By Tim Wilkin
SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. – As expected, the field for Saturday's 156th running of the $1.25-million GI Travers Stakes will be a small one.
That is because the best 3-year-old in the country, Sovereignty (Into Mischief) is running.
Only four others will challenge Godolphin's Sovereignty, who is trained by Hall of Famer Bill Mott and ridden by Junior Alvarado.
The last time only five horses were entered for the Travers was in 1994 when Holy Bull (Great Above) won.
The smallest field in Travers history was two horses and that happened four times, the last in 1921.
Sovereignty drew post position four and was made the 2-5 morning-line favorite by David Aragona, the oddsmaker for the New York Racing Association.
“We're not taking anything for granted,” Mott said.
Sovereignty has won four of five starts this year, the last two at Saratoga. On July 26, he won the GII Jim Dandy Stakes by a length over Baeza (McKinzie). Before that, he took two legs of the Triple Crown, the GI Belmont Stakes and GI Kentucky Derby. In both those races, he defeated Journalism (Curlin), who was favored in each one.
The connections of Baeza and Journalism have opted to skip the Travers and stay in their home bases in California.
Second choice in the morning line goes to 2-1 Magnitude (Not This Time), who missed the Triple Crown races because of an ankle chip. Trained by Hall of Famer Steve Asmussen, Winchell Thoroughbreds LLC's Magnitude won his first start since February when he romped to a 9 1/4-length win in the Iowa Derby at Prairie Meadows on July 5.
Before that, he had won the GII Risen Star, like the Iowa Derby, in front-running fashion. He took it by 9 3/4 lengths at odds of 43-1.
“That is a horse that is very interesting,” Mott said. “He won the Risen Star easily and then came back off a long layoff and ran equally as well. There are a couple horses (in the Travers) that look like they've got good, reasonable, honest type speed if they want to use it.”
BBN Racing's Bracket Buster (Vekoma), trained by Vicki Oliver, could also show speed in the Travers. He finished fourth in his last start, the GI Haskell Stakes; earlier this year he was second in the GIII Lexington.
Trainer Chad Brown will run Seth Klarman's Klaravich Stables' Strategic Focus (Gun Runner), who was third in the Curlin Stakes as the 3-5 favorite in his last start. Before that, the 'TDN Rising Star' won his first two starts.
The Rick Dutrow, Jr.-trained McAfee (Cloud Computing) was last seen finishing second in the GIII West Virginia Derby. He is owned by Black Type Thoroughbreds, Swinbacnk Stables LLC, Judy Hicks and Scott Rice.
Here is the field for the Travers, in post-position order, with trainers, jockeys and odds:
- Magnitude, Steve Asmussen, Ben Curtis, 2-1
- Bracket Buster, Vicki Oliver, Luis Saez, 20-1
- Strategic Focus, Chad Brown, Flavien Prat, 6-1
- Sovereignty, Bill Mott, Junior Alvarado, 2-5
- McAfee, Richard Dutrow, Jr., John Velazquez, 20-1
You Win the Alabama, You Get a Carmel Apple
After winning the GI Alabama Stakes on Saturday, dual Hall of Fame trainer Mark Casse decided to treat himself. He wanted a caramel apple.
And that's exactly what he did. After Casse and wife Tina had dinner at Mrs. London's on Broadway in Saratoga Springs, they moved down the street to Kilwins Ice Cream Shop so he could get his just desserts.
“I told her I thought I deserved a caramel apple,” Casse said outside his barn on the Saratoga backstretch Sunday morning. “If my horses run good, I'll go get one.”
His horses ran good in the Alabama.
Mark Casse feeds Nitrogen a peppermint Sunday morning | Sarah Andrew
Nitrogen (Medaglia d'Oro), the 2-1 second choice, took a giant step upwards in the race for top 3-year-old filly when she won the 1 1/4-mile race by a convincing 1 1/2 lengths over Good Cheer (Medaglia d'Oro), the 7-5 favorite. Jose Ortiz rode the horse to the victory.
Casse's other filly in the race, La Cara (Street Sense) finished fourth.
