any clinical signs of it, we had some horses run some unexplainably bad races. Materiality was one of them.”

– additional reporting by David Grening