In a year in which the sophomore picture has been in constant flux, Saturday's GI Travers S. at Saratoga seems like it might live up to its name as the “Midsummer Derby” and finally provide some clarity once and for all. For the first time in 35 years, the prestigious meet's centerpiece features the separate winners of all three legs of the Triple Crown.
It's difficult to determine where to even begin in discussing the Travers field, but with the default leader of the 3-year-old division often being the GI Kentucky Derby winner, Always Dreaming (Bodemeister) is as good a place to start as any. A romping winner of the GI Xpressbet Florida Derby, he seemed a worthy and decisive winner in Louisville, but returned two weeks later in the GI Preakness S. and faded to a well-beaten eighth behind Cloud Computing (Maclean's Music). Favored again in the GII Jim Dandy S. here July 29, he enjoyed the easiest of leads before being blown away by last-to-first winner Good Samaritan (Harlan's Holiday) and edged for second by the longest shot in the field that day in Giuseppe the Great (Lookin At Lucky). Cloud Computing was fifth.
“We've done a better job with him coming into this race,” trainer Todd Pletcher said of Always Dreaming. “Honestly, I think we left him probably a little bit short for the Jim Dandy. I wasn't anticipating quite as demanding of a racetrack that it turned out to be at that time. We put four works in between the Preakness and the Jim Dandy, so I think that race hopefully brings him forward, plus [he's had] two good works since then.”
Pletcher will also saddle the 7-2 morning-line favorite for the race in $1.2-million GI Fasig-Tipton Saratoga grad Tapwrit (Tapit), last seen outstaying Irish War Cry (Curlin) in the 12-panel GI Belmont S. June 10 after finishing off the board in both the GII Blue Grass S. and Kentucky Derby.
“Everyone was in agreement that the Travers was the race for him,” said the two-time winning trainer of the race. “We felt like if we ran in either the Jim Dandy or the [GI] Haskell, we'd leave a little something on the table that we wanted to save for the Travers. I think he's been training exceptionally well and has put in some good breezes and I feel good that we have him fit enough and fresh enough to fire his 'A' race.”
Chad Brown, who conditions Cloud Computing, also referred to the tiring nature of the track on Jim Dandy day.
“The track was very demanding [for the Jim Dandy],” said Brown. “This horse has never let us down in a workout or a race except that one day. [He] just didn't come out of that race like we've normally seen. Since the race I've thought about the Travers a little bit, he's come back and worked great twice going to the [main] track and it's tightened up nicely and he's ready to run his race.”
The other big 3-year-old race of the summer, the GI Haskell Invitational S. at Monmouth, was a microcosm of how this crop has taken turns beating each other. Girvin (Tale of Ekati) and McCraken (Ghostzapper), both major players on the Triple Crown trail, ran one-two, separated by a nose, at inflated odds of 9-1 and 7-1 down the shore July 30.
Irap (Tiznow), meanwhile, broke his maiden at 31-1 in the Blue Grass, and made it seem like maybe that effort was the exception rather than the rule when he checked in 18th in the Derby. But the well-bred Reddam colorbearer has been better than ever since a freshening. He out-nosed Girvin in the GIII Ohio Derby while earning a 102 Beyer Speed Figure that matches the Derby and Preakness-winning numbers, and doubled up with a five-length romp in the GIII Indiana Derby July 15 that was further flattered when second finisher Colonelsdarktemper (Colonel John) annexed the GIII West Virginia Derby.
Bob Baffert unleashed a monster in the form of Arrogate (Unbridled's Song) in last year's Travers, and he'll look to continue a dominant run in New York with lightly raced West Coast (Flatter). The $425,000 KEESEP yearling kicked off a banner day for the Baffert barn when he cruised in the Easy Goer S. on Belmont day June 10, and he secured his third straight by daylight in the GIII Los Alamitos Derby July 15.
Gunnevera (Dialed In) turned in one of the most impressive performances in the lead-up to the Derby when he catapulted from last to first in Gulfstream's GII Xpressbet Fountain of Youth in March. Third, fifth and seventh, respectively, in the Florida Derby, Kentucky Derby and Preakness, he resurfaced a facile five-length winner of Gulfstream's Tangelo S. Aug. 6. His only prior trip to this track was a successful one: he upset last August's GII Saratoga Special S.
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