Tabbing Sierra Leone in the 2024 Jim Dandy Stakes

An accomplished field of six three-year-olds will travel 1 1/8 miles on the Saratoga dirt in Saturday’s $500,000 Jim Dandy S. (G2). While the race does serve as a prep for the Travers S. (G1) next month, I feel that every runner in the cast will be fully cranked and ready to display their best. 

Each contender in the cast has plenty of ability and also question marks, which makes this a tricky handicapping puzzle. In the end, however, I landed on the ultra-talented and slightly frustrating, #1 Sierra Leone. 

Jim Dandy Wager:

• $40 win #1 Sierra Leone ($40)

The $2.3 million yearling purchase made headlines as the sales topper at Saratoga in 2022 as a yearling, and he has backed up his hefty price tag by being one of the best horses in his crop. Trained by Chad Brown, the son of Gun Runner bagged the Risen Star (G2) and Bluegrass (G1) to kick off his sophomore campaign, which preceded placings in both the Kentucky Derby (G1) and Belmont S. (G1) this campaign. 

Sierra Leone seems to find trouble in his races, whether it’s his traffic or his own undoing, but he remains a fine talent with room to improve having just six races under his belt to this stage of his development. In the Jim Dandy, the colt received a perfect draw on the rail to save ground throughout, and there is enough speed in the mix to ensure a respectable early tempo in the very least. Flavien Prat is off to a fine start at the meeting and will guide the leading selection. 

#2 Seize the Grey was done at the top of the lane in the Belmont, and the Preakness (G1) winner is unlikely to be able to clear and set modest splits against this field. 

#3 Batten Down is clearly ascending for Bill Mott, but I’m not sure if he is ready for the top duo in the field. This Juddmonte homebred is swift, and the distance will not be a problem, but I don’t think that he will run unopposed on the front end like his last two endeavors. 

#4 Pony Express looked good in a dominant maiden score at Santa Anita last time out for John Sadler. The swift son of Gun Runner had everything his own way last time, however, and the front end could be a busy place on Saturday. He will have to duplicate his last showing for me to get in his corner. 

#5 Gould’s Gold is surely a talented runner who was placed in each of his three route runs on the dirt for Kenny McPeek. The son of Goldencents lacks the class of a few of these, however, and he would be a surprise to me. 

#6 Fierceness is the ultimate wildcard for Todd Pletcher. The champion son of City of Light can be as good as they make them when he’s right, but he also has run clunkers in half of his lifetime appearances. I actually like him to run big in this spot, but he’s so difficult to trust, in general. 

All roads brought me back to Sierra Leone.