There were certainly some anxious moments as Tenfold (Curlin) ducked out sharply in deep stretch in Saturday's GII Jim Dandy S., but the red-hot Ricardo Santana, Jr. did a remarkable job staying on board and quickly righted the ship to steer the Winchell homebred home to a 3/4-length victory. The pacesetting Flameaway (Scat Daddy) just held on for second over a fast-finishing Vino Rosso (Curlin), who was favored at 6-5.
“I had plenty in the tank. He was watching the TV [infield monitor] and he got a little scared, but he passed the wire first,” Santana said. “We got lucky and passed the wire first. Today he showed his class.”
Tenfold, a close third in the GI Preakness S. May 19, pressed on the outside in second through early fractions of :23.90 and :47.16 established by the aforementioned GII Tampa Bay Derby and GII Blue Grass S. runner-up. The dark bay, off as the 8-5 second choice, turned up the heat on the far turn and the stage was set as the field of five straightened for home. Tenfold gained a narrow advantage in the stretch, but didn't exactly have his mind on business, and began to drift out. Given a swift right-handed reminder by Santana, Tenfold veered out dramatically close to home, but had enough time to straighten course and get his picture taken.
“It's obviously concerning,” winning trainer Steve Asmussen said of Tenfold's late-race shenanigans. “I'm glad he still won the race. But we all know he can do better and we have work to do.”
Tenfold will return in Saratoga's GI Travers S. Aug. 25.
“That's what we were trying to get to with this race here today,” Asmussen said. “I'm glad we ran him over this racetrack, because he does find something new all the time. Ricardo said when he moved away from that horse, he got a view of the screen in the infield and he couldn't get him to quit looking at it.”
Tenfold, an impressive debut winner going two turns at Oaklawn Feb. 9, finshed within 3/4 of a length in the Pimlico fog behind the brilliant Triple Crown winner Justify (Scat Daddy). He entered off a fifth-place finish, beaten 7 1/4 lengths, in the GI Belmont S. June 9.
Pedigree Notes:
Tenfold is the first foal from the two-time winner Temptress, a $190,000 KEESEP yearling purchase by Winchell Thoroughbreds and half-sister to GSW Donegal Moon (Malibu Moon). She is also responsible for a Hard Spun colt of 2016, a Candy Ride (Arg) filly of 2017 and a Curlin filly of 2018. Tenfold's third dam is 1995 champion grass mare Possibly Perfect.
Saturday, Saratoga
JIM DANDY S. PRESENTED BY NYRA BETS-GII, $558,000, Saratoga, 7-28, 3yo, 1 1/8m, 1:50.49, ft.
1–TENFOLD, 118, c, 3, by Curlin
1st Dam: Temptress, by Tapit
2nd Dam: Perfect Cause, by Giant's Causeway
3rd Dam: Possibly Perfect, by Northern Baby
1ST BLACK TYPE WIN, 1ST GRADED STAKES WIN.
O/B-Winchell Thoroughbreds LLC (KY); T-Steven M. Asmussen;
J-Ricardo Santana, Jr. $330,000. Lifetime Record: GISP,
6-3-0-1, $679,200. Werk Nick Rating: A.
> Click for the eNicks report & 5-cross pedigree.[bullet ad=”kbif-g2g3″]2–Flameaway, 120, c, 3, Scat Daddy–Vulcan Rose, by Fusaichi Pegasus. ($150,000 Ylg '16 KEEJAN; $400,000 Ylg '16 FTSAUG).
O-John C. Oxley; B-Phoenix Rising Farms (ON); T-Mark E. Casse. $120,000.[bullet ad=”purchased-broken-by-casse-racing”][bullet ad=”taylor-made-tm-for-you”][bullet ad=”ontario-bred”]3–Vino Rosso, 122, c, 3, Curlin–Mythical Bride, by Street Cry (Ire). ($410,000 Ylg '16 KEESEP). O-Repole Stable & St. Elias
Stable; B-John D. Gunther (KY); T-Todd A. Pletcher. $72,000.[bullet ad=”glennwood-bred-raised-sold”][bullet ad=”crupi-trained”]
Margins: 3/4, HD, 3. Odds: 1.75, 3.70, 1.35.
Also Ran: Reride, Sporting Chance. Click for the Equibase.com chart, the TJCIS.com PPs or the free Equineline.com catalogue-style pedigree. VIDEO, sponsored by Fasig-Tipton.
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