The
Travers Stakes is an
American Grade I Thoroughbred horse race held at
Saratoga Race Course in
Saratoga Springs, New York.
First held in 1864, it was named for
William R. Travers, the president of the old Saratoga Racing Association. His horse, Kentucky, won the first running of the Travers. The race was not run in 1896, 1898, 1899, 1900, 1911, and 1912.
The field for the Travers is limited to three-year-olds,
Colts and
geldings carrying 126 pounds (57 kg) and
fillies carrying 123 pounds (56 kg) and since 1999 the purse has been $1,000,000. The race is the highlight of the summer race meeting at Saratoga, just as the
Belmont Stakes is the highlight of the spring meeting at
Belmont Park.
The Travers has been run at four different distances:
- 1 3/4 miles (2.81 km): 1864 to 1889
- 1 1/2 miles (2.41 km): 1890 to 1892
- 1 1/4 miles (2.01 km): 1893, 1894, 1897 and 1904 to present
- 1 1/8 miles (1.81 km): 1895 and 1901 to 1903
Notable moments
In 1962, arguably the greatest Travers in history took place.
Jaipur won by a nose-bob in track record time over the arguably more talented
Ridan after a long, head-to-head battle over the entire mile and a quarter. Still written and talked about today, the race is listed in the 2006 book Horse Racing's Top 100 Moments written by the staff of
Blood-Horse Publications. The race result determined which colt would be named the 1962
U.S. Champion 3-Year-Old Horse.
In 1982,
Runaway Groom, the
Champion Canadian Three year old, trained by
John DiMario, arrived at the Saratoga backstretch after a grueling season competing in the
Canadian Triple Crown, winning the
Prince of Wales Stakes, the
Breeders' Stakes, and finishing second in the
Queen's Plate. At the Travers that year, Runaway Groom became the only horse in racing history to beat the
Kentucky Derby winner
Gato Del Sol, the
Preakness Stakes winner
Aloma's Ruler, and the
Belmont Stakes winner
Conquistador Cielo in the same race.
The 1997 Travers was another of the memorable races in its history, as it saw
U.S. Racing Hall of Fame jockeys
Jerry Bailey and
Chris McCarron (aboard
Behrens and
Deputy Commander respectively) in a home-stretch duel wherein Deputy Commander prevailed. Adding to the drama was a thunderstorm which produced hail 24 hours before the race, and the uncertainty around whether or not McCarron would be present after the recent death of his mother.
On the day that
Point Given won the Travers (August 25, 2001), it was a record Travers Stakes day attendance of 60,486. The race, dubbed the "Midsummer Derby," achieved a total betting handle of $34,529,273. This was also a Saratoga record.
1921 Travers Stakes
The 1921
Travers Stakes is known, unfortunately, for a
betting scandal. In those days,
bookmaking rather than
parimutuel wagering was the primary method of taking bets on horse races.
The original field was fairly light with the favorite, the filly
Prudery, owned by
Harry Payne Whitney, facing no serious competition. Then
Arnold Rothstein entered his colt,
Sporting Blood, ostensibly to pick up second place. A few days before the race, however, Rothstein had learned that
Prudery was off her feed. He knew he might have a real chance to win.
Initially, the odds on the filly were 1-4 while Rothstein's colt was at 5-2. On the day of the race, however, a leading three-year old,
Grey Lag, was entered by trainer
Sam Hildreth. Grey Lag immediately becomes the favorite, with
Prudery the second choice, driving the odds on
Sporting Blood up to 3-1. Rothstein bet $150,000 on his horse.
Just before
post time,
Grey Lag was scratched with no explanation. During the race,
Sporting Blood overtook the ailing
Prudery gaining his owner nearly a half million dollars, including wagers and the
purse.
Although many smelled foul play, it was never proven that Hildreth received any payoff or that there was a
conspiracy between him and Rothstein.
Travers Trophy
The trophy, known as the
Man o' War Cup, was designed by
Tiffany and Co. Its namesake, the great
Man o' War, won this race in 1920. The wife of owner
Samuel Riddle donated the trophy as the permanent award for winning the race. A gold-plated replica is presented to the winner each year by a member of the Riddle family.
Travers Canoe
Since 1961, the colors of the Travers winner have been painted onto a canoe which sits on a pond in the infield. The canoe itself has been a fixture at the track since 1926.
Sponsorship
On July 18, 2006, the lottery announced its sponsorship of the Travers Stakes.
On March 20, 2008 NYRA announced that
Shadwell Farm was going to sponsor for 2008 and 2009 the Travers Stakes and
Suburban Handicap Accordingly the event will be listed for 2008 as
139th Travers as presented by Shadwell FarmRecords
Speed record: (at current distance of 1ΒΌ miles)
Most wins by a jockey:- 4 - Pat Day (1983, 1987, 1989, 2003)
Most wins by a trainer:Most wins by an owner:Winners of the Travers Stakes
See also
