Archives » Travers Stakes
The Street Sense We Got
It wasn't the Street Sense who dominated in the Breeders' Cup Juvenile or the Kentucky Derby. The Street Sense who won the Travers, writes Mike Watchmaker, "was the Street Sense who barely edged Any Given Saturday in the Tampa Bay Derby, who missed in a photo in the bizarrely run Blue Grass, and who was nailed by Curlin in the Preakness when he pulled himself up after opening a clear lead in deep stretch" (DRF+). The great shame of Street Sense's imminent retirement to stud (BRIS) is that he'll never get a chance to overcome this immaturity and fulfill his immense talent. We might get to see how Street Sense does against older horses before the Breeders' Cup Classic, though: The September 22 Massachusetts Handicap is among the BC prep options trainer Carl Nafzger is considering. "You need to run, I think, against older horses," Nafzger said (Times Union). The possibility must be tantalizing Suffolk Downs officials. The MassCap lost its graded status after it was cancelled in 2005 and 2006, but the track is dangling a large bonus on top of its $300,000 purse to any winner of a Triple Crown race entered.
Posted by JC, Aug 27, 2007 09:05 PM
And It's Birdstone, Again
The diminutive Belmont winner repeated that feat with the Travers, easily holding off The Cliff's Edge and Eddington in the stretch.
More: "Birdstone shows Belmont was no fluke" (New York Times); "Birdstone quiets doubters" (Daily Racing Form); "Little colt proves he's all heart" (Times Union).
See the race replay.
[8/29 Follow-up: "Lion Heart injured, retired" and "Birdstone's next start likely BC Classic" (Daily Racing Form)]
Posted by JC, Aug 28, 2004 07:20 PM
Last-Minute Travers Roundup
Matt Graves says: The Cliff's Edge. "I've thought the Travers was Cliff's race for months." (Times Union)
Eddington looks for redemption. "It's the classic 7-foot-freshman case." (New York Post)
Beware Purge. "Purge doesn't like company, unless it's tasty." (Dallas Morning News)
Obligatory Smarty mention. (Boston Globe)
Posted by JC, Aug 28, 2004 04:40 PM
Overlooked
"It's a pity no one pays attention to the Travers," writes Daniel Habib on Sports Illustrated, "because it features the Triple Crown contenders, winnowed down and more physically mature, racing at the most idyllic track in the U.S." He's so right. Of the hundreds of thousands who tuned into the Triple Crown races, relatively few will watch this Saturday as a field of very talented three-year-olds take to the track. What a shame....
Posted by JC, Aug 26, 2004 05:10 PM
Questions, Questions
"Purge looks dandy" in the Travers, says the Boston Globe. There's just one problem: he's never put two races together, notes Matt Graves. But then, he's not the only horse running this Saturday raising questions: Is the distance too much for Lion Heart? Can Birdstone return from an 84 day layoff?
Posted by JC, Aug 26, 2004 09:10 AM
Huge Exacta Lurking in Travers?
All this talk about Purge and Lion Heart -- what about Eddington and Suave, the two likeliest big overlays? "There has not even been a whisper about Eddington and Suave, who likely will be the two longest-priced horses in the race. It would be audacious to suggest none of the aforementioned marquee horses will finish first or second, but this is the so-called graveyard of favorites, remember? So, why scramble your brain trying to sort out all those obvious horses when you can simply take the plunge; go for broke; let it all out." (Blood-Horse)
Posted by JC, Aug 26, 2004 09:05 AM
Field Drawn for Travers
| PP | Horse | Jockey | ML |
| 1 | Eddington | Migliore | 15-1 |
| 2 | Lion Heart | Biancone | 3-1 |
| 3 | Purge | Velazquez | 2-1 |
| 4 | Sir Shackleton | Bejarano | 10-1 |
| 5 | Birdstone | Prado | 3-1 |
| 6 | The Cliff's Edge | Sellers | 7-1 |
| 7 | Suave | Day | 20-1 |
More: "Field of 7 drawn for Travers" (Daily Racing Form)
Posted by JC, Aug 25, 2004 01:50 PM
Trainers, Horses Prep for Travers
Purge, Eddington, and Lion Heart prepare for Saturday's big race (ESPN); trainer Nick Zito plans to send out a trio (New York Daily News); and a likely longshot "has the look of greatness" (Times Union).
Posted by JC, Aug 24, 2004 10:00 AM
One Fewer for Travers
"Rock Hard Ten sick, likely out of Travers" (Daily Racing Form)
Posted by JC, Aug 12, 2004 11:20 AM
Lion Heart, Purge to Meet in Travers
Which is the better horse? "That will be determined on Aug. 28, with a showdown in the $1 million Travers Stakes at Saratoga, a race that will also include Belmont winner Birdstone and The Cliff's Edge, who finished second to Purge in the Jim Dandy." (Daily Racing Form)
Posted by JC, Aug 10, 2004 09:30 AM
