Hall of Fame trainer Todd Pletcher confirmed 2022 champion 2-year-old colt Forte for the nine-furlong Grade 2, $500,000 Jim Dandy on July 29 at Saratoga.
The dark bay Violence colt was a late-closing second in the Belmont Stakes on June 10 at Belmont Park, where he was seven wide in upper stretch and rallied to grab runner-up honors from stablemate Tapit Trice, who is targeting the Haskell (G1) on July 22 at Monmouth Park.
Forte won Gulfstream’s Fountain of Youth (G2) on March 4 and Florida Derby (G1) on April 1. He entered the Kentucky Derby on May 6 at Churchill Downs as the morning-line favorite but was scratched the morning of the race with a bruised foot. His championship-earning season saw Forte capture three Grade 1 races in the Hopeful at Saratoga as well as the two-turn Breeders’ Futurity and Breeders’ Cup Juvenile at Keeneland.
Forte will use the Jim Dandy as a prep for $1.25 million Travers (G1) on Aug. 26 at Saratoga. Pletcher noted past success in using the Jim Dandy as a springboard to the Travers, having swept both races with Flower Alley in 2005 and Stay Thirsty in 2011.
“It was a tough call,” said Pletcher. “We just felt like shipping up here, getting him used to the track, two Travers winners we previously had have done that.”
Pletcher added that Forte likely will breeze Friday morning over the Saratoga main track after the renovation break.
On Saturday, Pletcher will saddle Annapolis in the $175,000 Kelso (G3) going one mile over the inner turf. The son of War Front last raced when making his 4-year-old debut with a victory in the Opening Verse on May 4 at Churchill Downs, where he defeated next-out graded-stakes winners Set Piece and Stitched.
