SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. – Trainer Bill Mott has no real excuse for why Olympiad failed to fire in the Grade 1 Whitney last month, finishing fourth, 9 1/4 lengths behind Life Is Good. Saturday, Mott will do what he’s often done over the course of a Hall of Fame career – saddle Olympiad up and try again, this time in the Grade 1, $1 million Jockey Club Gold Cup at Saratoga. “That’s about all you can do,” Mott said. “If we felt like there was something amiss, we wouldn’t be running.” Though he’ll face a quality field that includes First Captain, Dynamic One, and Americanrevolution, Olympiad won’t have to run against Life Is Good on Saturday. Perhaps equally as big a challenge as the competition in the Gold Cup is this will be Olympiad’s first time at 1 1/4 miles. “That’s something new and different,” Mott said. :: DRF's Saratoga headquarters – Stakes schedule, previews, recaps, past performances, and more Olympiad brought a five-race winning streak into the Whitney, including a 2 1/2-length victory in the Grade 2 Stephen Foster at Churchill Downs five weeks earlier for which he earned a gaudy 111 Beyer Speed Figure. In the Whitney, run on a hot day, he was a joint second early on down the backside, outside of Hot Rod Charlie, both chasing Life Is Good. Jockey Junior Alvarado said Olympiad was basically empty when he called on him at the half-mile and again at the three-eighths pole. Mott said he’s given Olympiad a couple of easy works since the Whitney and is hoping the cooler weather will be beneficial. Alvarado is back aboard Olympiad from post 2. While trainer Todd Pletcher will keep Life Is Good in the barn – he’s pointing to the Grade 1 Woodward on Oct. 1 at Aqueduct – he has entered four in the Gold Cup. Dynamic One, a son of Union Rags, has benefited from a break his connections gave him following a last-place finish in the Grade 1 Travers here a year ago. He has raced four times this year, winning the Blame at Churchill Downs and, most recently, the Grade 2 Suburban at Belmont Park narrowly over First Captain. “I think the real key has been his mental maturity,” Pletcher said. “He’s gotten a little better with each start, a little more professional. He’s learned how to finish the race. He’s one we always thought had plenty of talent. It’s just kind of taken a little bit of time to put it all together.” :: Visit the Saratoga Handicapping Store for Past Performances, Clocker Reports, Picks, Betting Strategies and more. Irad Ortiz Jr. rides Dynamic One from post 8. Americanrevolution won the Grade 1 Cigar Mile in 2021, but has shown Pletcher enough in his 1 1/8-mile races to try 10 furlongs in the Jockey Club Gold Cup. Americanrevolution finished second to Olympiad in the Stephen Foster with a 108 Beyer, equaling his career best. “We have enough evidence based on what he’s done at a mile and an eighth and the way he gallops out and the way he trains that he’ll handle it,” Pletcher said of the distance. With Luis Saez committed to First Captain, Joel Rosario has picked up the mount on Americanrevolution. Rosario has set a Saratoga single-meet record for graded stakes wins with 12; five of those coming in Grade 1s. Rosario gave up the mount on Keepmeinmind, whom he rode to victory in a first-level allowance July 22. It was Keepmeinmind’s first start for Pletcher and first start in 11 months. On paper, his work tab is uninspiring, but on the track the way he’s finished his works and galloped is impressive. “His work tab might look a little bit on the slow side, but if you follow the gallop-outs, he’s made up quite a bit on the three furlongs after the wire,” Pletcher said. “We’re trying to get him relaxed and slowed down and focused on developing his stamina, which hopefully we’ve been able to do.” Javier Castellano rides Keepmeinmind from post 7. Untreated has finished third in both the Pimlico Special and Suburban, with front-end trips that Pletcher believes are not his preferred running style. Tax, the 2019 Jim Dandy winner, looks like the speed from the rail under Kendrick Carmouche, so Untreated, drawn in post 3, could fall into a stalking trip. First Captain’s last two races – since trainer Shug McGaughey added blinkers – have been his best. He won the Grade 3 Pimlico Special and was beaten a nose by Dynamic One in the Suburban. In the Pimlico Special, First Captain made the last move when he got up late. In the Suburban, First Captain made an early move to Untreated and was in front at the quarter pole. He got into a prolonged stretch duel in between Dynamic One and Untreated and fell just short. “I think he’ll be a lot fitter this time,” McGaughey said. “He’s had a good two months up here, so I’m really looking forward to running him.” Chess Chief, trained by Dallas Stewart and third to Art Collector in the Alydar Stakes on Aug. 4, completes the field. The Jockey Club Gold Cup, which offers the winner an automatic, fees-paid entry into the $6 million Breeders’ Cup Classic on Nov. 5, is the centerpiece of a 13-race card that begins at 12:05 p.m. and also includes the Grade 2, $600,000 Flower Bowl and Grade 3, $200,000 Saranac.