More focused Forte wins Jim Dandy by a nose at Saratoga

Forte, left, with jockey Irad Ortiz Jr. up, noses out Saudi Crown and jockey Florent Geroux at the wire to win the Jim Dandy Stakes on Saturday at Saratoga Race Course.

SARATOGA SPRINGS — The recent switch to blinkers paid dividends for Forte, whose photo-finish victory in the Jim Dandy stood up to a steward's inquiry Saturday at Saratoga Race Course.

Running under Irad Ortiz Jr. over a sloppy, rain-soaked main track, Forte nosed out Saudi Crown at the wire for the win in the $500,000 Grade II prep race for next month's Travers Stakes.

"This is such an important race for Forte to get back on track, an important prep race for the Travers, hopefully," trainer Todd Pletcher said. "It's nice to get him back in the winner's circle."

Pletcher had added blinkers to Forte's tack while training last week.

"We felt this was the race to give them a try," he said, rather than waiting until the Aug. 26 Travers.

Blinkers limit a horse's peripheral vision and help them to focus on what's ahead, and Pletcher felt that change was needed after Forte's disappointing runner-up finish in the Belmont Stakes.

"We felt like in the Florida Derby he lost focus a little bit in the far turn, same thing in the Belmont — it kind of compromised his chances there a little bit," Pletcher said. "We worked him back, Irad and I talked about it, we said, you know what, let's try him in a breeze with some blinkers and we got the reaction we were looking for: a little more focused on his task, not as worried about what his foes are up to."

Forte was the favorite in a five-horse field that included three Brad Cox entries — Saudi Crown, Angel of Empire and Hit Show — as well as Steven Asmussen's Disarm.

With a crowd of 34,771 looking on, Forte made his move in the upper stretch, between Angel of Empire and Saudi Crown, ridden by Florent Geroux, who had gone to the lead early. Forte appeared to be bumped by both during the stretch run while getting past Angel of Empire, before he overtook Saudi Crown at the wire.

Forte edges out Saudi Crown at the wire to win the Jim Dandy at Saratoga Race Course.

There was a delay of several minutes during the steward's inquiry, but there was no change in the result, bringing a loud cheer from Forte's many connections waiting by the winner's circle. Forte earned $3.50 on a winning wager. Angel of Empire placed third.

"You're the one with the target on your back, you have another stable with three horses in there, so we were expecting some race tactics," Pletcher said. "I think once he was able to get himself in the clear and then the horse on the lead kind of kept drifting out and out, maybe into the eight path, Irad thought that compromised him from moving forward a little sooner."

"The horse out front, I don't know if he saw something, but he was getting out bad," Ortiz said of Saudi Crown drifting into him. "He kept coming out, coming out, but I'm on his heels. It was hard to stop at the moment of the race. I was right there, I was close to making the lead. … At the same time, I have the other horse (outside). Finally we get straight and he corrects his horse and we get to the wire, and thank God, we get a head in front at the end."

Pletcher praised Forte's competitive nature, which showed in the final stretch.

"He loves the game," Pletcher said. "He's always been that way, he's always trained super, he's very competitive in the afternoon. He's an intelligent horse."

Cox said he was pleased with all three of his charges in the Jim Dandy, and was satisfied with the outcome of the steward's inquiry.

"We got beat by a champion today," Cox said. "Our colt (Saudi Crown), he's very good, he's a Grade 1 horse in the future. All three of them are good, but Saudi Crown has a tremendous amount of upside."

Jockey Irad Ortiz Jr. gives Elite Power a hug after winning the Grade 1 Alfred G. Vanderbilt Handicap on Saturday at Saratoga Race Course.

Ortiz rode both stakes winners Saturday, as he was also on board Elite Power, who extended his win streak to eight with a victory in the 39th running of the Grade 1, $350,000 Alfred G. Vanderbilt Handicap.

Elite Power ran down Gunite and jockey Tyler Gaffalione in the stretch and nipped them at the wire for the victory on the sloppy, sealed main track.

That gave trainer Bill Mott a victory on his 70th birthday.

"We've won some Grade 1s on my birthday, so it's been a productive date up to this point," Mott said. "For him to put up a streak like this against top competition just really boils down to him being a really good horse. They don't do it by accident."

"He knows where the wire is, he does everything right," Ortiz said of Elite Power. "I ask him to go, he just goes. When we turned for home, that horse (Gunite) had the jump on me, I know he's a nice horse and he's a fighter. I knew it wasn't going to be easy, but I always trust my horse and every time I asked him, he responded."

Follow Pete Tobey on Twitter @ByPeteTobey

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