Saratoga is happy to tie in Runhappy with the Travers and H. Allen Jerkens Stakes!
Posted on by bluegrassblog@thoroughbredu.com

A Trio for Travers Day

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Saratoga is happy to tie in Runhappy with the Travers and H. Allen Jerkens Stakes!

Saratoga is happy to tie in Runhappy with the Travers and H. Allen Jerkens Stakes!

  1. Saturday at Saratoga serves up several stakes!  The Midsummer Derby is only one of seven graded stakes on the day’s card of a lucky 13 races.  Five of the stakes offer an automatic berth in the Breeders’ Cup!  ‎Three stakes will be covered by NBC.  Who will win the Forego, the Sword Dancer or the Travers Stakes?

 

Runhappy, seen here at Churchill Downs, was a big winner at Saratoga!
Runhappy, seen here at Churchill Downs, was a big winner at Saratoga!

This Saturday, August 25th at Saratoga features the 149th edition of the Travers Stakes.  This is the climax of Saratoga’s summer meet.  The race is nicknamed the Midsummer Derby and it is the key race for which all of the day’s racing is named for, Travers Day.  However, many fine graded stakes are featured this day at “The Graveyard of Champions” also known as Saratoga racetrack.   Be sure to catch the races on Travers Day.  The gates at Saratoga open at 7 A.M. ET.  NBC will begin television coverage of the Breeders’ Cup Challenge Series races at 4 P.M. ET.  Enjoy these 13 races by time (ET), purse and type or title:

  1. 11:35 A.M./$85K/Maiden Special Weight
  2. 12:08 P.M./$77K/Allowance
  3. 12:41 P.M./$87K/Allowance
  4. 1:14 P.M./$85K/Maiden Special Weight
  5. 1:48 P.M./$92K/Allowance Optional Claiming
  6. 2:23 P.M./$500K/Grade 1 H. Allen Jerkens Stakes presented by Runhappy
  7. 2:59 P.M./$700K/Grade 1 Personal Ensign Stakes
  8. 3:35 P.M./$500K/Grade 1 Ketel One Ballerina Stakes
  9. 4:12 P.M./$600K/Grade 1 Forego Stakes
  10. 4:49 P.M./$1M/Grade 1 Sword Dancer Stakes
  11. 5:44 P.M./$1.25M/Grade 1 Runhappy Travers Stakes presented by NYRA Bets
  12. 6:20 P.M./$400K/Grade 2 Woodford Reserve Ballston Spa Stakes
  13. 6:54 P.M./$45K/Maiden Claiming

The Forego awards an automatic berth into the Breeders’ Cup Dirt Mile.  This race was inaugurated in 1980 at Saratoga.  It is a grade 1 race of 0.875 miles (7 furlongs) on dirt for thoroughbreds age 3 or older.  This race was named for the Hall of Fame, 8 time Eclipse Award horse, Forego.  8 contenders will break this year as follows by post/horse/jockey/trainer/and morning-line odds:

  1. Limousine Liberal/Jose L. Ortiz/Ben Colebrook/3-1
  2. Awesome Slew/John R. Velázquez/Mark E. Casse/10-1
  3. Whitmore/RicardoSantana, Jr./Ron Moquette/4-1
  4. Heartwood/Manuel Franco/James K. Chapman/30-1
  5. No Dozing/Joel Rosario/Arnaud Delacour/12-1
  6. C Z Rocket/Shaun Bring mohan/Albert M. Stall, Jr./9-2
  7. Warrior’s Club/Luis Saez/D. Wayne Lukas/10-1
  8. City of Light/Irad Ortiz, Jr./Michael W. McCarthy/9-5

The Sword Dancer grants the winner with a start in the BC Longines Turf.  The raçe was first run in 1975 at Saratoga.  It is a grade 1 stakes race of 1 and 1/2 miles (12 furlongs) on the turf.  Thoroughbreds age 3 and older are eligible. The race is named for Sword Dancer who holds 3 Eclipse Awards and is a Hall of Fame horse.  The field includes:

  1. Glorious Empire/Julien R. Leparoux/James L. Lawrence, II/10-1
  2. Spring Quality/Edgar S. Prado/ H. Graham Motion/4-1
  3. Funtastic/Jose L. Ortiz/ Chad C. Brown/9-2
  4. Hi Happy/John R. Velazquez/Todd A. Pletcher/6-1
  5. Highland Sky/Manuel  Franco/Barclay Tagg/12-1
  6. Bigger Picture/Irad Or t, Jr./Michael J. Maker/8-1
  7. Channel Maker/Joel Rosario/William I. Mott/5-1
  8. Seahenge/Wayne Lordan/Aidan P. O’Brien/30-1
  9. Revved Up/Junior Alvarado/Jorge R. Abreu/15-1
  10. Sadler’s Joy/Javier Castellano/Thomas Albertrani/7-2

The Travers Stakes offers entry into the BC Classic.  The race was inaugurated in 1864.  It is the oldest Thoroughbred stakes race in the United States, held at the oldest track in America.  Currently it is a grade 1 stakes dirt race of 1 and 1/4th  miles (10 furlongs) for 3 year-old thoroughbreds.  In addition to the BC Classic berth, the winner also receives the Man O’ War Cup trophy, a blanket of carnations and their silk colors painted on the infield pond’s canoe.  The race is named for William R. Travers, one of the founders of Saratoga.  Here is the Travers field:

  1. Trigger Warning/Irwin J. Rosendo/Mike L. Rone/30-1
  2. Wonder Gadot/Irad Ortiz, Jr./Mark E. Casse/5-1
  3. Gronkowski/Joel Rosario/Chad C. Brown/4-1
  4. Bravazo/Luis Saez/D. Wayne Lukas/12-1
  5. Vino Rosso/John R. Velázquez/Todd A. Fletcher/10-1
  6. Meistermind/Manuel Franco/Steven M. Asmussen/30-1
  7. King Zachary/Robby Alvarado/Dale L. Romans/15-1
  8. Mendelssohn/Ryan L. Moore/Aidan P. O’ Brien/12-1
  9. Good Magic/Jose L. Ortiz/Chad C. Brown/2-1
  10. Tenfold/Ricardo Santana, Jr./Steven M. AsmussenAsmussen/8-1
  11. Catholic Boy/Javier Castellano/Jonathan Thomas/8-1

There are so many talented thoroughbreds racing at Saratoga on Saturday it is really difficult to guess the winners.  Runhappy was a big winner when he raced at Saratoga and it is worth noting that two races on Travers Day are named for him.  The Runhappy Travers and the H. Allen Jerkens presented by Runhappy.  Currently, Runhappy is a stallion at Claiborne Farm.  He occupies Secretariat’s former stall.  Runhappy sponsored  a couple of races at Belmont earlier this year.  He won the  Kings Bishop Stakes in 2015 and holds the record for the fastest time.  That race is now the H. Allen Jerkens.  Runhappy won the BC Sprint and an Eclipse Award in 2015.

Best wishes to all the runners.  It’s going to be a terrific Travers Day, especially with the trio of NBC televised BC berths.

Updates:  The Personal Ensign and the Ballerina were also BC berth  races which awarded entry into the BC Longines Distaff and BC Filly and Mare Sprint though not televised  by NBC.

Congratulations to Abel Tasman, Marley’s Freedom, Whitmore, Glorious Empire and Catholic Boy.

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