Always Dreaming, Cloud Computing Head Jim Dandy

The last time Always Dreaming and Cloud Computing shared a racetrack, they teamed up to hit both ends of the spectrum. 

For the former, his eighth-place finish in the May 20 Preakness Stakes (G1) was one of those runs that seemed too bad to be believed. Two weeks prior, he put on a clinic of brilliance the first Saturday in May and even though his trainer warned of the challenge that came with the quick turnaround, few foresaw him completely folding up at the three-eighths pole at Pimlico Race Course.

If the sight of Always Dreaming backing up was a stunner, so too was that of the dark bay colt blowing past him on the outside. Before he got his head down over champion Classic Empire in the middle classic, Cloud Computing's only other win came when he broke his maiden in February. For a horse beaten a combined 10 1/2 lengths in his prior two graded stakes tries, his Preakness victory was the kind of massive step forward you want to see again to believe.

Both classic-winning colts are going to get their chance to prove a point in the $600,000 Jim Dandy Stakes Presented by NYRA Bets (G2) at Saratoga Race Course July 29. In what will be their first starts since that day in Baltimore, Always Dreaming will try and make his last outing into an aberration, while Cloud Computing is out to reinforce his late-blooming upside.

There are three other entrants in the field for the 1 1/8-mile Jim Dandy, but the spotlight clearly rests on the meeting between the winners of the first two legs of this year's Triple Crown.

Before his lackluster Preakness run, Always Dreaming looked to be the meteoric star of this year's sophomore class. The Todd Pletcher-trained son of Bodemeister   backed up the hype of his first two wins this season with a five-length victory in the April 1 Xpressbet Florida Derby (G1)—his first graded try—and then doubled down on the positive chatter with his 2 3/4-length triumph in the May 6 Kentucky Derby Presented by Yum! Brands (G1).

Pletcher's weariness regarding the Preakness is well documented, as the 14-day wheelback is something his barn—and others—rarely engage in. Despite Always Dreaming giving off strong indicators in his training leading up to the 1 3/16-mile test, he faded after being pressed by Classic Empire on the front end and his connections subsequently decided to bypass the Belmont Stakes Presented by NYRA Bets (G1) and regroup for the summer.

"Anytime you have the Kentucky Derby winner running, you don't want to get beat," Pletcher said. "But it's something we thought a lot about between the Preakness and now, and we wanted to get here not just with a fresh horse, but a horse hopefully fit enough to run a mile and an eighth. 

"It's always a delicate balance when you're trying to freshen a horse up, and have him ready for a race like the Jim Dandy. You know you have to be fit and prepared for it, but you also want to hopefully have something to build on, and something left in the tank for the (grade 1) Travers. I think we've been able to accomplish that in the time off after the Preakness."

Owned by MeB Racing, Brooklyn Boyz, Teresa Viola, St Elias, Siena Farm, and West Point Thoroughbreds, Always Dreaming has four wins from seven starts and $2,284,700 in earnings.

Cloud Computing's path to success was a far less obvious one than his classic counterpart. After his debut win Feb. 11, the son of Maclean's Music   put in an admirable runner-up finish behind J Boys Echo in the March 4 Gotham Stakes (G3) in his second start and was seven lengths behind winner Irish War Cry in the April 8 Wood Memorial Stakes presented by NYRA Bets (G2).

Thinking they may have pushed for too much too soon, trainer Chad Brown and owners Bill Lawrence and Seth Klarman decided to target the Preakness rather than trying to make the Kentucky Derby with Cloud Computing. When their patience was rewarded, they continued down the path of restraint. They too passed on the 12-furlong marathon at Belmont Park in hopes of having a fresh horse who could eventually take command of a division that has been without a clear leader.

If the defeat of champion Arrogate in last weekend's TVG San Diego Handicap (G2) proved anything, it's how in-race reality is capable of making a mockery of what is supposed to happen on paper. So while the Jim Dandy appears a two-horse contest, grade 2 winner Good Samaritan, along with maiden victors Pavel and Giuseppe the Great, are in for the upset bid.

Good Samaritan, winner of the Summer Stakes (G2T) at Woodbine Sept. 18, will try dirt for the first time. The Bill Mott-trained son of Harlan's Holiday most recently finished fourth in the July 8 Belmont Derby Invitational Stakes (G1T).

"Looking at the race, you would think there's going to be an honest pace," Mott said. "You've got a Derby winner and a Preakness winner and a second-time starter that has speed. The Preakness winner isn't going to let the Derby winner shake loose on him, I wouldn't think, so I'm kind of counting on an honest pace. I mean, you never know."

Jim Dandy S. Presented by NYRA Bets (G2)

Saratoga Race Course, Saturday, July 29, 2017, Race 10

• 1 1/8m
• Dirt
• $600,000
• 3 yo
• 6:18 PM (local)

PP	Horse	Jockey	Wgt	Trainer	M/L
1	1Always Dreaming (KY)	John R. Velazquez	123	Todd A. Pletcher	1/1
2	2Cloud Computing (KY)	Javier Castellano	123	Chad C. Brown	6/5
3	3Giuseppe the Great (KY)	Luis Saez	117	Nicholas P. Zito	10/1
4	4Pavel (KY)	Mario Gutierrez	117	Doug F. O'Neill	6/1
5	5Good Samaritan (KY)	Joel Rosario	119	William I. Mott	12/1