DOMINUS (Smart Strike) and ASTROLOGY (A.P. Indy) turned in separate
four-furlong workouts at Saratoga on Monday, but their connections have yet to
decide which of the pair will compete in Saturday’s Jim Dandy S. (G2).
Winner of the Dwyer S. (G2) at Belmont Park on July 2, Dominus breezed four
furlongs on the fast main track in 50 2/5, while Grade 3 winner Astrology, third
in the Preakness S. (G1) on May 21 and sixth in the Iowa Derby (G3) on June 25,
covered the same distance over the fast dirt on the Oklahoma training track in
51 1/5.
“We’re very pleased,” trainer Steve Asmussen said. “They had very easy
half-miles. They traveled well and seemed to come back well.”
Asmussen said he’ll have further discussions with the colts’ owners before
they decide which one will race in the Jim Dandy and which one will head to
Monmouth Park for Sunday’s Haskell Invitational (G1). Both sophomores are
campaigned by Stonestreet Stables and George Bolton, with Spendthrift Farm
owning an additional interest in Dominus.
“We’ll just wait and see how they come out of the workout (before we make a
decision),” Asmussen said. “We don’t want to put the cart ahead of the horse.
We’ll discuss it with the group and go from there.”
In addition, WINE POLICE (Speightstown), one of Asmussen’s two hopefuls for
the Amsterdam S. (G2) on August 1, traversed on the main track in 51 4/5.
“It was an easy half-mile for him as well,” Asmussen said.
Woody Stephens S. (G2) winner JUSTIN PHILLIP (First Samurai), who is also
being pointed toward the Amsterdam, will likely have a single blowout in
preparation for next Monday’s race, according to Asmussen.