Derby, Preakness & Belmont Winners Set To Clash In Saturday’s Travers Stakes

Saturday’s (August 26th) Travers Stakes is shaping to be the race of the summer, and it’s one of six Grade I stakes on the card at Saratoga that day! Besides the $1.25 million Travers — whose field includes the Kentucky Derby, Preakness and Belmont winner — the other five stakes include the $1 Million Sword Dancer, $700,000 Personal Ensign, $500,000 Ballerina, $600,000 Forego Stakes, and the $500,000 Allen Jerkens Memorial.

Racing fans can wager all the “Spa” action at a Richmond area OTB — Ponies & Pints downtown, or Breakers Sports Grille in the west end. Virginia residents can also wager on line via TVG.com, XPressBet.com, NYRABets.com and TwinSpires.com.

Belmont Stakes Presented by NYRA Bets (G1) winner Tapwrit, who has been cooling his heels since his classic triumph, was installed as the 7-2 morning-line favorite in the field of a dozen sophomores entered for an exceptionally deep edition the $1.25 million Travers Stakes Presented by NYRA Bets (G1) at Saratoga Race Course Aug. 26.

Saratoga’s summer season is a popular for horseplayers. Their meet runs every Wednesday thru Monday until Labor Day.

With parity the name of the game for the 3-year-old males this season, Tapwrit is one of a fistful of contenders who could emerge this Saturday with a long-awaited grasp on divisional leadership. The Todd Pletcher-trained son of Tapit is set to break from post 4 and will be joined in the gate for the 1 1/4-mile test by stablemate and Kentucky Derby Presented by Yum! Brands (G1) winner Always Dreaming, and by Preakness Stakes (G1) victor Cloud Computing.

The latter two were defeated by Good Samaritan in the July 29 Jim Dandy Stakes Presented by NYRA Bets (G2), with Always Dreaming coming home third after setting the pace and Cloud Computing fading to fifth. Always Dreaming is expected to be the lone speed again Saturday out of post 7 and was installed at 6-1 on the morning-line.

Despite Girvin‘s triumph in the July 30 Betfair.com Haskell Invitational Stakes (G1), that son of Tale of Ekati sits at 10-1 on the morning line with second-choice favoritism going to Bob Baffert trainee West Coast, who was installed at 4-1 odds in the wake of his victory in the July 15 Los Alamitos Derby (G3).

1. Cloud Computing (8-1)

2. Giuseppe the Great (20-1)

3. West Coast (4-1)

4. Tapwrit (7-2)