Bet on the Travers Stakes
The Travers Stakes is a prestigious thoroughbred race for American horses three-years and older. For this event, colts and geldings carry 126 pounds while fillies carry 121 pounds. The beautiful Saratoga Race Course hosts this event every summer, with the winner receiving the Travers Trophy, known as the Man o' War Cup, since 1920. This competition was established in 1864, named in honor of William R. Travers, former president of the Saratoga Racing Association, and has run on the dirt track at a length of 1 1/4 miles.
Travers Stakes Racebooks
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* REMINDER! - you must be of legal age in your state or province to legally wager on thoroughbred or harness horse racing. Please bet responsibly!
Travers Stakes Betting Odds
We usually take advantage of Bovada's racebook services when making online wagers for races like the Travers Stakes. In addition to solid customer service, they offer 5% back on exotic action like trifectas and up to 3% cashback on straight wagers, like win, place and show. If you're a newcomer, check out their website to get a 50% free bet on your first wager, up to a total of $250.
2016 Travers Stakes Contenders
With 14 three-year-old colts expected to go to the gate, the 2016 Travers will see the biggest field in years, and for handicappers the race is loaded with talent and could feature a few top contenders going off at juicy odds. Topping the field as the morning line favorite at 3-1 is Preakness Stakes winner Exaggerator, who comes in off a win in the Haskell Invitational at Monmouth. For the Curlin colt, his task is to prove he can win at the Grade 1 level on a fast track, something he has yet to do, and something he'll most likely have to do if he has designs on a victory in the Breeders' Cup Classic at Santa Anita in November.
Second choice in the ML is the decidely lesser-known Connect (4-1), who will be making his first start at the graded-stakes level. After running third in his career bow last year, he's run off three straight wins in 2016, including taking the Curlin Stakes at Saratoga last out over several others in the Travers' field. Following him at 6-1 is Bob Baffert's American Freedom, who earlier won the Iowa Derby before runnning second in Haskell, a race where he enjoyed a narrow lead through most of the trip before being caught in the lane by Exaggerator.
The opportunity for larger-priced payoffs in the Travers lies with a group of horse that were part of the Triple Crown chase in the spring, namely the 1-2 runners in the Belmont, Creator (15-1) and Destin (10-1). Creator comes into the Travers off a poor showing in the Jim Dandy last out, but should benefit from the extra 1/8 of a mile they'll go here, while Destin is a horse that has shown a good ability to rate off the pace in the past, and a good turn of foot once they turn for home.
The Travers Stakes goes Saturday, July 27 from Saratoga. Post time is 5:44 PM Eastern.
Entries with ML Odds
1) Arrogate (10-1)
2) American Freedom (6-1)
3) My Man Sam (20-1)
4) Governor Malibu (12-1)
5) Forever d'Oro (30-1)
6) Anaximandros (50-1)
7) Exaggerator (3-1)
8) Destin (10-1)
9) Gift Box (12-1)
10) Connect (4-1)
11) Majesto (30-1)
12) Creator (15-1)
13) Laoban (15-1)
14) Gun Runner (10-1)
Did you know?
The Travers Stakes is one of the oldest, most established races in North America, drawing the best American horses for over a century. Considered the highlight of the Saratoga Race Course season, this event continues to attract top talent. As we've seen in the past two years, the history of the Travers includes plenty of upsets.
Whirlaway is the only horse to win the Triple Crown of thoroughbreds and the Travers Stakes, achieving this incredible feat in 1941. One of the most famous races in history was the 1962 edition of the Travers, with Ridan and Jaipur battling neck-to-neck every inch of the entire race, resulting in Jaipur winning by a nose-bob. Notorious gangster Arnold Rothstein stirred up controversy when his horse, Sporting Blood, won the 1921 Travers Stakes under dubious circumstances, taking home almost half-a-million dollars in purse and bets. The winner's colors are painted on the Travers Canoe every year since 1961. The canoe has rested on Saratoga's infield pond since 1926.
