Travers Stakes Betting Guide

The brightest three-year-olds in training will once again be the center of attention for the Travers Stakes in August. The race is an important step on the road to the Breeders’ Cup, but which horses could be contention for the competitive race this year?

Travers Stakes Event Details

The Travers Stakes is the featured race of the summer meeting at Saratoga and will take place on August 28th in 2021. It is a Grade 1 affair, with horses involved racing over 1¼ miles. Like the Kentucky Derby and Preakness Stakes, it is also run on dirt. This year’s race will have a purse of $1.25 million.

Travers Stakes Preview

The list of horses that will be lining up for the Travers Stakes will not be revealed until the week before the race. However, some of the horses that have been on the Triple Crown path this year look set to be involved. Connections of the following horses have already indicated that the Travers Stakes could be on their radar:

• Essential Quality

• Mandaloun

• King Fury

Brad Cox has already teased that Essential Quality could be gearing up for the Travers Stakes later in the year. His season hasn’t exactly gone to plan on the Triple Crown front, as he was heavily fancied to run a big race in the Kentucky Derby. Unfortunately for connections, that never materialized, as he faded coming down the final straight and eventually finished a length and a quarter behind Medina Spirit.

After that run, it was decided that he would sidestep the Preakness Stakes, and he could next re-appear at the Belmont Stakes. Defeat in the Kentucky Derby meant the end of his perfect record, but the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile winner still remains a horse very much in with a chance of every Grade 1 that he enters.

Mandaloun surprised a lot of people in the first of the Triple Crown races at Churchill Downs as he came storming towards the finish and was runner-up behind Medina Spirit. He was just half a length behind the winner and looked set to be open for further improvement as the season progresses.

Mandaloun stays well and has placed in all but one of his five career starts. The only win that he has recorded to date came in the Risen Star Stakes, but he could be of excellent value in the Travers Stakes, as the conditions will certainly suit his aggressive style.

Kenneth McPeek still has big plans for King Fury this season, despite the fact that the three-year-old has been pulled out of both Triple Crown races. He was pulled out at the last minute for the Kentucky Derby before withdrawing from the Preakness Stakes just days before the race.

Connections have already indicated that the Travers Stakes is on their radar, and this lightly-raced horse could have an excellent chance. He has already recorded a graded victory in the form of the Lexington Stakes this season, and he could be one that runs well in the Travers Stakes.

Travers Stakes Event Information

The Travers Stakes has been held since being introduced in 1864. It is one of the most prestigious races of the season for American-trained horses, as only the Kentucky Derby and Belmont Stakes are rated higher by international classifications. The race remains the focal point of the summer meeting at Saratoga. The 2015 renewal of the race was the most lucrative in terms of prize money, as American Pharoah’s inclusion took the purse to $1.6 million.

Tiz The Law was the winner of the 2020 Travers Stakes, but Arrogate’s win in 2016 remains the quickest. The Bob Baffert-trained horse won the race in a time of 1:59.36. However, the most dominant victory was achieved by Damascus in 1967, as he won by 22 lengths. Bert Mulholland is the most successful trainer in the race, as he won an incredible six times. Meanwhile, Javier Castellano won the Travers Stakes for a record sixth time in 2018 with Catholic Boy.

Travers Stakes Betting Information

The Travers Stakes is one of the biggest flat races over the summer in the United States, and therefore, it is a popular betting race. All of the leading sportsbooks will offer a variety of betting markets for customers, and these are some that you will be able to make a bet on.

• Win: The easiest way to make a bet on the Travers Stakes is to place a wager on the horse that will win the Grade 1.

• Place: Place betting can also be done on the Travers Stakes. Winning selections need to finish in the top two to get returns on this market.

• Exacta: Gamblers can place a wager on the first two horses home in the Travers Stakes. However, both selections must be correct to get the returns.