Sovereignty posts final work for G2 Jim Dandy presented by Mohegan Sun

• Sovereignty posts final work for G2 Jim Dandy presented by Mohegan Sun
• Magnitude to train up to G1 DraftKings Travers
• G1 winners Good Cheer, Highland Falls work over Spa main
• Striker Has Dial among evenly-matched G2 Honorable Miss

Godolphin’s dual Classic-winning homebred Sovereignty posted his final work Saturday in preparation for next Saturday’s Grade 2, $500,000 Jim Dandy presented by Mohegan Sun, covering a half-mile in 49.82 seconds over Saratoga Race Course’s Oklahoma dirt training track.

The son of Into Mischief, who was last seen winning the Grade 1 Belmont Stakes presented by NYRA Bets on June 7 here, covered the distance solo under regular exercise rider Neil Poznansky in his fourth work since the Belmont.

“It looked OK – the main thing is Neil thought it was good and he looked like he was moving fine to me,” Mott said. “I guess it’s all about what he feels underneath him, and he thought he felt very similar to before he ran in the last race.”

Mott said he was content to let Sovereignty work alone today after working in company with Jefferson Street the last two weeks.

“I thought he had done enough in his last two works,” Mott said. “We didn’t need him to do any more.”

The Grade 1 Kentucky Derby-winner looks to further his case for divisional supremacy in the nine-furlong Jim Dandy, where he will face a strong field that is expected to include Baeza – the Derby and Belmont Stakes third-place finisher – and Grade 1 Arkansas Derby-winner Sandman, third in the Grade 1 Preakness.

On Thursday, Mott sent out Frassetto Stables’ sophomore Stars and Stripes to a dominant 7 1/4-length romp here in a nine-furlong allowance against elders, where he swept from seven lengths back in fourth under Jose Lezcano to take the lead in the turn and draw off to victory in a final time of 1:51.22. He was awarded a 90 Beyer Speed Figure for the effort, and entered from a 10 1/2-length graduation on June 15 going the same distance at Belmont at the Big A.

Mott said he was pleased the Not This Time colt delivered such a performance despite incurring a minor issue at the start.

“The impressive thing is he grabbed himself pretty good leaving the gate, too,” Mott said. “I’ve got to wait for that foot to heal up first before we decide [what is next]. He gouged himself pretty good.”

A $100,000 purchase at the 2023 Keeneland September Yearling Sale, Stars and Stripes is out of the unraced Quality Road mare Pearl River, who also produced Grade 3-winner Waves of Mischief. His second dam, Ain’t She Sweet, is a full-sister to multiple graded stakes-winning millionaires Life Is Sweet and Sweet Catomine.

***

Magnitude to train up to G1 DraftKings Travers

Winchell Thoroughbreds’ Magnitude covered a solo half-mile in 51.68 seconds on Saturday over the Oklahoma dirt training track as he points towards the Grade 1, $1.25 million DraftKings Travers, a 10-furlong test for sophomores, on August 23 at Saratoga Race Course.

Trained by Hall of Famer Steve Asmussen, the Not This Time bay was completing his first breeze back since a 9 1/4-length score in the 1 1/16-mile Listed Iowa Derby on July 5 at Prairie Meadows. That effort earned a 105 Beyer Speed Figure, which validated a previous 108 when capturing the nine-furlong Grade 2 Risen Star by 9 3/4 lengths in February at Fair Grounds ahead of a layoff.

Asmussen said the spacing until the Travers appears favorable compared to next Saturday’s Grade 2, $500,000 Jim Dandy presented by Mohegan Sun, a nine-furlong test for sophomores.

“He’s a beautiful mover and came out of the Iowa Derby in good shape. It was a beautiful morning today to work,” Asmussen said. “[The Jim Dandy] comes back too quick off that big of a race, so we plan on just training him up to the Travers. We’re just concentrating on him, and I think it’s obviously a very deep and talented group of three-year-olds. Our responsibility is how Magnitude is doing, and we’re just extremely excited about how he’s traveling and how he looks right now.”

