The Dandy – Grade II
$500.00 For Three Year Olds
1 1/8 Miles – Dirt
Saratoga Race Course – August 1, 2026

Saratoga is known as the graveyard of favorites. Ask Secretariat who suffered defeat in the Whitney there in his Triple Crown winning three-year-old season. He lost to Onion. Ask Man O’ War who suffered his only career defeat when he lost the Sanford Memorial Stakes as a two-year-old. Who did he lose to? The prophetically named Upset who took down the legend at 100-1. The Dandy honors is named for another Saratoga Goliath slayer. It is named for Jim Dandy who broke from the gate in the 1930 Travers at 100-1 against that year’s Triple Crown winner Gallant Fox who was 1-2. At the wire it was Jim Dandy by eight lengths on a track described as “muck”. The Dandy is Saratoga’s premiere prep race for the summer Derby, The Travers, later in the meet. As the race pays homage to one of the legendary upsets in Saratoga lore you have to wonder if there is any big upset lurking in this year’s field which originally drew eight horses but is now down to eight with the scratch of Coach McGuirk who had drawn post seven. Let’s see what we’ve got.

1. Art Of Boom (Nakamura Stables/G. Corrales) He went into the Kentucky Derby off of two straight encouraging efforts following his gelding in February. He had finished a good third in the G2 Rebel and then won the G3 Ruby Stakes in his last Derby prep. He ended up finishing seventeenth in the Derby followed by a sixth in the Preakness. He skipped the Belmont and rebounded with a fast closing third place in the G2 Winn after which he took on older foes finishing sixth and last in the G3 PRM Cornhusker Handicap but don’t hold that against because under those handicap conditions he was co-high weight in a field where all other entries were older and we know weight matters at HRP. Back against his own age he can rebound again.

2. Lesnar (Royalty Stables/L. Saez) He dipped his hoof in the Derby trail a little bit but didn’t hit the board in either the Sunland Derby or the VA Derby. He gained some black type following those two races when he finished third in the NY Stallion Series – Your Biscuits for three-year-olds foaled in NY. He was sixth and last in an allowance at Churchill Downs in May on a muddy track so ignore that in fast-track handicapping. In his last race he returned to the winner’s circle for the first time since breaking his maiden with an allowance score at Woodbine. That last race was encouraging enough for his connections to bring him to The Dandy. Is he our up setter?

3. Resurgent (D J C Racing Stables/E.J. Wilson) He is a multiple stakes winner and notched his first graded stakes win in his last race which was a one length win in the G3 Marine Stakes at Woodbine a month ago. He has been brought along steadily and has progressed nicely and progressed up the class ladder and it is worth noting that he posted his career high SRF speed figure of 98 in that Marine victory. He is consistently in the mix when they hit the wire and seems to be improving at the right time.

4. Silver Hurricane (Mb Stables/R.M. Hernandez) He has been first or second in five of his seven lifetime races boasting three wins. He is a G1 winner by virtue of his score in the G1 Santa Anita Derby. He did not make the trip to Kentucky for the Derby but showed up at the Preakness where he earned a check by running a very commendable fourth, losing by only a length. We have seen him once since the middle jewel and that was a head loss in the G3 Winn to stablemate Apirana and just besting Art Of Boom for third. He will battle with Art Of Boom again today going an additional sixteenth of a mile this time. He has been handled very carefully and brought along slowly and is from a barn that has options. Must assume he is sharp and ready. 

5. Decima Tech (The Sidley Stud/M. Franco) He won The WV Futurity Stakes to close out his two-year-old season and took a shot at qualifying for the Derby when he ran in the G3 Lewis Stakes and G3 Ruby Stakes to start his sophomore year. He didn’t make a statement in either of those races and was given a little time to regroup. That time yielded fruit when he resurfaced and gained his first graded stakes win in the G3 Peter Pan. He showed that win to not be a fluke when he came back and finished a closing third in the G3 Ohio Derby missing by just a head. Fast works should encourage backers.

6. Meekshallinherit (Big Jd Racing/Jam Rodriguez) The Big Jd Racing homebred gelding made it to the place everyone wants to be on the first Saturday in May, in the gate at the Kentucky Derby. He is a graded stakes winner having won the G3 TAM Derby. On Derby Day he was anything but meek when he turned in a great effort finishing second at 18-1 in a twenty-horse field. He skipped the Preakness and then ran a head scratcher in the G1 Belmont finishing fourteenth seven lengths back of the winner. He has been given a break since that dull effort and resurfaces in this race. He is better than Belmont so expect to see better.

7. Coach McGuirk (Mo Mentum Farm) – SCRATCHED

8. Izzy’s Brindle (The Sidley Stud/E. Esquivel) He finished third to his fellow WV bred Decima Touch in last year’s WV Futurity Stakes. He became a stakes winner when he won the PARX Future Stars two days before he turned three. After turning in a disappointing tenth place finish in the G3 Withers in his seasonal debut he was gelded and he has run three good races since but not against the caliber of rivals he will meet in The Dandy. He has a third in an allowance, a fourth in The Audubon and he returned to the winner’s circle in his last race which was an optional claimer at Lonestar. This is a big step up on the class ladder but in addition to the last out win he is showing speed in the morning. 

I would love to see a big upset just because it is Saratoga and it’s the race named after Jim Dandy who became a legend after that upset Travers win. I have no ability to predict the final odds at HRP but I will place Decima Touch on top due to the Peter Pan win and I look for Meekshallinherit to show his Derby form and finish second. Place Silver Hurricane and Art Of Bloom in the final prize slots.

Categories: Grade II, STAKES ARTICLES