Travers

The National Museum of Racing and Hall of Fame will open two new special exhibitions and host several public events to coincide with the Belmont Stakes Racing Festival held June 4-8. The Museum's latest exhibits, A Look Through the Eyes and Life of Charlotte C. Weber and Greg Montgomery: 40 Years of the Travers Poster open to the public Wednesday, June 4. On exhibition in the Museum's McBean Gallery through Nov. 2, A Look Through the Eyes and Life of Charlotte C. Weber chronicles the remarkable journey in thoroughbred racing...

Stall applications for the July 4th Racing Festival and 40-day summer meet at Saratoga Race Course are now available online, the New York Racing Association, Inc. (NYRA) announced in a press release Friday. Typically held at Belmont Park, the July 4th Racing Festival at Saratoga is set for Thursday, July 3, through Sunday, July 6. The July 4th Racing Festival, which is highlighted by the GI Belmont Derby Invitational July 4 and the GI Belmont Oaks Invitational July 5, will serve as a prelude to the traditional summer meet and...

Jim Bakke and Gerald Isbister's 'TDN Rising Star' Tip Top Thomas (c, 3, Volatile--Attempt to Name, by Consolidator), last seen finishing a very solid second going a one-turn mile in the GI Champagne S. at Aqueduct Oct. 5, is nearing a return to the races. The Travers day debut maiden winner has posted seven workouts at Hall of Famer Todd Pletcher's Palm Beach Downs base in 2025, most recently drilling a bullet five furlongs in 1:01.73 (1/5) Mar. 13. He is targeting a six-furlong allowance race at Keeneland Apr. 5,...

Repole Stable's Breeders' Cup-bound homebred full-brothers champion and 'TDN Rising Star' Fierceness (City of Light) and Mentee (City of Light) turned in workouts on a brisk autumn morning over Saratoga's Oklahoma training track Thursday. Fierceness, who was last seen winning a thrilling renewal of the GI DraftKings Travers Stakes Aug. 24, breezed five furlongs to the outside of the stakes-placed Classic Catch (Classic Empire) in 1:01.69 (1/3). The GI Breeders' Cup Classic will be next for Fierceness. "It was another excellent breeze, pretty much what we've become accustomed to seeing...

Dornoch (Good Magic--Puca, by Big Brown), a leading 3-year-old colt with impressive wins in the 2024 GI Belmont Stakes and GI Haskell Stakes, has been diagnosed with bone bruising, which will force him to miss his planned final start in the GI Breeders' Cup Classic. Dornoch, fourth in the GI Travers Stakes last out, has been retired from racing and will begin his stud career at Spendthrift Farm in 2025. "Dornoch's performance in the Travers really wasn't what we expected, and we just have not been happy with the way...

In this continuing series, TDN's Senior Racing Editor Steve Sherack catches up with the connections of promising maidens to keep on your radar. How stacked exactly was this year's Travers day 2-year-old maiden? Even the fourth-place finisher should be on your radar. In a race completely dominated on the front end, Godolphin homebred Sovereignty (c, 2, Into Mischief--Crowned, by Bernardini) kicked home impressively from last of 10 on debut for Hall of Fame trainer Bill Mott to stamp himself as one to watch. The 11-1 chance broke on top from...

Adare Manor (Uncle Mo), a winner of her last three races--two of them Grade Is--has been entered in the Pacific Classic, said her trainer Bob Baffert. The five-year-old mare has run four times this year, finishing second in the GI Beholder Mile at Santa Anita March 9 before taking the GI Apple Blossom, GI Santa Margarita, and GI Clement L. Hirsch, has won 10 of 18 starts, three Grade Is, and over $2 million. She came from off the pace to win the Clement Hirsch, and Baffert said that the...

SARATOGA SPRINGS--Travers Weekend has been good to Hall of Fame trainer Todd Pletcher. And not just because he has won the GI Travers Stakes twice--with Flower Alley in 2005 and Stay Thirsty in 2011. The annual blockbuster weekend on the Saratoga Race Course schedule is also known for the 2-year-olds. And Pletcher has had some good ones that have debuted at Midsummer Derby time. On Saturday, it was Tip Top Thomas (Volatile) that emerged as a horse to watch in the future when he won the day's seventh race, a...

SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y.--There was a steady stream of people ambling over to trainer Kenny McPeek's barn at the Annex behind the Oklahoma Training Track Friday morning. They all wanted to send good thoughts to him and his 3-year-old filly, Thorpedo Anna (Fast Anna), as Saturday's $1.25 million GI Travers Stakes at Saratoga Race Course quickly approached. McPeek, standing outside his office with his canine companion Sonny at his side, accepted all the positive vibes. Some lucky ones were even able to secure a pink Thorpedo Anna baseball cap, which were...

TDN's Senior Racing Editor Steve Sherack handicaps Saturday's five Grade I races at Saratoga, headed by the 155th renewal of the Travers. GI Sword Dancer (Race 9) - Can't envision a scenario where the Sword Dancer doesn't go through either of the Godolphin/Charlie Appleby runners Measured Time (GB) (#2) or Silver Knott (GB) (#4), who both enter off impressive graded wins over the Saratoga lawn. Silver Knott is already proven at this 1 1/2-mile trip and has never been in better form, and we still may not have seen the...

Don Alberto homebred Senza Parole (f, 2, Gun Runner--Senza Te, by Street Cry {Ire}) became the 14th 'TDN Rising Star' for her superstar young sire with a tour-de-force victory in the Saratoga opener Friday. The 7-2 chance flashed good early speed between horses right out of the gate from her inside draw, but was content to slot back into third beneath Irad Ortiz, Jr. through an opening quarter in :22.52. She began to make a flashy move rounding the far turn and took over while in hand approaching the quarter pole....

SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. - Tuesday, trainer Ian Wilkes spent 12 hours driving from Kentucky to Saratoga Race Course. By the end of the day Saturday, he is hoping that the time he spent behind the wheel was worth it. Only his 3-year-old filly Just Basking (Arrogate) will be able to let him know if the journey was justified. Just Basking is one of eight 3-year-old fillies entered to run in the $600,000 GI Alabama Stakes at 1 1/4 miles at Saratoga. "If you can't believe in your horse, you shouldn't...