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Jockey Irad Ortiz, Jr. was once again the subject of a stewards’ inquiry on Saturday in the $500,000 Grade 1 Jim Dandy. That is a familiar position to be in for Irad,  as he is known for his questionable race riding tactics. To be fair, he was on the receiving end of some race antics as well. He found himself boxed in when he asked his horse to go in the stretch. Brave little Forte, with the addition of blinkers, found some daylight and powered through to win, but not before colliding with Angel of Empire and knocking him off stride. Ultimately there was no change in the order of finish, with Forte getting his nose down over Saudi Crown right at the wire. Angel of Empire finished third. 

 

Forte covered the mile and an eighth at Saratoga in 1:49.61 over a sloppy track. Both he and Saudi Crown received a 105 Beyer for their effort. 

 
This was Forte’s second start off the forced layoff that kept him out of both the Kentucky Derby and the Preakness. Forte finished a very respectable second to Arcangelo in the Belmont Stakes in June. He is expected to make his next start for Hall of Fame trainer Todd Pletcher in the Grade 1 Travers on August 26th. Pletcher has won the Travers twice, and both those horses also scored victories in the Jim Dandy. No question, Forte is the horse to beat. 
 
I really like the “third start off the layoff” handicapping angle. I expect Forte to be right there in the grueling mile and a quarter Travers. This three-year-old crop has not shown me much to dissuade me from my confidence in him. I expect we will see Kentucky Derby winner Mage, Belmont winner Arcangelo, and Angel of Empire line up against him. The Travers is called the “Midsummer Derby” for a reason. It’s a big deal. I am hopeful the field will be much larger than the five we saw in the Jim Dandy. 
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