Travers Stakes 2024:
We've been keeping an eye on Soaped Anna to see how she would perform against colts, and she looked like she had a chance in the Preakness Stakes, but her trainer, Kenny McPeak, didn't want to put her up against Mystic Dan. Mystic Dan didn't compete in the Travers Stakes, but Soaped Anna did, and she'll face a strong field of 3-year-olds this weekend at Saratoga.
With a very large purse of $1.25 million on the line, NYRA morning line maestro David Aragona has Dornoch as the favorite to win from Post 7. With four horses having won and seven of eight having top-three finishes, Race 13, which starts at 6:10 PM ET on Saturday, August 24, is shaping up to be a star-studded event.
The horses, odds, jockeys and trainers for the Travers Stakes are as follows:
Horse Trainer Jockey Odds 1 Soaped Anna K. McPeak B. Hernandez Jr. 3-12 Sierra Leone C. Brown F. Pratt 7-23 Unmatched Wisdom C. Brown I. Ortiz Jr. 8-14 Corporate Power C. McGaughey J. Castellano 15-15 Batten Down W. Mott J. Alvarado 20-16 Honor Murray D. Beckman T. Gaffalione 20-17 Dornoch D. Gargan L. Saez 5-28 Fierceness T. Pletcher J. Velazquez 3-1
The big takeaway from this field is the top trainers and top jockeys. The connections across the map are really strong. Honor Marie, at 20-1, hasn't run since the Belmont Stakes. All eight have won stakes races, but the 1 ¼ mile distance could be a compromise for some of the horses in the field.
Will we see history on Saturday with Thorpede Anna? You have to go back to Lady Rosa to find the last filly to win at the Traverse Racecourse, and that was in 1915!
Or will Dornoch's history be revealed? Point Given is the only horse to win the Belmont, Haskell and Travers Stakes, in 2001. Dornoch would become second if he wins here.
A few notes about horses:
1. Soaped Anna (3-1; McPeak/Hernandez): Kenny McPeak said he has “a million and two” reasons to race Soaped Anna against other horses. After losing to Intricate in the Golden Rod at Churchill last year, she has won four starts this year, including dominant victories in the Acorn Stakes and Coaching Club American Oaks at Churchill.
She is arguably the best 3-year-old filly in the country, and jockey Brian Hernandez Jr. knows when to step on the gas and let her run. She has strong speed coming from pacemakers like Dornoch and Fearlessness on the outside. If she gets stuck in traffic early, how far will she have to go? Plus, she's the only one of the favorites who has never run 1.25 miles. But we know she's a special horse.
2. Sierra Leone (7-2; Brown/Pratt): Chad Brown has two horses running side-by-side, and Sierra Leone looks the much more dangerous contender. Who's finished behind Sierra Leone in his last three races? Mystic Dan, Dornoch, Mind Frame and Fierceness. Two of those are in this field. Dornoch also beat Sierra Leone last year in the Remsen at Aqueduct.
But this horse is still strong, coming in second in the Jim Dandy and placing in both Triple Crown races. The son of Gun Runner and Heavenly Love has trained well at Saratoga over the past few months. He likes the pace and is a close-running horse, but how far will he have to go against elite thoroughbreds?
3. Unmatched Wisdom (8-1; Brown/Ortiz Jr.): This is quite a step up for the son of Cairo Prince and Glide On By. He made his stakes debut at Curlin last month and is unbeaten in three starts, holding off neighbor Corporate Power in a race at Curlin. This was his first race in a quarter-plus extra race, and all three were 1⅛ long.
Pratt switches to Sierra Leone after winning last time out with Unmatched Wisdom, but Irad Ortiz Jr. is not a consolation jockey. Distance and pedigree are concerns compared to the other runners, but the horse, who won his first race on May 10, may be a late bloomer.