Barn newcomer Romeo worked solo over the same course and distance in 51.89 seconds on Saturday. The juvenile Honor A.P. dark bay, last out 3 3/4-length winner of the Listed Bashford Manor on June 29 at Churchill Downs, sold to Mahmud Mouni for $1.7 million at Fasig-Tipton's July Horses of Racing Age Sale and transferred to Asmussen’s care from conditioner John “Jerry” Robb.

“Our first move with Romeo. A very straightforward horse and he handled it extremely easy,” Asmussen said. “It’s just him getting familiar with us and us getting familiar with him.”

Asmussen said Romeo will be nominated to the 6 1/2-furlong Grade 2, $200,000 Saratoga Special on August 2 here, but will likely wait until the local seven-furlong Grade 1 Spendthrift Farm Hopeful on September 1.

“We’re very fortunate to have him. He does not carry himself or act like a 2-year-old. He’s very professional. We did go ahead and nominate him to the Saratoga Special, but I think with the change after the sale, most likely that will be too soon,” said Asmussen.

Asmussen updated on Winchell Thoroughbreds’ Kentucky homebred Disarm who scratched from the Grade 2, $400,000 Suburban presented by Subourbon on July 4 here. The dual Grade 1-placed Gun Runner 5-year-old worked five furlongs in 1:01.33 over the Oklahoma dirt on Saturday in company with Gun Party.

“He needed it [the work]. We missed some time with him over little things, and he’s put in a couple decent works, but he needed a better work,” Asmussen said. “We used Gun Party for his company, who has always worked extremely well.

“I’m very glad to get today’s work in him and we’ll see how he comes out of it,” Asmussen added.  

Kaleem Shah’s dual Grade 3-placed Benedetta [post 8, Dylan Davis] is tabbed at morning line odds of 8-1 in Sunday’s local Grade 2, $200,000 Honorable Miss, a six-furlong sprint for older fillies and mares. The 4-year-old City of Light bay enters from a 3 1/2-length second to Two Sharp at the distance in the Grade 3 Winning Colors on May 26 at Churchill Downs.

“She’s doing really well,” Asmussen said. “I think the weather this weekend, she’ll benefit from it. It’s nice and cool, she feels good. It’s a very competitive field, but I think she stacks up well in there.”

***

G1 winners Good Cheer, Highland Falls work over Spa main

Two Grade 1 winners for Godolphin breezed Saturday over the Saratoga Race Course main track in preparation for August engagements at the Spa, led by Kentucky Oaks victress Good Cheer, who is targeting the 10-furlong Grade 1, $600,000 Alabama presented by Keeneland Sales on August 16.

Trained by dual Eclipse Award-winner Brad Cox, the daughter of Medaglia d’Oro covered a half-mile in 48.58 seconds solo in her third work since being handed her first career loss in eight outings when a flat fifth in the Grade 1 DK Horse Acorn on June 6 here.

“She was really good, broke off from the half and had a good, solid breeze with a good gallop out,” Cox said. “She’s had three moves since the Acorn and they’ve all been really good, so we’re looking at the Alabama.”

Good Cheer dazzled earlier this year as she maintained a perfect ledger through her first three outings, taking a pair of Grade 2s at Fair Grounds Race Course in the Rachel Alexandra and Fair Grounds Oaks ahead of a strong 2 1/4-length win in the Kentucky Oaks. Her uncharacteristic effort in the Acorn left Cox puzzled, but the veteran conditioner said he prefers to look forward.

“She’s moving good and is happy, and we’re very pleased with how she looks and how she’s moving,” Cox said. “We just draw a line through the last one, it’s all we can do.”

Cox also sent out Godolphin’s Grade 1-winning 5-year-old Highland Falls to breeze five furlongs in 1:01 flat over the main in company with their multiple graded stakes-winner Tarifa [Manny Franco up; 1:01.44].

Highland Falls, who won the local 10-furlong Grade 1 Jockey Club Gold Cup in September, finished his campaign with a distant ninth in the Grade 1 Breeders’ Cup Classic in November at Del Mar, but returned with aplomb last out on June 27 to post a 5 1/2-length optional claiming victory traveling a one-turn mile at Belmont at the Big A.

Cox said Highland Falls is training forwardly towards the Grade 1, $1 million Whitney on August 2 here, where he will likely meet 2023 Champion 2-Year-Old Colt Fierceness and reigning Champion 3-Year-Old Colt Sierra Leone. The Whitney offers a "Win and You're In" berth to the Grade 1 Breeders' Cup Classic in November at Del Mar.

