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Renegade wins Saturday's Jim Dandy at Saratoga to keep his name in the 3-year-old championship mix. Photo courtesy of NYRA
August 3 (UPI) -- Hold all tickets in the race for the 3-year-old championship. After Renegade stormed from the clouds to win Saturday's Jim Dandy at Saratoga, it appears Kentucky Derby and Belmont Stakes winner Golden Tempo hasn't quite nailed down the crown yet.
The Jim Dandy was the feature attraction in a dandy weekend of racing that included the Arlington Million program at Colonial Downs, some well-funded new turf races at Ellis Park, a Breeders' Cup qualifier at Del Mar and more.
Internationally, Glorious Goodwood was a big success alongside Group 1 races in France and Germany.
The 3-year-olds
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Twinkle Town wins Saturday's Grade II Saratoga Special for 2-year-olds at Saratoga. Photo by Joe Napolitano, courtesy of NYRA
Renegade has a way to go if he hopes to catch Golden Tempo in the 3-year-old rankings -- but not as far as he had to go to catch the early leaders and win Saturday's Grade II $500,000 Grade II Jim Dandy at Saratoga.
With jockey Irad Ortiz up, the Into Mischief colt looked more sound asleep than relaxed as he trailed pacesetting Chip Honcho by 10 lengths or more down the backstretch.
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Burnham Square wins Saturday's Arlington Million at Colonial Downs. Photo courtesy of Colonial Downs
But Ortiz was just executing the strategy he'd outlined for trainer Todd Pletcher. Renegade picked it up on the turn and simply blew by everything he saw, winning by 1/2 length. Fellow Triple Crown trail warriors Commandment and Silent Tactic finished second and third, respectively.
Renegade now has two Grade I wins, also including the Arkansas Derby, but finished second by a neck to Golden Tempo in the Kentucky Derby and third to that same rival and Commandment in the Belmont Stakes.
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Eunomia wins Saturday's Grade I Clement Hirsch at Del Mar, a "Win and You're In" for the Breeders' Cup Distaff. Photo by Benoit Photography, courtesy of Del Mar Turf Club
Golden Tempo, trained by Cherie DeVaux, also has two wins but they're the Derby and the Belmont -- trump cards in the championship game.
Golden Tempo passed on the Jim Dandy because his training was interrupted by a post-Belmont illness. But the two are slated for a third head-to-head meeting Aug. 29 in the Grade I Travers. After that, it might be the Breeders' Cup Classic Oct. 31 at Keeneland -- possibly for all the marbles.
Mike Repole, who owns Renegade in partnership with his breeders, Robert and Lawana Lowe, is looking forward to those races.
"Listen, the best 3-year-old in the country right now is Golden Tempo. How can you say he's not, right?" Repole asked rhetorically after the Jim Dandy. "So, of course, I wanted a shot here. But we'll get a shot at the Travers and we'll see what happens."
In other 3-year-old action, Bob Baffert-trained Sabino Canyon won a stretch duel with the odds-on favorite, Bravaro, in Saturday's $100,000 Petramalo Mile for 3-year-olds at Colonial Downs.
Sea Strike ran away with Sunday's $150,000 Curlin Stakes at Saratoga, winning by 8 1/4 lengths over the favorite, Chief Wallaby.
Distaff
Eunomia and Simply Joking turned for home well in front in Saturday's $400,000 Grade I Clement Hirsch at Del Mar and looked ready to duke it out to the finish.
But Eunomia found the extra gear and ran on to win by 1/2 length, as Om and Joy closed to finish second, 1 length ahead of Simply Joking. The race was a "Win and You're In" for the Breeders' Cup Distaff.
Classic
Paramount Prince jumped to the lead in Saturday's $210,000 (Canadian) Grade III Seagram Cup on the Woodbine all-weather course, held a 1-length advantage through most of the race and survived a late bid to win by a head.
Sprint
Local Knowledge disputed the lead in a tightly bunched field in Friday's $250,000 Grade II Amsterdam for 3-year-olds at Saratoga, chased Solitude Dude through the final strides and won by a head.
Verifier posted a 2 1/4-length score in Saturday's $100,000 Reigh Count at Colonial Downs.
Filly & mare sprint
Mashalla grabbed her second straight win in Saturday's $100,000 Tyson Gilpin Stakes for 3-year-old fillies at Colonial Downs.
