There are few more important races held over the summer months in the United States than the Travers Stakes. The race is commonly known as the ‘Midsummer Derby’, and gives runners aged three one final opportunity to land a Grade 1 price before going into open-age company.
It has also been a prominent race at Saratoga throughout history, having first been staged in 1864, making it one of the oldest stakes races in North America.
You can read more about this racing track here: https://edge.twinspires.com/racing/tracks/
Significance Of Travers Stakes
The Travers Stakes is the highlight of the summer meet at Saratoga, with the field competing for their share of $1.25 million. It is run over a distance of 1 ¼ miles, meaning that it is a key trial for this year’s Triple Crown contenders over the Breeders’ Cup Classic distance.
The Travers/Classic double has been done on a number of occasions throughout history, including in 2016 by Arrogate. However, one famous runner that suffered defeat in the Travers before landing Classic glory came in 2015, as American Pharoah was sensationally beaten by Keen Ice at Saratoga before landing the Classic in November.
Triple Crown Winners To Collide
A typically high-quality field is expected to go to post for the Travers this year, and the runners will likely be headlined by a showdown between Kentucky Derby hero Mage and Belmont Stakes victor Arcangelo. The latter was a sensational winner at Belmont Park in June, as the Jena Antonucci runner sped away from the field to land a memorable Triple Crown win for the trainer.
Mage will also come into the Travers as a contender to consider, as the Gustavo Delgardo runner landed Kentucky Derby success in early May at Churchill Downs. He returned with a strong enough effort in the Preakness Stakes just two weeks later, before finishing second behind Geaux Rocket Ride in the G1 Haskell. But, this step back up to 1 ¼ miles is certainly going to enhance his chances.
Forte Remains The Classic Favorite
Todd Pletcher’s Forte remains the heavy favorite in the betting to land success at the Breeders’ Cup Classic later this year, despite finishing by Arcangelo in the G1 Belmont Stakes in June. However, the three-year-old was back to his best in Grade 2 company to land the Jim Dandy over 1 1/8 miles at Saratoga in July, beating Saudi Crown and Angel of Empire.
Forte remains the top-ranked three-year-old in the States after winning the G1 Florida Derby and G2 Fountain of Youth after dominating the field to win the G1 Breeders’ Cup Juvenile as a two-year-old. He is back up in class for the Travers, but there’s little doubt that he remains the superstar in this division if on song.
Runners With Points To Prove
Aside from the likely top three in the betting, there are high-quality runners with points to prove at Saratoga. Those are led by Tapit Trice for Todd Pletcher, who finished a disappointing fifth in the G1 Haskell. However, the three-year-old remains capable at the highest level, evident from his third in the G1 Belmont Stakes and win over 1 1/8 miles in the G1 Blue Grass Stakes at Keeneland.
Disarm has plenty to find at this level for trainer Steven Asmussen after finishing a distant fourth behind Forte in the G2 Jim Dandy. Meanwhile, National Treasure will be the runner for Bob Baffert, as the three-year-old looked competitive for a long time before finishing sixth in the G1 Belmont Stakes. However, he could still be challenging to rule out for a leading trainer after previously landing the G1 Preakness Stakes in May.
