“After the race, I was all ready to give it the Usain Bolt,” he said, striking the Olympic sprinter’s trademark lightning-bolt victory pose. “But then I thought I’m here at Saratoga, training for Juddmonte, and maybe I better keep it low key.”
SUNDAY International - Ireland
10:00 a.m. ET Allowance 3+, 7fT (3:00 BT) R3 CARD De Coronado, Zenyatta's only full sibling Here's his maiden, second try, Video Replay - Dundalk, Aug 14
De Coronado was declared a "non-runner" prior to the race on Sunday (scratched). No reason was given at post time.
North America
1:58 ET Jammed Lovely S (r), WO, $150,000, 3yo, f, 7f R3CARD
4:37 ET Sapling S, Mth, $100,000, 2yo, 1m R8CARD
6:20 ET PRIORESS S G2, Sar, $300,000, 3yo,
f, 6f R11CARD
7:30 ET JOHN MABEE S G2, Dlmr, $200,000, 3+, f&m, 1 1/8mT R6CARD
8:30 ET DEL MAR DERBY G2, Dlmr, $250,000, 3yo, 1 1/8m R8CARD
What they said "Just to win at the
Travers is incredible. Saratoga--when I walked in today, it was
just--you could just feel the electricity in the air... Every time you looked up
and you saw these [Juddmonte] colors, it was Bobby Frankel,
one of the greatest trainers ever. To me, it was a very emotional win
to see those colors. I feel like I finally made it in this
business."-Bob Baffert, trainer of
winner Arrogate
and second-place finisher American Freedom
"I had to go for
it. I was really comfortable the whole race. It was
a good second for my
horse. The winner, he was just the best. The winner, he went for
it and he was still holding. I knew this horse [Arrogate] could
run all day; it was the best I could get from my horse." -Rafael Bejarano, rider of runner-up
American Freedom
"We ran into a
freak today, who ran the fastest Travers [ever]. I
thought Florent [Geroux]
gave [Gun Runner] a great trip from the No. 14 draw. He
wheeled out a little early at the three-eighths pole
because he thought he had a lot of horse, but that horse on the lead
[Arrogate], he didn't back up at all. That probably cost him
second, chasing something late that you're not catching early. On a
dry track, we saw how very high quality Gun Runner is, and it is
very comforting to be able to throw out the Haskell [fifth on a
sloppy track] now.
On Creator, watching him
around the turn, and Irad [Ortiz, Jr.]
was riding him around
the turn. He just doesn't run the turns here very well. When
they went down the backside, I thought Irad had him in a great
spot, the fractions were obviously solid because he [Arrogate]
never slowed down, but he didn't handle the turn." -Steve Asmussen, trainer of third-place
finisher Gun Runner
and seventh-place finisher Creator "I thought Gift Box
and Connect got great trips. I loved that they had no one around them
in the middle of the pack there, no traffic, with a really
strong pace up front. I was feeling good midway down the backside
but, boy, that was some performance. I don't
know that I've ever seen a performance like that in any Travers. For
Bob Baffert to run 1-2, he brought two well-prepared horses.
Hats off to him and his team." -Chad Brown, trainer of
fourth-place finisher Gift Box, sixth-place finisher Connect and eighth-place
finisher My Man Sam
"[Kent Desormeaux]
said he got bumped a little, but other than
that we had the trip we
wanted. Other than that, no excuses." -Keith Desormeaux, trainer of beaten
favorite and 11th-place finisher Exaggerator
********************************
HISTORY OF THE TRAVERS
The Travers Stakes was inaugurated in 1864, a year before Lee surrendered to Grant at Appomattox ending the American Civil War. The race was named for William R. Travers, whose horse, Kentucky, won the inaugural race. Video history of the Travers Stakes - the Midsummer Derby
The Travers has been run at four different distances:
13⁄4 miles (2.8 km): 1864 to 1889
11⁄2 miles (2.4 km): 1890 to 1892
11⁄4 miles (2.0 km): 1893, 1894, 1897 and 1904 to present
11⁄8 miles (1.8 km): 1895 and 1901 to 1903
In 1979, at the current distance of 1 1/4 miles, General Assembly set the record at 2 minutes flat, which has never been equaled. 1979 Travers Replay Filly Davona Dale was entered.
