Litfin at Large: Jim Dandy Saturday

The 148th summer meet at Saratoga Race Course really gets into full swing with a Jim Dandy (gr. II) of a Saturday card July 30, one that is also bolstered by the Alfred G. Vanderbilt Handicap (gr. I), the Bowling Green (gr. IIT) and the Amsterdam (gr. II).

A look in chronological order:

Amsterdam (race 4, 2:41 p.m. EDT)

The field for this traditional prep for the King's Bishop (gr. I) remained in flux as of late afternoon Thursday, because both of Todd Pletcher's runners—Ready Dancer (#4) and Uncle Vinny (#6)—were entered in Friday's Curlin Stakes as well. Under normal circumstances, the first inclination is to be leery of a deep closer like Ready Dancer cutting back from 1 1/8 miles to 6 1/2 furlongs, but wide-sweeping moves have played well on the main track, which has so far been the Graveyard Of Inside Speed. This turn of events, by the way, bathes Songbird's performance in the Coaching Club American Oaks (gr. I) in even more of a glowing light if that is possible.

Ready Dancer notched his maiden win sprinting at the Spa last year, while Uncle Vinny, who also turns back in distance, took the Sanford (gr. III) via disqualification. This technically makes Uncle Vinny the only graded stakes winner in the race, and yet he is also the slowest member of the group, so go figure.

If I had an opinion about a race that is part of the pick five and early pick four, I would share it. Honestly, I don't.

Bowling Green (race 7, 4:25 p.m.)

Here is an opinion for you: Flintshire (#2) looks tough (yeah, you're welcome), and the allowance conditions give the 1-5 morning-line favorite a big break in the weights. After spotting Grand Tito (#5) four pounds in the Manhattan, he only has to give that rival two pounds here. The spread is the same against the venerable Twilight Eclipse (#1) and Danish Dynaformer (#3), while Can'thelpbelieving (#4) gets eight pounds after a decent fifth in the United Nations (gr. IT).

Understandably, this race was excluded from the $500,000 guaranteed late pick four, but it sure seems like a free bingo square for those inclined to play the pick six.

A.G. Vanderbilt (race 9, 5:40 p.m.)

Jorge Navarro ships in from Monmouth Park with not one, not two, but three sprinters—Catalina Red (#2), Delta Bluesman (#3), and Chublicious (#6), all of which are seemingly in with a chance.

It remains to be seen whether Anchor Down (#1) will run, since he was scratched from the Belmont Sprint Championship (gr. III) after drawing the rail, and drew the same spot again—a predicament exacerbated by how deep the inside part of the track has been thus far. 

One lesson garnered through years of experience is that horses who win a stakes race at Saratoga often come back and do it again. Exhibit A in this case is Holy Boss (#5), who hasn't won since taking the Amsterdam.last summer. Fair warning.

Requite (#7) skipped the Smile Sprint (gr. II) at Gulfstream Park after missing a few days of training, but he is another horse who seems to flourish here. The lightly raced 4-year-old won his debut at Saratoga in 2014, and also led between calls when second to Holy Boss in last year's Amsterdam.

Jim Dandy (race 10, 6:18 p.m.)

Unless it rains, I like Mohaymen (#3) here, plain and simple. Kiaran McLaughlin is off to an amazing 7-for-10 start at the meet, invoking memories of his 2008 Spa training title, and although Mohaymen hasn't run in the 12 weeks that have transpired since his fourth-place finish in the Kentucky Derby Presented by Yum! Brands (gr. I), that was by design.

Moreover, McLaughlin's horses have been running phenomenally off the bench: Sentiero Italia, last year's Lake Placid (gr. IIT) winner, is bound for the Woodford Reserve Ballston Spa (gr. IIT) after taking her seasonal bow opening day, and the barn has also won with the layoff horses Takrees, Farhaan, Gap Year, and Girl Talk, while Watershed garnered his second-level allowance condition second time back from Dubai, and is a candidate for the Woodward (gr. I) on closing weekend.

Creator (#1) and Destin (#4) meet up again after being separated by inches in the 1 1/2-mile Belmont Stakes presented by NYRA Bets (gr. I), but Mohaymen beat them both in Louisville, and going against McLaughlin at the moment certainly has been a fool's errand.