The Alabama is the first Grade I on Nitrogen's resume. She was second, beaten a neck in the GI Belmont Oaks Invitational at Saratoga on July 5.
On Sunday morning, Casse accepted well wishes from rival trainers who passed by in golf carts as well as those who were on foot.
All was well with Nitrogen, who was wide-eyed and bright as she watched life go by from her stall. Owned and bred by D. J. Stable LLC, Nitrogen has won six of seven starts this year, the first five coming on grass. The only reason she ran in the Alabama was because she had blitzed two other opponents in the off-the-turf GIII Wonder Again on June 7.
She won that race by 17 lengths.
Casse said it is most likely that Nitrogen will be running on the dirt the rest of the way this year.
“I don't think that would even be a question,” Casse said.
Nitrogen will probably get one more start before heading to the GI Breeders' Cup Distaff at Del Mar on Nov. 1.
The options, Casse said, are a listed stakes at Churchill Downs (the $175,000 Seneca Overnight Stakes at 1 1/16 miles on Sept. 20) or the $650,000 GI Spinster Stakes at 1 1/8 miles against older fillies and mares at Keeneland on Oct. 5. He said he is not going to totally rule out the $1-million GI Cotillion at Parx on Sept. 20, but that is the probable landing spot for La Cara.
Casse admitted that going into the Alabama, a race he had never won, he was nervous.
“I thought we had a shot to run 1-2 and that's what probably made me nervous,” he said.
Cox Not Disappointed in Good Cheer
Even though she lost for the second straight race–after starting her career with seven consecutive victories–trainer Brad Cox has not lost any faith in his top 3-year-old filly Good Cheer (Medaglia d'Oro).
Nitrogen outfinishes Good Cheer in the Alabama | Sarah Andrew
She finished second in the GI Alabama Stakes on Saturday, but Cox was upbeat as he talked about the loss in his office at his barn at the Oklahoma Training Track Sunday morning.
Owned by Godolphin, Good Cheer was defeated by 1 1/2 lengths by Nitrogen in the Alabama.
“She ran good,” Cox said. “I felt like she was going to run her race, and I think she did. She just could not overcome the soft pace up front. I'm not disappointed in the effort at all.”
Good Cheer had assumed the top spot in the 3-year-old filly division after winning the GI Kentucky Oaks at Churchill Downs on May 2.
That was her first Grade I score and followed a pair of Grade II wins– the Rachel Alexandra Stakes and Fair Grounds Oaks.
The first loss of her career came in the GI Acorn Stakes at Saratoga over a sloppy track. That race, which was won by Nitrogen's stablemate La Cara, who was fourth in the Alabama, was dismissed by Cox because of the track.
“That is what happens in shorter fields,” Cox said, referring to the six-horse Alabama. “You don't get pace. When you have a larger group of fillies, there is more pressure on everybody; jockeys have to make decisions, and they just naturally go quicker. We got a good ride yesterday and a good effort.”
Pace-setting La Cara set fractions of :24.94 for the quarter, :49.70 for the half and 1:13.24 for the first six furlongs.
Nitrogen was able to get the jump on Good Cheer and hold her off to the finish.
“That filly is the leader (of the division) and she deserves to be,” Cox said. “But the season is not over.”
Cox said he hopes to get another race into Good Cheer before heading to the GI Breeders' Cup Distaff.
Sunday, Cox sent out another Godolphin runner, Highland Falls (Curlin) for a four-furlong work in :49 (30/106) on the main track. Regular rider Luis Saez was on board.
In his last start, Highland Falls finished second behind 'TDN Rising Star' Sierra Leone (Gun Runner) in the GI Whitney Stakes earlier this month.
“He breezed real good,” Cox said. “It was foggy when he went there, and we had someone let us know when he hit the half-mile pole, and we saw him from the eighth pole home. He was traveling well, and Luis was happy with him.”
Cox said that Highland Falls could run next in the $1-million GI Jockey Club Gold Cup on Aug. 31. He also said if he does not run in that race, he could be pointed to the $500,000 GII Lukas Classic at Churchill Downs or the $300,000 GII Woodward at Aqueduct. Both of those races are on Sept. 27.
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