157th Travers Stakes Scheduled For August 29

The 157th running of the $1,250,000 Travers Stakes will be held on Saturday, August 29 at Saratoga Race Course and can be watched and wagered on here at OffTrackBetting.com - US legal online OTB.

The Travers Stakes, also known as the Midsummer Derby, is one of the most historic races in the country and has been an annual feature at Saratoga for nearly as long as the track has been running.

Golden Tempo Has Setback - Most Likely Bypass Jim Dandy and Point to Travers

June 27 - In an interview on June 27 trainer Cherie DeVaux told broadcaster Caton Bredar that an illness has delayed training preparations for Kentucky Derby (G1) and Belmont Stakes (G1) winner Golden Tempo and will prevent a start in the Jim Dandy Stakes (G2) at Saratoga Race Course on August 1 as originally planned.

Instead the colt will now train up to the August 29th Travers Stakes (G1) at Saratoga, her trainer added.

Her plan was to use the 1 1/8-mile Jim Dandy Stakes as a steppingstone toward the 1 1/4-mile Travers, but the illness-from which Golden Tempo has recovered-necessitated a change in plans.

"He got a little sick so we're probably gonna end up skipping the Jim Dandy and train right into the Travers. He's fine, but the timeline just isn't going to suit us to get there, and we'll just continue doing what got us here and put him first," DeVaux said.

Renegade Possible for Travers

June 7 - After the colt finished third in the Belmont Stakes, Hall of Fame trainer Todd Pletcher mentioned Renegade could point toward the Travers (G1) this summer at Saratoga Race Course.

Renegade, the 8-5 favorite off his runner-up effort in the Kentucky Derby, settled in seventh behind horses, angled outside under jockey Irad Ortiz Jr. to launch his bid turning for home and was outkicked by top two finishers Golden Tempo and Commandment, finishing 5 1/4 lengths behind the winner. Owned by Repole Stable and Robert and Lawana Low, he won the Arkansas Derby (G1) by four lengths in April at Oaklawn.

"Renegade got the position we thought he would," Pletcher said. "He was always sort of surrounded by horses and covered up behind horses. He was absolutely caked in dirt. It wasn't a bad trip; it was just one of those trips that (he) never got into a cozy position. I thought he kicked turning for home, but he did not have that sustained drive he had in Arkansas and at Churchill. He ended up being a little bit flat and I think a little more time would have benefited him, in retrospect."

The options for Renegade include the Haskell (G1) on July 18 at Monmouth Park, the Jim Dandy (G2) on Aug. 1 at Saratoga or training up to the Travers on August 29.

"Renegade, we'll just monitor how he is doing," Pletcher said. "We will let him guide us."

About the Travers Stakes

The Travers Stakes is the oldest major stakes race in the U.S. having first been conducted in 1864.

The Travers was named for William R. Travers, president of the old Saratoga Racing Association. The initial running of the race was won by his horse Kentucky. From 1864 to 1889, the race was run at 1 3/4 miles, and the current distance was adopted for the 1904 running.

In 1941 Triple Crown champion Whirlaway became the first and only horse to win the Travers after sweeping the Triple Crown. In the 1982 Travers, Canadian champion Runaway Groom became the first horse to defeat the Kentucky Derby, Preakness, and Belmont winners in a single race. No other horse has accomplished this feat since. In 2012 Alpha and Golden Ticket won the race the first and only Travers dead heat.

Other top horses to win the Travers include Bernardini, Medaglia d'Oro, Holy Bull, Easy Goer, Forty Niner, Alydar, Arts and Letters, Damascus, Sword Dancer, Native Dancer and Man o' War.

The Travers is amongst the most prestigious races for sophomores, and predates all three Triple Crown races. Inaugurated in 1864, the historic 10-furlong event is the Spa's marquee race and honors Saratoga's first president William Travers, who won the first running with the A.J. Minor-trained Kentucky.

Since then, the Travers has been captured by a total of 25 Hall of Fame thoroughbreds including Kentucky, Ruthless [1867], Harry Bassett [1871], Tom Bowling [1873], Duke of Magenta [1878], Hindoo [1881], Henry of Navarre [1894], Broomstick [1904], Roamer [1914], Man o' War [1920], Twenty Grand [1931], Granville [1936], Eight Thirty [1939], Whirlaway [1941], Native Dancer [1953], Gallant Man [1957], Sword Dancer [1959], Buckpasser [1966], Damascus [1967], Arts and Letters [1969], Alydar [1978], Easy Goer [1989], Holy Bull [1994], Point Given [2001], and 2024 inductee Arrogate [2016].