Triple Crown principals set to clash in Jim Dandy

Preview: USA, Saturday 11.18pm BST (live on ATR)

Saratoga: Jim Dandy Stakes (Grade 2) 1m1f | dirt | 3yo

Normally you would expect the winners of the Kentucky Derby and Preakness Stakes to meet in the Belmont Stakes for the deciding rubber of the Triple Crown.

Neither Always Dreaming nor Cloud Computing showed up in the Belmont, however, but it turns out the clash of the Classic winners was merely delayed as both horses feature in a five-runner field for the Jim Dandy, the $600,000 trial for the Travers Stakes that provides the highlight of Saratoga's Saturday card.

Five-length Kentucky Derby victor Always Dreaming (Todd Pletcher/John Velazquez) has some questions to answer after a lifeless performance in the Preakness, where he could finish only eighth behind Cloud Computing.

"Any time you have the Kentucky Derby winner running you don't want to get beat," said trainer Todd Pletcher, seeking his seventh Jim Dandy victory.

"But it's something we thought a lot about between the Preakness and now, and we wanted to get here not just with a fresh horse but a horse hopefully fit enough to run a mile and an eighth.

"It's always a delicate balance when you're trying to freshen a horse up, and have him ready for a race like the Jim Dandy.

"You know you have to be fit and prepared for it, but you also want to hopefully have something to build on, and something left in the tank for the Travers. I think we've been able to accomplish that in the time off after the Preakness."

Always Dreaming breaks from the rail, with Cloud Computing (Chad Brown/Javier Castellano) next door after his stalk-and-pounce Preakness success.

Given that Jim Dandy was the 100-1 shot who upset Triple Crown winner Gallant Fox in the 1930 Travers Stakes, we should perhaps be wary of a surprise result.

Perhaps most interesting of the other three runners is Good Samaritan (Bill Mott/Joel Rosario), who is tried on dirt after a succession of luckless come-from-behind efforts in decent turf company. He gets a handy 4lb from the principals.

Ladbrokes: 5-4 Always Dreaming, 11-8 Cloud Computing, 8 Good Samaritan, 12 Pavel, 20 Giuseppe The Great.

Saratoga: Amsterdam Stakes (Grade 2) 6½f | dirt | 3yo (8.15pm BST, live on ATR)

Coal Front (Todd Pletcher/John Velazquez) bids to extend his unbeaten sequence to three.

Saratoga: Alfred G Vanderbilt Hcap (Grade 1) 6f | dirt | 3yo+ (10.02pm BST, live on ATR)

Seven-year-old A.P. Indian (Arnaud Delacour/Joe Bravo) shoulders top weight as he returns to his favourite venue, where he posted back-to-back Grade 1 wins last summer, landing both this race and the Forego four weeks later. A minor ankle problem kept him out of the Belmont Sprint Championship.

Rivals include Alysheba Stakes winner Bird Song (Ian Wilkes/Julien Leparoux), who is cutting back in trip, plus Limousine Liberal (Ben Colebrook/Jose Ortiz), on a hat-trick after a couple of Graded victories at Churchill Downs.

Saratoga: Bowling Green Handicap (Grade 2) 1m3f | turf | 4yo+ (10.40pm BST, live on ATR)

A pair of recent Grade 1 winners meet here in the shape of Ascend (Graham Motion/Jose Ortiz), who won the Manhattan on Belmont Stakes day, and Bigger Picture (Mike Maker/Joe Bravo), the United Nations Stakes winner for weeks ago.

Del Mar: Bing Crosby Stakes (Grade 1) 6f | dirt | 3yo+ (Sunday 2.10pm BST)

Drefong (Bob Baffert/Mike Smith) reappears after a nine-month layoff following his success in the Breeders' Cup Sprint.

"He's been training well, but I would have liked to get a little prep into him off a long layoff like that," said Baffert.

In a strong-looking 11-horse field, Drefong is drawn two, outside fellow Grade 1 scorer Denman's Call (Doug O'Neill/Tyler Baze). Roy H (Peter Miller/Paco Lopez) won the True North, while St Joe Bay (Peter Miller/Kent Desormeaux) gets back on home territory after a good fourth in the Dubai Golden Shaheen.

Seven-year-old Big Macher (Richard Baltas/Rafael Bejarano) won this three years ago.