Turf
Burnham Square won a four-horse scramble to the finish in Saturday's Grade I Arlington Million at Colonial Downs, scoring by 1/2 length over Gran Oriente. Dresden Row was third, just a nose farther back, and a neck in front of long shot pacesetter Layabout.
Burnham Square, a 4-year-old Liam's Map gelding, turned to the turf after a run on the 2025 Triple Crown trail for trainer Ian Wilkes.
Also in the division: Trainer Cherie DeVaux won Saturday's $500,000 Grade II Secretariat Stakes for 3-year-olds at Colonial Downs with Supercharger and Sunday' $300,000 Green River Island Stakes at Ellis Park with Brilliant Berti. And Fancy Sailor won Sunday's $250,000 Water Tower Stakes for 3-year-olds at Ellis Park.
Filly & mare turf
Gimme a Nother, a South African import trained by Graham Motion, ran by the leaders in the final sixteenth of Saturday's $500,000 Grade II Beverly D. at Colonial Downs and won by a neck over Achieve. She was sent off favorite after wins in the Grade II John C. Mabee at Del Mar last September and the Grade II Eatontown in her season-opener in June at Monmouth Park.
Also, Bohemian won Sunday's $250,000 Pucker Up Stakes for 3-year-old fillies at Ellis Park, English invader Survie won Sunday's $250,000 Grade II Glens Falls at Saratoga, Amberglen scored Saturday's $225,000 Grade III Lake George for 3-year-old fillies at the Spa and I Love You Anyway won Sunday's $250,000 Sunkissed at Ellis Park.
Turf sprint
At Ellis Park, Joe Shiesty won Sunday's $250,000 Tri-State Turf Sprint at Ellis Park. Cloe won Saturday's $250,000 Hummingbird for fillies and mares.
OnSaturday at Colonial Downs, My Boy Prince won the $150,000 Van Clief by a head and Roja, the odds-on favorite, took the $150,000 Andy Guest Stakes for fillies and mares by 1/2 length.
Pandora's Gift won Saturday's $100,000 Incredible Revenge at Monmouth Park, leading gate to wire.
Juvenile
Twinkle Town, making just his second start, won a pace duel with Grade III Sanford winner Booked through the early furlongs of Saturday's $250,000 Grade II Saratoga Special, and then left all five rivals in his dust as he drew off to win by 6 lengths.
Juvenile fillies
Stress Relief, making just her second start, got by the leaders with a rally into the stretch in Sunday's $225,000 Grade III Adirondack at Saratoga, and then kicked away to win by 3 1/2 lengths.
The Not This Time filly ran 6 1/2 furlongs in 1:17.45 with Junior Alvarado up for trainer Kinnon LaRose. She started her career with a 5-length victory at Churchill Downs on June 20.
Juvenile turf
Fanshell Beach battled to the lead in Saturday's $200,000 Riverside Rush Stakes at Ellis Park, got out to a clear one in the stretch and held off long shot Crack On to win by 1/2 length.
Around the world, around the clock
Glorious Goodwood
Shayem got first run at pacesetter Catullus in Friday's Group 3 HKJC World Pool Thoroughbred Stakes for 3-year-olds, grabbed the lead a furlong out and held on to win by 1/2 length over Talk of New York.
Trained by Kevin Burke, Shayem finished second in the Group 2 German 2000 Guineas on May 25 and then second in the Sir Henry Cecil Stakes at Newmarket in his last race.
Talk of New York finished third in the Group 1 St James's Palace Stakes in his most recent outing.
A big field was spread right across the course at the finish of the Group 2 King George Qatar Stakes -- a 5 1/2-furlong dash down the Goodwood straight.
American Affair, a 6-year-old Washington, D.C., gelding who raced closest to the stands side, got there 1/2 length ahead of Rumstar, who toiled in the far-side group.
France
Blue Bolt rallied stoutly along the stands-side rail heading for the finish in Sunday's Group 1 Prix Rothschild at Deauville and outfinished Precise by 1/2 length for her fourth win without a loss this season.
The outcome mirrored the Group 1 Falmouth at Newmarket on July 10, where Blue Bolt was a 2-length winner over Precise.
Germany
Soreanga found a clear path in the final 100 meters of Sunday's Group 1 Henkel-Preis Diana or German Oaks and pulled clear of 14 rivals to win by 3 1/2 lengths over Lapotheose.
Soreanga, a German-bred daughter of Siyouni, out of the Galileo mare Saltita, won for the third time in four starts.
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