4. Corporate Power (15-1; McGaughey/Castellano): The Curlin Stakes runner-up won the Surberton Stakes at Pimlico on Preakness weekend in the dirt and mud, but has never run longer than 1⅛ and has never run in a field of this caliber. Strange things have happened and his two best Equibase Speed Figures came in his last two starts, but the level of competition here seems too high for a horse who is likely to have a win or two in the fall.
5. Batten Down (20-1; Mott/Alvarado): The Ohio Derby winner followed up his first stakes win with a distant third place in the G2 Jim Dandy behind Fierceness and Sierra Leone. The Ohio Derby was full of non-entrants, but at least Batten Down came away with a 1 1/4-length victory, which coincidentally was his first win after three tries.
The son of Tapit and Close Hatches has a very good pedigree and I would argue is the most attractive long shot in the field. Junior Alvarado is a strong jockey but Batten Down couldn't run the distance against the stronger fields at Jim Dandy and probably won't run here either.
6. Honor Marie (20-1; Beckman/Gaffalione): Honor Marie may be the most frustrating horse in the race. He won two and lost one as a 2-year-old, but he's coming into this race wearing blinkers after finishing 4th, 8th, 2nd and 5th. This talented colt, a descendant of Honor Code and Dame Marie, has yet to break 100 in Equibase Speed Figures.
Tyler Gaffalione will ride Honor Marie, who was ridden by Florent Geroux in the Belmont Stakes and Ben Curtis in the Kentucky Derby. Honor Marie's two-month break is her longest since her winter break down south, but it doesn't suit a horse who wants to catch up but doesn't have the stamina to keep up with the elite runners.
7. Dornoch (5-2; Gargan/Saez): Who knows how Dornoch would have been rated had he not drawn the dreaded rail post in the Kentucky Derby. Since then, he has won the Belmont Stakes and the Haskell Stakes in impressive fashion. This is arguably a stronger field than we saw in the Haskell Stakes, but he would have had better speed numbers than anyone in the field that day.
With Dornoch and his neighbour Fearlessness positioned on the outside, it meant they could both take the lead and control the speed, a position that jockey Luis Saez found extremely advantageous. Saratoga has been all about speed all summer, which bodes well for Dornoch.
8. Fierceness (3-1; Pletcher/Velazquez): This could bode well for Fierceness and John Velazquez, who will be riding Todd Pletcher on the outside. The Kentucky Derby is obviously a marquee race and a key benchmark, but with 20 horses in the field, it's probably not something to worry about too much, with the exception of a poor start or poor race development.
Otherwise, Fierceness ensured Jim Dandy wins over Sierra Leone and Batten Down. He won the Florida Derby and Breeders' Cup Juvenile by himself. Would Fierceness have been able to hold off Sierra Leone if there had been an extra quarter of a mile? Perhaps it's a fair question to run a mile and a quarter here with a pacesetter as good or better than the closer.
Another thing is, Fierceness has run 1 1/4 strides before, but that happened in the Kentucky Derby, where Fierceness finished 15th and didn't have to go all out in the final straight. Fierceness is 2-2 at 1 1/8 strides, but that extra 1/4 stride is tough in this type of field.
Traverse Stakes Picks
Overall, I think Dornoch is the horse to beat here. Luis Saez will start on the outside and will likely get what he wants. He can make a run to the front and then call on Dornoch for more power later in the race if he feels he needs it. Meanwhile, Soaped Anna and Sierra Leone are likely to have tough starts. Fearlessness could also be favoured, but I don't think he's better than Dornoch and could be overtaken by a rising horse.
I think Soaped Anna is a special horse and good enough to compete in this event, and if she makes history I will have her in Exotic Horses, including a small part in the Exacta box, partly for FOMO purposes.
You will hypothetically use $50 in funds.
20 dollars win (20 dollars)
7 Dornoch
$4 Trifecta Part Wheel ($24)
7 / 1,2,8 / 1,2,8
$3 Extabox ($6)
1/7
