August 19, 2015
The 146th Travers Stakes will be run on Saturday, August 29 at the Saratoga Race Course in Saratoga Springs, New York. The Travers Stakes is the most popular day of the entire Saratoga summer racing meet, traditionally held on the last Saturday of August each year. The race on Saturday is for a purse of $1.25 million at an established distance of 1¼ mile on a dirt track which indicates the biggest Travers Stakes yet. However, the Saratoga Race Course is trying to lure the 2015 Triple Crown winner American Pharoah to enter the race as the purse will then increase to $1.6 million if the 2015 Triple Crown winner participates. American Pharaoh tops the lists of 16 horses nominated to the Saratoga Race Course, but Bob Baffert trainer of American Pharaoh will not make a decision to run the three year old thoroughbred until early next week.
Another sold out crowd is expected at the Saratoga Springs on August 29, but there are still tickets available on the secondary market. Travers Stakes tickets on TicketIQ have an average price of $453.93, with the cheapest ticket priced at $51.
The Travers Stakes race has a longstanding history, which dates back to 1864 when the first ever Travers Stakes was held. Travers, in an instant, became one of the most prestigious events in racing after the word was spread that the race was specifically designed for the best three year old Colts to compete with one another. In the race’s history the course has been run at four different distances, but the distance the horses will run on Saturday has been the same since 1904.
While the Pioneer of the Nile American Pharoah has yet to make a commitment to Travers, the Colt was working out this week breezing past four furlongs, moving for the first time since his runaway victory at the William Hill Haskell Invitational at Monmouth Park on August 2. All signs do point to a potential return for the Three year old Colt’s final race.
If American Pharaoh enters Travers, he could race against Breeders Cup Juvenile winner Texas Red, and Triple Crown Regulars Frosted Keen Ice, Tale of Verve, and Mr. Z.
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