Tom Pedulla offers takeaways from DraftKings Travers Stakes day at Saratoga Race Course, which featured five Grade 1 races, and the Grade 2 Pat O'Brien Stakes at Del Mar as top horses captured automatic berths in corresponding races at the Breeders’ Cup World Championships on Oct. 31 and Nov. 1.

BIG DAY: Star power was on full display Saturday on an ideal afternoon for racing at Saratoga, and fans responded in a big way. A sun-splashed crowd of 48,255 wagered $10,369,950 on-track, contributing to an overall handle of $54,309,929 as fans watched immensely popular horses such as 3-year-old Godolphin homebred Sovereignty in the Travers, champion filly Thorpedo Anna in the Personal Ensign Stakes, and New Jersey-bred sprinter Book'em Danno in the Forego Stakes all shine. “I think this is unbelievably great for the fans and the sport,” said Michael Banahan, director of bloodstock for Godolphin USA. Sovereignty became the first horse to sweep the Kentucky Derby, Belmont Stakes, and Travers Stakes since Thunder Gulch in 1995.

ALL HEART: In case anyone needed reminding, reigning Horse of the Year Thorpedo Anna used the Grade 1 Personal Ensign to remind everyone that she possesses the heart of a champion when she somehow withstood surging Dorth Vader by the narrowest of noses. “I think that will actually lead her into the next one in even better shape,” trainer Ken McPeek said. “That wasn’t as easy as we’d want it to be, but she is a champion. That is why she wins.” In notching the seventh Grade 1 triumph of her career, Thorpedo Anna earned an automatic berth in the Longines Breeders' Cup Distaff on Nov. 1 at Del Mar. She captured last year’s Distaff by 2 ½ lengths. McPeek plans to give his 4-year-old superstar one more start ahead of the Breeders’ Cup, either in the Sept. 28 Delaware Handicap or the Oct. 5 Juddmonte Spinster Stakes at Keeneland.

Book'em Danno winning Forego. (Eclipse Sportswire)

IMPROBABLE STAR: New Jersey-breds typically do not reach the big stage. Neither do small ownership groups. Book’em Danno and Atlantic Six Racing continue to defy the odds. The 4-year-old Bucchero gelding, with regular rider Paco Lopez aboard, prevailed for the 10th time in 16 starts in the Grade 1 Forego at seven furlongs for trainer Derek Ryan. The race is part of the Breeders’ Cup Challenge Series and offered the winner a berth in the Nov. 1 Breeders' Cup Dirt Mile. “Sixteen starts. He’s fired 16 times,” said Jeff Rubenstein of Atlantic Six Racing. “And I think it’s really important for the industry to have an ownership group that has a couple of horses – we don’t have an unlimited budget – to be involved and win on this stage.”

RIGHT ADJUSTMENT: There was a time when trainer Brad Cox thought Patch Adams might be a fit for the 1 ¼-mile Kentucky Derby Presented by Woodford Reserve. Fourth-place finishes in the Southwest Stakes and the Tampa Bay Derby convinced him otherwise and now the Into Mischief colt has found a home at shorter distances with consecutive Grade 1 scores at seven furlongs. He added on Saturday the H. Allen Jerkens Memorial Stakes to a victory in the Woody Stephens Stakes Presented by Mohegan Sun in his previous start, both with Luis Saez aboard. The next step involves a difficult decision for Cox. “It would be nice to get him to the Breeders’ Cup,” he said. “I don’t know whether that would be a two-turn dirt mile or three-quarters of a mile in the Breeders’ Cup Sprint.” 

Dr. Venkman after winning Pat O'Brien. (Eclipse Sportswire)

IDEAL SET-UP: A hot early pace and a patient ride from Umberto Rispoli paved the way for Dr. Venkman to secure a slot in the Breeders' Cup Dirt Mile by winning the Pat O'Brien Stakes. “He’s a smart horse. He’s a fighter. He knows how to run his races,” Rispoli said of the 5-year-old Ghostzapper gelding trained by Mark Glatt. The top three finishers in the six-horse field came from off the pace. What is next for the winner? As far as Rispoli is concerned, Dr. Venkman can be a serious candidate for the Dirt Mile or the Sprint. “Every time he runs with his heart,” the jockey said. “He can run a mile or a sprint. This horse can be versatile.”