Saturday At 'The Spa': Saratoga Race Course Picks For Travers Day
Most casual sports fans have heard of the Triple Crown but don't know about the Travers Stakes at Saratoga Race Course in New York. Aka The Midsummer Classic, the Travers is the biggest race of the Saratoga summer meet. The 2024 Travers features three horses from the Kentucky Derby and Belmont Stakes winner, here at The Spa, #7 Dornoch.
Looking to make history, #1 Thorpedo Anna is trying to become the first filly since 1915 to win the Travers. Thorpedo Anna is 4-for-4 this year with three Grade 1 wins, including the Kentucky Oaks and two at Saratoga: The Acorn on Belmont Stakes weekend, and the Coaching Club American Oaks.
The #1 horse at the 2024 Travers Stakes, Thorpedo Anna, galloped her win to a victory at the Kentucky Oaks at Churchill Downs.
However, the best thing about Travers Day for horse racing fans, and gamblers, is there are four additional Grade 1 Stakes races (9-12), such as the Sword Dancer Stakes, Ballerina Handicap, Forego Stakes, and H. Allen Jerkens Memorial Stakes.
It's the second-to-last weekend of Saratoga's 2024 summer meet. After winning +$37.75 Alabama Day last week, enough to buy you two drinks and a hot dog at the track (not including tips), I'm down -$75.75 this summer. But, I can make that back in one race, and I plan to. In fact, I'm hitting #2 Sierra Leone in the Travers Stakes (Race 13).
Saratoga Race Course Picks for Travers Day
Race 9: Grade 1 Sword Dancer Stakes, 3:44 p.m. ET post time
Six horses on a 1.5-mile inner turf track for three-year-olds and older with a $750,000 purse.
1- Soldier Rising (GB)
- Morning Line (ML): 8-1
- Record (Win-Place-Show): 22-4-11-3
- Jockey: Luis Ortiz
- Trainer: Christophe Clement
- Best Beyer Speed Figure (BSF): 103
The top two betting choices, #2 Measured Time (GB) and #4 Silver Knott (GB), are Charles Appleby trainees, owned by Godolphin, and are the class in this race. But, I'll try to beat them, and "use" them in my Pick 5, because the added distance helps Soldier Rising the most. He is a "closer" with the fastest late pace in this Sword Dancer field at 123.
Furthermore, Soldier Rising is 1-5-1 in eight career races at 1.25 miles and the next closest horse has two races at this distance. He is 0-7-2 in 13 career graded races and 1-3-1 in six career races at The Spa. Soldier Rising has five career 100+ BSFs. The next closest horse, #4 Silver Knott, the top betting choice, has two.
$15 Win, Place: #1 Soldier Rising ($30 total bet)
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Race 10: Grade 1 Ballerina Handicap, 4:20 p.m. ET post time
Eight horses on a seven-furlong dirt track for fillies, who are three-year-old and upward with a $500,000 purse.
8- Munnys Gold
- ML: 10-1
- Record: 8-4-1-1
- Jockey: John Velazquez
- Trainer: Todd Pletcher
- Best BSF: 106
This is the best price Munnys Gold has ever gotten. She has been the top betting choice in six of her eight career races. Munnys Gold’s best price before was $4.40 in the Grade 1 Acorn Stakes at Belmont Park last year.
She is the fastest race in the field with a 106 BSF in a 17.25-length victory win in 2023. Munnys Gold has hit the board in all three races at this distance and two of her three races at Saratoga.
$10 Win, Place: #8 Munnys Gold ($20 total bet)
$3.50 Trifecta Box 3,5,8 ($21 total bet)
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Race 11: Grade 1 Forego Stakes, 4:55 p.m. ET post time
Eight horses on a seven-furlong dirt track for four-year-olds and older with a $500,000 purse.
8- Cagliostro
- ML: 9-2
- Record: 11-3-4-1
- Jockey: Jose Ortiz
- Trainer: Cherie Devaux
- Best BSF: 98
He's cutting back to a sprint after running at least a mile in his first three races of the season. Cagliostro has two wins and a second in 2024 with 98, 96, and 97 BSFs. He also has the fastest "late pace" at 101 and a quick "early pace" at 97. So, Upstart's son should be able to stay in the race and finish late against these non-closers.
$25 Win: #8 Cagliostro
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Race 12: Grade 1 H. Allen Jerkens Memorial Stakes, 5:30 p.m. ET post time
Eleven horses on a seven-furlong dirt track for three-year-olds with a $500,000 purse.
8- Book'em Danno
- ML: 7-2
- Record: 8-6-2
- Jockey: Javier Castellano
- Trainer: Derek Ryan
- Best BSF: 101
I can almost guarantee Danno will close as the top betting choice. He won the Grade 1 Woody Stephens, beating the #5 Prince of Monaco by a half-length at Saratoga in June. Book'em Danno has won his two races at seven furlongs. His two seconds were by 0.75 lengths in the Nashua and Grade 3 Saudi Arabia Derby, both at a mile.
Nevertheless, there are a lot of good horses in this field. I'm using #2 Speak Easy, #3 Domestic Product, and #7 Otto the Conqueror underneath the #8. Otto struggles in routes but excels in sprints (less than one mile). Domestic Product has the best jockey (Flavien Prat) and trainer (Chad Brown) combo. Speak Easy is 2-0 with wins at The Spa
$20 Win: #8 Book'em Danno
$2.00 Trifecta Wheel 8/2,3,7/2,3,7 ($12 total bet)
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Race 13: Grade 1 Travers Stakes, 6:10 p.m. ET post time
Eight horses on a 1.25-mile dirt track for three-year-olds with a $1.3 million purse.
2- Sierra Leone
- ML: 7-2
- Record: 7-3-3-1
- Jockey: Flavien Prat
- Trainer: Chad Brown
- Best BSF: 102
I’ve been waiting all summer to bet this guy, and we finally have a good price on him. Sierra Leone has been the top betting choice in four of his last five races, but everyone will bet Dornoch or Thorpedo Anna.
Saratoga is known as the Graveyard For Champions with Triple Crown winners Secretariat and American Pharoah both losing here. That said, Sierra Leone never ran a bad race, so this wouldn't be that big of an "upset".
The #2 in the 2024 Travers Stakes, Sierra Leone, trains at Saratoga Race Course in New York. (Gregory Fisher-USA TODAY Sports)
The son of Gun Runner won his first two races this year against graded company (Risen Star and Blue Grass). Otherwise, he lost by a nose in the Kentucky Derby, finished third by 1.5 lengths in the Belmont, and lost to #8 Fierceness in the Grade 2 Jim Dandy by a length at Saratoga last month.
Also, Sierra Leone has the fastest late pace, so the 1.25-mile distance works to his benefit. There are two "early speed" horses starting on either side of him, forcing him to get out of the gate faster. Ultimately, Sierra Leone has a great setup and will snap his losing skid.
$40 Win bet on #2 Sierra Leone
$5.00 Trifecta Wheel 2/3,7/3,7 ($10 total bet)
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50-Cent Pick 5 (Races 9-13): $27
- Race 9: 1,2,4
- Race 10: 3,5,8
- Race 11: 6,8
- Race 12: 3,7.8
- Race 13: 2
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