The 155th Travers Stakes will be held Saturday, August 24, 2024. It is one of five Grade 1s scheduled for Saturday’s 14-race program at Saratoga. The Travers is race 13 with a 6:10pm ET post time.
What is the Travers Stakes?
The Travers Stakes is a historic race for 3-year-old horses in the U.S. and serves as the highlight of the Saratoga summer meet each year. It is one of the most prestigious and significant races for 3-year-olds on the annual calendar. Named after William R. Travers, the inaugural president of Saratoga, the race honors his victory in the very first running back in 1864 with a horse named Kentucky.
Who are the contenders and pretenders?
All 8 horses running in the Travers Stakes are listed in post-position order, including their jockey and morning-line odds.
Post 1: Thorpedo Anna, Hernandez Jr., 3-1
The lone filly tackling the boys-and why not? She would have been 1-5 to win the Alabama in a small field, which wouldn’t have done nearly as much to enhance her resume if she were to win the Travers. She’s a perfect example that you don’t have to pay a lot of money at the sales to land a good horse. This $40,000 yearling buy has won 6 of her 7 starts, including 3 straight Grade 1’s in decisive fashion. Her quality, superb tactical speed and drawing post 1, which only ensures a ground saving trip before making her move, are all factors which makes her dangerous to win the Travers. This is a not a stellar field of 3-year-old males Thorpedo Anna is facing, but to win, she must travel 1 ¼ miles for the first time and it’s still a major test defeating the opposite sex. CONTENDER
Post 2: Sierra Leone, Prat, 7-2
He’s clearly underachieved by trainer Chad Brown’s standards as well as being a beaten favorite in the Belmont Stakes and last time out in the Jim Dandy. On closer inspection, I feel he ran very well in defeat both times. In the Belmont at Saratoga, Flavian Prat was aboard for the first time. Sierra Leone is not an easy horse to ride, as he tends to drift in late, which he did that afternoon. He also stumbled at the start putting him far back early. In the Jim Dandy, he was beaten a length, while racing along the rail which was not the place to be, in a race where Fierceness had a tactical advantage racing on the better part of the track. In the Travers, Sierra Leone will likely get a quick and contested pace to close into, at a distance I feel he will handle successfully. It’s important that Prat has now ridden him twice, so he’s gotten familiar when to time his move and how to navigate him through the stretch to help minimize his quirkiness late. CONTENDER
Post 3: Unmatched Wisdom, Irad Ortiz Jr., 8-1
Stablemate of Sierra Leon, both trained by Chad Brown, is undefeated in 3 starts with all 3 wins showing good speed throughout. He lacks seasoning for this race, and I don’t feel he’s got the quality to win the Travers at this point in his career. PRETENDER
Post 4: Corporate Power, Castellano, 15-1
Finished 1 length behind Unmatched Wisdom last time out, but it was a career best effort. He’s tactical, on the improve and is bred to like 1 ¼ miles. I feel if there’s any long shot who has a chance to upset the Travers field, this colt fits the bill. CONTENDER
Post 5: Batten Down, Alvarado, 20-1
He’s 1-1 at the Travers distance, but that was his maiden win. He will be a pace factor early on, but he’s clearly overmatched. PRETENDER
Post 6: Honor Marie, Gaffalione, 20-1
He’s not won a race in 2024 and has not shown any improvement in his last 2 starts after running a good 2nd in the Louisiana Derby. This 1 run deep closer adds blinkers for the 1st time and the hot riding Tyler Gaffalione. That’s not enough to consider him a win candidate, even though it’s not out of the realm of possibility he can round out the trifecta at big odds. PRETENDER
Post 7: Dornach, Saez, 5-2
He’s genuine and has been installed a deserving favorite to win the Travers based on his very game win in the Belmont and just as impressive winning the Haskell. In both races he faced stiff pressure racing on the rail the entire way and refused to wilt late. He wants to be on the lead or right on top of it early on. The obstacle Dornach must overcome in the Travers is that there’s speed to his inside and Fierceness with a similar running style right to his outside. The question is what tactics jockey Luis Saez will employ, not to get hung out too wide early on and how this colt will react to what could be intense pressure right from the start. He’s certainly a major player in here but could be vulnerable based on the pace dynamics of the race. CONTENDER
Post 8: Fierceness, Velazquez, 3-1
The best version of Fierceness can certainly win the Travers, but the worse version can also place him off the board. In analyzing his past performances, he’s been a Jekyll and Hyde. Whenever he’s run a winning race, the next start he is a huge disappointment. Last time out in the Jim Dandy, he sat a perfect trip on the best part of the track and prevailed by a quickly diminishing length to the on coming Sierra Leone. Because he likes to race on or near the lead from the start, several others in the Travers, have a similar running style. The outside draw does him no favors. Of the 4 betting favorites, Fierceness is the one I like least and is a bet against for me. For that reason, I’m labeling him a PRETENDER.