SARATOGA SPRINGS — With the $1 million Travers Stakes on Aug. 25 as their ultimate goal, a field of eight ready-for-primetime 3-year-olds will prep for the “Midsummer Derby” in Saturday’s Grade 2, $600,000 Jim Dandy at the Old Spa.

The 1 1/8 -mile race could not have drawn a more competitive field, with four of the runners coming out of stakes victories in their previous starts, while the other four have either won or placed in graded stakes.

Alpha, winner of the Withers and beaten a neck in the Wood Memorial, is the 5-2 favorite on the morning line making his first start since finishing 12th in the Kentucky Derby. But don’t be surprised if Teeth of the Dog, stablemate of the retired Belmont Stakes winner Union Rags, goes off the public choice off his back-to-back wins for trainer Michael Matz in the Easy Goer and Dwyer.

Neck ’n Neck earned 100-plus Beyer numbers winning his last two starts at Churchill Downs by 6½ and 7 ¼ lengths, and Liaison, a top Triple Crown candidate at the beginning of the year, ships cross-country for Bob Baffert off narrow defeats in the Affirmed and Swaps at Hollywood Park.

Atigun finished a strong third in the Belmont, Fast Falcon was beaten a neck in the Dwyer, My Adonis won the Long Branch at Monmouth Park, and Prospective is coming off an easy win in the Ohio Derby.