The 156th running of the DraftKings Travers Stakes Saturday at Saratoga drew a field of five colts, headlined by Kentucky Derby Presented by Woodford Reserve and Belmont Stakes Presented by NYRA Bets winner Sovereignty, who easily leads this group with an incredible $5,147,800 in career earnings.
Among his challengers in the 1 ¼-mile “Mid-summer Derby” is Magnitude, fresh off a dominant performance in the Iowa Derby for trainer Steve Asmussen. Bracket Buster has run in similar company before, finishing fourth last time out in the NYRA Bets Haskell Stakes as well checking in second to Gosger in the Stonestreet Lexington Stakes at Keeneland in April. Strategic Focus has just three career races under his belt. He finished third by a half-length last time out in the Curlin Stakes Presented by Casamigos at Saratoga, earning a 101 Equibase Speed Figure. McAfee, a half-brother to 2024 Horse of the Year Thorpedo Anna, rounds out the field for trainer Richard Dutrow Jr. with Hall of Fame jockey John Velazquez back aboard. This colt has just one win from seven career starts but has finished in the top three in three consecutive Grade 3 stakes races going into the Travers.
Analysis and Main Contenders:
Sovereignty has seemingly scared off many of the possible contenders in this year’s Travers, and for good reasons as the 2-5 morning-line favorite. Since breaking his maiden by five lengths in the Street Sense Stakes at Churchill Downs last October, Sovereignty has won the Coolmore Fountain of Youth Stakes, ran second in the Curlin Florida Derby Presented by Hill ‘n’ Dale Farms at Xalapa and then won both the Kentucky Derby and Belmont Stakes over Journalism. In his most recent race, he earned a career-best 113 Equibase Speed Figure by winning the Jim Dandy Stakes Presented by Mohegan Sun, his third consecutive graded stakes victory. Sovereignty is undefeated from two starts at this 1 ¼ mile distance and has two out of three starts at Saratoga – the Belmont and Jim Dandy. The Godolphin colt is poised to stalk the pace and pounce in the stretch, and will most likely dominate this Travers field. In racing, anything can happen, but Sovereignty looks nearly untouchable here.
Magnitude enters the Travers in peak form, coming off back-to-back stakes victories by a combined winning margin of 19 lengths. In February, he won the Fasig-Tipton Risen Star Stakes at Fair Grounds by 9 ¾ lengths as a stunning upset at odds of 43.20-1 with jockey Ben Curtis aboard for the first time. After a nearly five-month layoff, Magnitude romped by 9 ¼ lengths in the Iowa Derby at Prairie Meadows in July, again with Curtis riding. Magnitude earned a career best 111 Equibase Speed Figure for his performance in the Iowa Derby, which certainly makes him a legitimate contender in the Travers.
Strategic Focus, a son of Gun Runner and a $500,000 yearling purchase by Klaravich Stables, will be make his graded stakes debut for trainer Chad Brown in the Travers. He has yet to find the winner’s circle since his debut victory in a maiden race in April at Aqueduct; however, he hit the gate when leaving it in his next two starts, including last out in the Curlin Stakes, where he still finished third by just a half-length to multiple Grade 1 winner and stablemate Chancer McPatrick. Chad Brown and jockey Flavien Prat cannot be ignored at Saratoga – in the last three years they are winning at 34% together and are finishing 70% in the money in graded stakes races at the Spa.
The rest of the field, with their best Equibase Speed Figures in similar races, is Bracket Buster (101) and McAfee (99).
Win Contenders In Preference Order:
Sovereignty
Magnitude
Strategic Focus
