Saratoga Racetrack Odds: Diana Handicap and Jim Dandy Stakes
by Patricia Woo | Jul 26 2010
Racing at the "Spa" heats up with two big races on Saturday, July 31. First up is the
turf-run $500,000 Gr. 1 Diana Handicap for fillies and mares 3 years old and up, followed by the
$500,000 Gr. 2 Jim Dandy Stakes for 3-year-olds.
Unbeaten in six consecutive races and a multiple graded stakes winner, Wasted Tears headlines the Diana Handicap. The speedy 5-year-old mare will be seeking her first grade 1 title but she has already shown this year that she is more than capable of handling top-class competition. In her last race, the Gr. 2 Jenny Wiley Stakes at Keeneland on April 10, Wasted Tears held off a determined rally by multiple grade 1 winner Forever Together to capture her sixth straight victory. A daughter of Najran, the Bart Evans trainee will again try to utilize her early speed to her advantage in Saturday's 1 1/8 mile race and build on her 15-10-1-0 career record.
Scheduled to renew their rivalry in the Diana Handicap are rivals Phola and Proviso. The two clashed on June 5 in the Gr. 1 Just a Game Stakes at Belmont Park, with Proviso coming up on top. The British-bred Proviso is a 5-year-old mare trained by Bill Mott and is looking to add a third grade 1 title to her resume. Phola is a 4-year-old filly trained by Todd Pletcher, and that loss on June 5 broke a three-race win streak; the extra eighth of a mile in the Diana Handicap will be to her advantage. Also expected for the Diana Handicap is My Princess Jess, who finished third in the Just a Game Stakes.
As a prep race for one of the biggest races for 3-year-olds in the latter half of the season, the Jim Dandy Stakes serves as an excellent preview for the Gr. 1 Travers Stakes later this summer. The 1 1/8 mile race has attracted a slew of exciting 3-year-olds like Fly Down, Afleet Express and Friend or Foe.
Fly Down is no stranger to racing fans - the Nick Zito trainee was a top contender for the Belmont Stakes on June and finished runner-up. Afleet Express, trained by James Jerkens, is a late-bloomer stretching out in distance for his third straight win. And Friend or Foe has been making a name for himself on the east coast with wins at Gulfstream Park and Belmont Park, most notably in the Mike Lee Stakes on June 20; the Jim Dandy will be a step up in class, but trainer John Kimmel believes he is up to the task. Also among the nominated are Aikenite and A Little Warm.
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