Some of the memorable Travers renewals include:
The 1930 Travers Stakes was won by the 100:1 long shot, Jim Dandy, who beat Gallant Fox, the Triple Crown winner, an upset for the ages. The Jim Dandy Stakes is run on the first Saturday of the late July Saratoga racing season and is named in honor of the 3-year-old colt. There are some interesting follow-up stories to Jim Dandy's career and his post-racing success as a show-jumper (see follow up by author of Colin's Ghost, here. Many have wondered what happened to Jim, but after he finished his show-jumping career, he was retired and cared for until the end of his life. 1930 Travers Replay - Silent
In 1941, Whirlaway became the only horse ever to win the "superfecta" of United States Thoroughbred horse racing consisting of the United States Triple Crown of Thoroughbred Racing and the Travers Stakes. 1941 Travers replay is at 32:00 on the tape(This is a documentary about Whirlaway)
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. Replay - 1962 Travers
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 2nd 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. Sun Briar was the first in the 1918 Travers Stakes. Replay- 1982 Travers
Alpha & Golden Ticket dead heat 2012
On August 25, 2012, two horses, Alpha and Golden Ticket, tied for first place, making the race a Replay- 2012 Travers dead heat. Following the race, two jockey statues were painted and two canoes were put in the pond.
The 146th Travers Stakes was run on August 29, 2015. Because Triple Crown winner American Pharoah was in the race the purse was raised to $1.6 million and NYRA capped attendance at 50,000, making the event a sellout for the first time ever. The 2015 race reaffirmed Saratoga's reputation as the "graveyard of champions" when Keen Ice defeated American Pharoah, picking up the pieces when Frosted (under a different rider) engaged American Pharoah in a speed dual, battling back and forth, so that Keen Ice was able to take down the Triple Crown hero by 3/4 of a length. Many however, consider the race to have been one of American Pharoah's best, in spite of losing. Replay - 2015 Travers
The above information has been compiled from various sources primarily, Wikipedia.
To watch race replays, after the completion of a race, click on the CARD -- about a 20-minute delay.
FRIDAY
1:00 ET FUNNY CIDE SSAR$200,000 2YO S6.5F R1CARD
3:32 ET Albany S Sar$250,0003yo S9f R5CARD
4:47 ET SEEKING THE ANTE SSAR$200,0002YO F S6.5FR7CARD
5:25 ET Yaddo SSar$150,0003+ f/m S8.5f T R8CARD
6:03 ET West Point S Sar$150,0003+ 8.5f T R9CARD
6:41 ET FLEET INDIAN SSAR$200,000 3YO F S9F R10CARD
9:30 ET Shared Belief S (L) Dmr$100,0003y8f R7CARD
BC = Breeders Cup Win and You're In 2:23 ET PERSONAL ENSIGN G1 BCSAR$750,0003+ F/M9F R6CARD 2:59 ET BALLERINA S G1 BCSAR$500,0003+ F/M7F R7CARD 3:35 ET KING'S BISHOP S G1SAR$500,0003YO7F R8CARD 4:49 ET SWORD DANCER G1 BC
SAR$1,000K3+12F T R10CARD 4:12 ET FOREGO G1 BCSAR$700,0003+7F R9 CARD
4:57 ET Seaway S G3WO$150,0003+ f/m7f AW RCARD 5:44 ET TRAVERS S G1 SAR
$1,250,0003YO
10F R9CARD
6:00 ET PAT O'BRIEN S G2 BCDMR$200,0003+7F R3CARD
6:04 ET Philip H. Iselin S G3 Mth$100,0003+9f R11CARD 6:20 ET BALLSTON SPA G2SAR$400,0003+ F/M8.5F T R12CARD
8:30 ET Generous Portion SDmr$150,0002yo f S6f R8CARD
4:43 ET La Prevoyante SWO$125,0003yo f S8f T 8RCARD
6:18 ET Smart N Fancy SSar$100,0003+ f/m5.5f T R10CARD
8:30 ET Torrey Pines S G3 Dmr$100,0003yo f8f R8CARD
