SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. – The good Fierceness showed up Saturday at Saratoga and while he didn’t display the dominance he has in his previous victories, last year’s 2-year-old champion was good enough to record a one-length victory over Sierra Leone in the Grade 2, $500,000 Jim Dandy Stakes. While the Jim Dandy is the traditional prep for the Grade 1, $1.25 million Travers on Aug. 24, both trainer Todd Pletcher and owner Mike Repole seemed to be hedging whether they would run Fierceness back in four weeks. “This horse seems to do better with a little extra time between races,” said Pletcher, who won his eighth Jim Dandy. “We won’t make any decisions right away; we’ll just play it by ear.” :: Gain a competitive edge at Saratoga with DRF's premier handicapping data — purchase our meet packages today and bet with confidence. Repole said it would not be hard to skip the Travers if Pletcher tells him that’s what’s best for Fierceness. “If he’s going to run fifth by 20, I don’t need that,” Repole said. “We’re going to listen to Todd, we always do – by the way. I’m not going to be afraid to absolutely not run in that race. I see what happens when this horse gets spacing.” The Grade 1, $1 million Pennsylvania Derby at Parx is on Sept. 21 and the Grade 2 Woodward at Aqueduct is likely a week later. Then there is the prospect of training up to the Breeders’ Cup Classic at Del Mar on Nov. 2, which would mean going 14 weeks without a race. In the Jim Dandy, Fierceness was making his first start since he finished 15th as the favorite in the Kentucky Derby 12 weeks ago. Pletcher noted the horse did not bounce back from that race well enough to run in the Belmont Stakes five weeks later. The decision was made to point him to either the Grade 1 Haskell – run last week at Monmouth Park – or the Jim Dandy. Pletcher and Repole ran Mindframe in the Haskell – where he was second to Dornoch – leaving Fierceness for this spot and a meeting with Sierra Leone, runner-up in the Kentucky Derby and third in the Belmont. Saturday, breaking from the outside under John Velazquez, Fierceness got away from the gate clean and took up a stalking position, one length off the pacesetting Pony Express. Fierceness tracked that horse through a quarter in 23.80 seconds and a half-mile in 47.44. At the seven-sixteenths, Fierceness took the lead and Velazquez began looking for Sierra Leone. Expecting Sierra Leone to come outside in the lane, Velazquez directed Fierceness to the middle of the track for the stretch drive. Sierra Leone, last early under Flavien Prat, saved all the ground before tipping outside a rival around the far turn. With Fierceness in the middle of the track, Prat guided Sierra Leone to the inside. While he ran straight in the stretch, Sierra Leone could not catch Fierceness, who was guided back inside by Velazquez to see that horse. “I was expecting Sierra Leone was going to come out so I went out,” said Velazquez, who won his fifth Jim Dandy, first since 2010. “I let him do it, I wanted to get out there. When I looked, the other horse came inside I came back in a little bit.” Fierceness, a son of City Light, covered the 1 1/8 miles in 1:49.15, returned $5.60 as the second choice, and earned a 103 Beyer Speed Figure. Sierra Leone finished second, 5 3/4 lengths in front of Batten Down. It was another 5 1/4 lengths back to Seize the Grey in fourth. Gould’s Gold and Pony Express completed the order of finish. For Fierceness, the victory was his fourth from seven starts, but he’s developed a reputation that he only runs well every other time, one that doesn’t sit well with Pletcher. “I think he’s a little harshly criticized,” Pletcher said. “The [Kentucky] Derby, we all know how that can work out. The Holy Bull [where he finished third], he had a pretty rough journey. I don’t think it’s as simple as to say every other race he runs well. If you dig into it a little deeper, there’s more to it than that. When he shows up, he’s very, very good.” Sierra Leone was sent off the 4-5 favorite in part because it appeared he was going to get a really nice set up. The pace was moderate and Sierra Leone ran his race, but it was only good enough for second. “I don’t have any excuses,” trainer Chad Brown said after the race. “The track was playing very fair for his running style. Fierceness came back into form and ran a terrific race. I thought he had every chance turning for home to get him – yes, we found ourselves on the inside of him, but Fierceness really found more today and ran a great race.” Brown said he’s looking forward to stretching Sierra Leone out to 1 1/4 miles in the Travers. It remains to be seen if he’ll see Fierceness in the starting gate with him. :: Want to learn more about handicapping and wagering? Check out DRF's Handicapping 101 and Wagering 101 pages.