The Travers is carded as Race 12 on Saturday’s 13-race program at Saratoga Race Course. The first post is 11:35 p.m. EDT.
Other notable races on Saturday at Saratoga:
- Race 4: G2 Ballston Spa Stakes (1:17 PM ET)
- Race 7: G1 Ketel One Ballerina Handicap (3:03 PM ET)
- Race 8: G1 Forego Stakes (3:37 PM ET)
- Race 9: G1 H. Allen Jerkins Memorial Stakes (4:12 PM ET)
- Race 10: G1 Personal Ensign Stakes (4:47 PM ET)
- Race 11: G1 Sword Dancer (5:25 PM ET)
Travers Stakes
Race Information:
- Track: Saratoga Race Course (Saratoga Springs, New York)
- Event Grade: Grade I
- Race: 12
- Post Time: 6:12 PM ET
- Length: 1 1/4 Miles
- Purse: $1,250,000
- Division: Colts | 3 Years Old
- Surface: Dirt
- Wagers: Exacta, Trifecta (.50), Super (.10), Double Wagers
Field:
- Midnight Bourbon (Ricardo Santana Jr.), 9-2
- Essential Quality (Luis Saez), 4-5
- Keepmeinmind (Joel Rosario), 6-1
- Dynamic One (Irad Ortiz Jr.), 6-1
- Miles D (Flavien Prat), 12-1
- Masqueparade (Miguel Mena), 8-1
- King Fury (Jose Ortiz), 15-1
Horse Preview:
MIDNIGHT BOURBON comes into the Travers off a DNF in the G1 Haskell Stakes after losing Paco Lopez. Prior to that, he took second in the G1 Preakness Stakes. He hasn’t won is his last five starts, with his last win coming back in January of this year in the G3 Lecomte Stakes. This will also be his first start at Saratoga in his career.
ESSENTIAL QUALITY is the morning line favorite at 4-5 and deservedly so. In his eight career starts, he has only lost one race. Even in the race he lost, the G1 Kentucky Derby, he still ran fourth. He was held out the Preakness and ran again in the G1 Belmont where he won. In his last out he won the G2 Jim Dandy Stakes at Saratoga running a 107 Equibase speed figure.
KEEPMEINMIND finished second to ESSENTIAL QUALITY in the G2 Jim Dandy Stakes in his last start. He’s also faced ESSENTIAL QUALITY two times prior, in the G1 Preakness, and G1 Kentucky Derby, where he finished behind him in both races. He ran his best two speed figures in his last two races but will still need a better performance if he wants to take down the favorite. His last win was back in 2020 when he won the G2 Kentucky Jockey Club Stakes.
DYNAMIC ONE has also seen ESSENTIAL QUALITY before when he finished dead last in the G1 Kentucky Derby. He was held out two months then ran again last month in the Curlin Stakes where he won. He has one of the best jockey and trainer combos with Irad Ortiz Jr and Todd Pletcher so we’ll see if he can capture his first graded stakes win here.
MILES D has the least experience out of any horse in this race with only three starts to his name. In his last out he ran second to DYNAMIC ONE in the Curlin Stakes. He was bumped slightly in that race, and still managed to run second. In his two starts prior he finished first and fourth in MSW contests.
MASQUEPARADE enters the G1 Travers Stakes off a third place finish in the G2 Jim Dandy finishing behind ESSENTIAL QUALITY (1) and KEEPMEINMIND (2). He won his three starts prior to that race, most notably the G3 Ohio Derby. He’s shown some speed in his last three starts so we’ll see he can continue to improve here.
KING FURY returns to dirt after finishing tenth in the G1 Saratoga Derby Invitational Stakes his last out. Prior to that, he ran second to MASQUEPARADE in the G3 Ohio Derby. His last win was three starts ago when he captured the G3 Stonestreet Lexington Stakes at Keeneland back in April of 2021. He’s ran in three G1 Stakes in his career with a best finish of seventh in TVG Breeders’ Cup Juvenile.
Race Preview:
Front Runner: Midnight Bourbon
Stalk/ Off the Pace: Essential Quality, Miles D, Masqueparade
Closer: Keepmeinmind, Dynamic One, King Fury
There’s tons of class in the ‘Midsummer Derby’ but one horse really shines, which is the favorite, Essential Quality. He beat fellow entrants Keepmeinmind and Masqueparade in his last out. Keepmeinmind challenged him down the stretch but was outmatched. Midnight Bourbon hasn’t been his best as of late but, will get his chance here to prove he’s one of the top three year old’s.
Picks:
WIN/ PLACE/ SHOW: 2 ESSENTIAL QUALITY
EXACTA BOX: 2,3,4
