Thanks to 14 well-matched runners, the Travers Stakes highlights a stellar card at Saratoga on Saturday and bettors have tons of options. All of the races Saturday are loaded with quality.
Pace always has, and always will, make the race, and this year’s $1.25 million mile and a quarter Travers Stakes is no different. Those that have opinions about the Travers Stakes have decisions to make. They will have to decide if the speed horses will be able to dominate or if the stalkers and deep closers will benefit.
Before we get into the nuts and bolts about the contenders, let’s isolate the divisions. The speed horses are Laoban, Destin, and American Freedom. Five of the entrants can be categorized as stalkers and the closers that remain are My Man Sam, Governor Malibu, Majesto, Creator, Forever d’Oro, Exaggerator, and rank outsider Anaximandros.
Bob Baffert’s runners Arrogate and American Freedom drew the first 2 post positions.
Improving Arrogate had a valid excuse when he was off slowly in his racing debut, but he has been perfect since. He showed a new wrinkle last time, winning at Del Mar when he settled 3 lengths off the pace before blowing by them all in the lane. This racer is cut out to run. He cost $560,000 and Hall of Fame jockey Mike Smith knows Saratoga as well as anybody. Expect this one to be a strong part of the stalkers contingent.
American Freedom is a Grade 3 winner. He has won twice on off tracks and that always must be taken into consideration in New York. The son of Pulpit was far from disgraced when chasing Exaggerator home last time. He had a valid excuse in the Haskell Stakes at Monmouth Park as he lost his momentum when Exaggerator cut in front of him and he just could not carry on intently. Baffert is shaking up the situation as he will take the blinkers off and he must figure that the racer needs to relax a bit. Baffert won this race with Point Given back in the day.
Laoban will be trying to show today in the Travers Stakes that his win in the Jim Dandy was no fluke. Not many horses can win the first race of their career in a Grade 2 race but that is exactly what this colt did. He has dangerous speed but there will be others here with designs on the lead. He has a best of 32 bullet workout in the holster and he will at least make sure that the pace is lively.
Trainer Todd Pletcher has won the Travers Stakes twice, the last with Stay Thirsty in 2011 and Destin is his vehicle this year. This racer has only one off effort in his career, he was troubled in the Kentucky Derby and he lost the Belmont Stakes by a scant nose. And the pedigree is there for him to thrive as his top sibling Creative Cause banked over a million. This up and coming star will be on the pace and he rates a legit look in all the slots.
Governor Malibu was out of the money only once when he had a horrible trip Belmont Day. A case could be made that he will sit a nice trip in the Travers Stakes but backers will be hoping that the leaders retreat. This racer has a nice turn of late foot and he has trained forwardly since the Jim Dandy but would love to see this Empire-bred find that killer instinct.
Exaggerator is the one to deny. He was aiming for the Jim Dandy, but trainer Keith Desormeaux called an audible when the colt wasn’t training great on the Saratoga surface. A quick look to the Weather Channel sealed the change in mapping out a race and the runner adored the off-going in the Haskell. This long-fused charge has run 5 times on a wet surface and won 4 of them. His workout last Sunday suggests he has an affinity for this track right now. The quality is obviously there and the runner does have sneaky speed. A repeat of the Haskell success is well within the realm.
This leads up to the selection in the race, Creator, who is trained by Steve Asmussen. The talented son of Tapit had not raced since June when he lined up and ran poorly in the Jim Dandy on July 30. That race was clearly a prep for this fixture. The sophomore took time to figure things out but he has matured with grace. After the Arkansas Derby at Oaklawn Park in the spring, he was checked in the Kentucky Derby, but proved he could run all day taking the Belmont Stakes. His competent rider Irad Ortiz Jr. will try to get him to settle, get over to the rail and save ground and then make the one devastating late run. The concept that really should help Creator win the Travers Stakes is that he has been sharp in his recent workouts. That combined with his honesty and the fact there is plenty of speed in here to help promote the late kick, leads to the pick. He’s 15-1 on the morning line.
Good luck.