“He breezed very well,” Cox said. “He seems to do well here and he does like Saratoga. It’s going to be a good race, but he’s a Grade 1 winner and he’s a fresh horse, which I think is worth a good bit, so we’ll see what happens.”

Cox sent out two workers over the Oklahoma training turf on Friday with Grade 3-winner Final Gambit and Grade 3-placed Hush of a Storm posting solo half-mile breezes.

Juddmonte’s Flying Gambit, who was last seen finishing a late-running fifth in the Grade 1 Belmont Derby Invitational on July 4 here, covered the distance in 49.81 with Flavien Prat up, while the New York-bred Hush of a Storm breezed in 49.90 as he targets an allowance instead of the Grade 2 United Nations that he was entered in today at Monmouth Park.

Cox said Final Gambit, who won the Grade 3 Jeff Ruby Steaks on synthetic in March at Turfway Park and was a deep-closing fourth in the Kentucky Derby, will remain on the turf and try the Grade 1, $750,000 Saratoga Derby Invitational next on August 2.

“He had his first work over the turf here and it went well,” Cox said. “He ran OK last time, he was just a little reluctant to move forward around the turn. Once he figured things out, it was a little too late. He galloped out well and I think he showed in the Kentucky Derby he’s a very good horse. We’re hoping he can move forward a little bit in his next race.”

Cox also provided an update on Grade 1 Woody Stephens presented by Mohegan Sun-winner Patch Adams, who returned to Churchill Downs shortly after his win on June 7. The son of Into Mischief is preparing for a return to Saratoga for the Grade 1, $500,000 H. Allen Jerkens Memorial on August 23, and worked a half-mile in 49 flat Saturday over the Louisville oval.

“He’s had two works back since the Woody Stephens and he’s doing great,” Cox said. “We’ll probably keep him down there for the time being and he actually really, really likes it there. He does very well there.”

Owned by CHC, Inc. and WinStar Farm, Patch Adams’ 2 1/4-length Woody Stephens coup came on the heels of an optional claiming win by the same margin on May 3 at Churchill. He is 3-for-4 in sprint races, including a 10 1/2-length graduation at second asking in November at Churchill.

***

Striker Has Dial among evenly-matched G2 Honorable Miss

Chief Horse Futures’ Striker Has Dial is a leading contender among an evenly-matched field of nine in Sunday’s Grade 2, $200,000 Honorable Miss, a six-furlong sprint for older fillies and mares, at Saratoga Race Course.

Trained by Horacio De Paz, the 4-year-old Dialed In dark bay is tabbed at morning line odds of 5-1 in rein to Kendrick Carmouche from post 7. Her last effort was a 1 1/2-length runner-up finish to Zeitlos in the Listed Skipat on May 17 Preakness Day at Pimlico, and before that she won twice sprinting six furlongs at Aqueduct Racetrack.

Striker Has Dial’s 3 3/4-length optional claiming score in January at Aqueduct returned a career-best 97 Beyer Speed Figure, which is tied for the field-high with Scylla and Jody’s Pride.

“She’s doing very well,” said De Paz. “It is a really competitive field from top to bottom. You look at the past performances, and it is hard to throw somebody out. There’s speed, closers, and it will be a good race.”

De Paz said he expects a forwardly-placed trip.

“She’s always been forwardly-placed, so I wouldn’t take that away from her,” De Paz said. “I will let Kendrick ride his race because she has also shown she can sit off horses. She can go, if nobody commits. We are looking for a clean break, to get position early and see how it plays out.”

The 11-3-5-1 Striker Has Dial is dual stakes-placed and she seeks her first stakes score while making her graded debut.

“I like this post. Inside, you have to use a little more early,” said De Paz. “Being outside she can dictate where she can be placed.”

Striker Has Dial graduated on debut by six lengths last May at Laurel Park.

“She runs well fresh. I don’t think the layoff will bother her. We gave her 30 days at the farm at Sagamore after her Pimlico race,” said De Paz. “She had been going for a good year without a break. She came back and was working pretty sharp. Everything we see says she will continue on.”