SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. – The $1.25 million Travers is obviously the highlight of Saturday’s outstanding 14-race program at Saratoga. Although for bettors, the short field and imposing presence of division leader Sovereignty makes the race pale in comparison to the opportunities that present themselves on a challenging undercard featuring four other Grade 1 stakes.
The undercard is topped by the Personal Ensign, which features the local return of reigning Horse of the Year Thorpedo Anna, and an absolutely wide-open renewal of the seven-furlong Allen Jerkens.
Thorpedo Anna was among the stars of the 2024 Saratoga session after winning both the Grade 1 Acorn and Coaching Club American Oaks as a prelude to her near-miss in the Travers, when she was beaten a head by Fierceness following a heart-throbbing stretch run. She will face six rivals in the $500,000 Personal Ensign, which offers a fees-paid berth into the Breeders’ Cup Distaff. The race includes the Chad Brown-trained duo of Raging Sea and Randomized, both of whom Thorpedo Anna finished well behind when seventh and last in the Grade 1 La Troienne this spring at Churchill Downs.
Like Thorpedo Anna, Raging Sea and Randomized are Grade 1 winners over this track, as is Dorth Vader, who upset the Ogden Phipps over sloppy footing here on June 6. Dazzling Move, Bernietakescharge, and Leslie’s Rose complete the lineup.
One can make a case for just about any of the eight speedsters entered for the Allen Jerkens, a lineup that features a trio of top contenders – Midland Money, Barnes, and Madaket Road – from the barn of trainer Bob Baffert. Midland Money has won both of his previous starts in one-sided fashion but will get a class test making his stakes debut on Saturday. Barnes turns back to what appears his preferred distance while looking to regain the form that saw him win the seven-furlong, Grade 2 San Vincente last winter at Santa Anita, while Madaket Road overcame an eventful start to finish second making his local bow in the Grade 1 Woody Stephens.
Trainer Brad Cox will counter the Baffert threesome with the pair of Patch Adams, the impressive and well-graded winner of the Woody Stephens, and the undefeated Verifire, who beat a strong field rather easily stepping up against stakes opposition for the first time earlier this summer in the seven-furlong Maxfield at Churchill Downs.
Multiple Grade 1 winner Chancer McPatrick adds to the depth of the lineup along with Smoken Wicked and Captain Cook. Smoken Wicked dominated the Grade 2 Amsterdam earlier in the meet after having chased home Verifire in the Maxfield. Captain Cook will be making his first start since being transferred to Hall of Fame trainer Todd Pletcher’s barn several weeks ago.
Older sprinters, male and female, will take center stage a short while later going seven furlongs in the Forego and Ballerina.
The male sprint division is wide open, so it was no surprise to see a nearly full field of 11 entered for the Forego, topped by Book’em Danno, who’s coming off dominant victories here earlier in the Grade 3 True North and Grade 2 Alfred Vanderbilt. Book’em Danno, currently third in the sprint division in Daily Racing Form’s latest rankings, and arch rival Mullikin, who is fifth on that list, will likely be favored, but they will be facing some stiff opposition in a lineup that features six other last-out winners, a group led by Cox’s red-hot duo of Most Wanted and Bishops Bay.
Baffert may have the horse to beat in the Ballerina with the multiple Grade 3 winner Hope Road, potentially the one to catch in another wide-open betting affair. She faces seven rivals, among them horse-for-course Brightwork, who is perfect in three starts locally and the only member of the field with a Grade 1 victory, the 2023 Spinaway, on her résumé.
The Forego and the Ballerina are Breeders’ Cup Challenge races for the Sprint and Filly and Mare Sprint, respectively.
The Travers Day stakes action gets underway with the Grade 2 Lake Placid, which drew just six 3-year-old fillies, topped by May Day Ready, runner-up in the 2024 Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies, and Reigning Flowers, beaten a neck when finishing third here last month in the Grade 3 Lake George.