This race originated in 1964, and is for horses three years-old and older. It is raced at a mile and an eighth, on dirt, and classified as a Grade 2 stakes race with a purse of $600,000 dollars. The track record for this race dates back to 1996 when LOUIS QUATORZE (that years Preakness winner) blazed to a 1:47:26.
The race is named in honor of 3 year-old colt JIM DANDY, (pictured) who in the 1930 Travers Stakes beat triple crown winner GALLANT FOX. The “Graveyard of Favorites” stayed true to that moniker as JIM DANDY went off at odds of 100-1! Making it an upset for the ages. It was just one of seven career victories in 141 lifetime starts for the horse, one of which was the 1929 Grand Union Stakes at Saratoga. Horses for courses anyone? I love that angle at “The Spa”, and if I had been there, I would have put $2 across the board on ol’ JIM DANDY.
The Jim Dandy Stakes is typically used as a prep race for the Travers Stakes. The winning horse, and runners up (if they ran well) will be back in four weeks to compete again- for bigger money in “The Mid-Summer Derby”.
Next up we’ll take a look at the Grade 1 Whitney Stakes, which takes place on Saturday, August 4th. So come on back.
