Saturday’s DraftKings Travers Stakes at Saratoga drew a field of 10 accomplished 3-year-olds led by Kentucky Derby Presented by Woodford Reserve and Belmont Stakes Presented by NYRA Bets winner Golden Tempo in a race that will have an impact on the divisional standings heading into the fall season. The Travers will be televised on FOX with a scheduled post time of 6:35 p.m. ET.

Read on for Travers Stakes trifecta betting strategies from the team at America’s Best Racing, and use ABR’s handy Gambling Calculator presented by NYRA Bets to structure your wagers.

Mike Curry:

Kentucky Derby and Belmont Stakes winner Golden Tempo (Eclipse Sportswire)

#9 Golden Tempo (5-2) enters the Travers off back-to-back wins in the Kentucky Derby and the Belmont Stakes, the latter at this track and distance. He’s improved his Beyer Speed Figure in every race, should be well rested, and he’s sired by one of the best stamina influences on the planet in two-time Horse of the Year Curlin. Yeah, I’m buying. Likewise, #5 Renegade (3-1) has been a picture of consistency this year with three wins in five 2026 starts without running outside the top three. He enters the Travers off a win on this track in the Jim Dandy Stakes Presented by Mohegan Sun. I’ll use them in the top two spots and fill out the trifecta.

I’ll fill my trifecta with grinder #4 The Puma (8-1) in his second start after a layoff, and unbeaten Indiana Derby winner #2 Leading Change (12-1) in the third slot and I’ll play a small ticket with those two in second, flipping Golden Tempo and Renegade to the first and third slots.

Mike Curry’s Travers Stakes trifecta ($32 budget):

$6 trifecta: 5,9 with 5,9 with 2,4 ($24)

$2 trifecta: 5,9 with 2,4 with 5,9 ($8)

Noel Michaels:

Let’s not get too fancy in this year’s Travers wagers because the “Mid-Summer Derby” seems to shape up as a pretty straightforward showdown between this season’s top 3-year-olds #5 Renegade (3-1), and #9 Golden Tempo (5-2). Kentucky Derby winner Golden Tempo makes his first post-Triple Crown start since winning the Belmont Stakes back on June 6. He won’t have the benefit of a prep race, which is a mark against him, but he’s already 2-for-2 at this 1 ¼-mile distance including a win at Saratoga in the Belmont Stakes, and he could wrap-up the 3-year-old championship with a Travers victory. Renegade is a horse that has had little trouble this year beating every other horse he’s faced with the exception of Golden Tempo. Renegade finished within a neck of Golden Tempo in the Kentucky Derby, but unlike that rival, he did get a prep race under his belt with his win in Saratoga’s Jim Dandy Stakes, and that recency should be enough to move the needle for him past Golden Tempo on Travers Day.

Two other horses in the field would seem to have an outside chance in the Travers, at least in the trifectas. Cases could be made for either Preakness Stakes winner #3 Napoleon Solo (8-1) or #7 Sea Strike (5-1), the Chad Brown-trained standout winner of this month’s Curlin Stakes at Saratoga, to post an upset. Napoleon Solo finally faces Golden Tempo and Renegade after avoiding them so far, and this will be his big chance to show if he’s on the same level as the other top 3-year-olds. Sea Strike is a late-blooming up-and-comer that didn’t even begin his career until April, but he won the Curlin Stakes by 8 ¼ lengths in his first stretchout and Brown has had a bunch of recent successes moving lightly raced horses like this up into top-level stakes wins. Both horses figure to be part of a two- or three-way hunt for the front, and whichever horse prevails as the pace survivor could run on for second or third.

The trifecta wagering strategy will be to key Renegade and Golden Tempo, and use Napoleon Solo and Sea Strike in the second and third slots along with the top picks.

Noel Michaels’ Travers Stakes trifecta ($40 budget):

$5 trifecta, 5,9 with 5,9 with 3,7 ($20)

$5 trifecta, 5,9 with 3,7, with 5,9 ($20)

Patrick Reed:

Tampa Bay Derby winner The Puma (Eclipse Sportswire)

This year’s Travers, to me, doesn’t seem to be fertile ground for an upset. #9 Golden Tempo (5-2) has been immaculately managed by Cherie DeVaux this year and should be locked and loaded to fire off another huge performance at the Spa. I know he doesn’t tower over his fellow 3-year-olds based on speed figures, but his Kentucky Derby and Belmont wins, especially the latter, were visually impressive. #5 Renegade (3-1) is right there with Golden Tempo at the top of this division and also appears ready to roll with enough rest after his sharp win in the Jim Dandy Stakes last month on this track.

So, I’ll use the two morning-line favorites in two trifecta boxes with #4 The Puma (8-1) and #10 Silent Tactic (10-1). These colts showed their class back in the spring and both are making their second starts off of layoffs in the Travers. I think there’s enough speed lined up to ensure a solid, albeit not blistering, pace Saturday that will set up this quartet for an exciting stretch run that should have Golden Tempo and Renegade battling 1-2, 2-1 in the final strides. As such, I’ll also bet a trifecta part wheel with that pair in first and second and The Puma and Silent Tactic in third.

Patrick Reed’s Travers Stakes trifecta ($40 budget):

$2 trifecta box: 4,5,9 ($12)

$2 trifecta box: 5,9,10 ($12)

$4 trifecta: 5,9 with 5,9 with 4,10 ($16)

Dan Tordjman:

The Travers is another really interesting puzzle to solve and I’ll start off where I usually start – with a quick analysis of pace. Unlike the Kentucky Derby and Belmont Stakes, I’m not sure that some of the closers in this race will benefit from a fast early pace. I think horses like #9 Golden Tempo (5-2) and #5 Renegade (3-1) might be at a disadvantage. That said, I think they are clearly the top two horses in this class and will still be a factor if they run their best races.

I didn’t love the race I saw from #4 The Puma (8-1) in the Haskell Stakes. He was much further back in the early stages of the race than usual, and it was his return race off a long break. That said, I want to give him another shot with jockey Javier Castellano getting back aboard, noting that Castellano was his rider for his win in the ESMARK Tampa Bay Derby and his runner-up finish in the Curlin Florida Derby Presented by Hill ‘n’ Dale Farms at Xalapa.

The other contenders I see vying for the top three spots are #3 Napoleon Solo (8-1) (who has the ability to get loose on the front end) and #7 Sea Strike (5-1) (who has unknown potential coming off a dominant win against lesser competition). So, here’s how I’m playing it:

Dan Tordjman’s Travers Stakes trifecta ($54 budget):

$1 trifecta box: 3,4,5,7 ($24)

$1 trifecta: 4,5 with 3,4,5,7,9 with 3,4,5,7,9 ($24)

$1 trifecta: 9 with 3,5,7 with 3,5,7 ($6)