Travers Stakes
| Grade 1 race | |
139th Travers Stakes logo (2008)
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| Location |
Saratoga Race Course Saratoga Springs, N.Y., U.S. |
|---|---|
| Inaugurated | 1864 |
| Race type | Thoroughbred |
| Website | nyra.com/saratoga |
| Race information | |
| Distance | 1 1⁄4 miles (10 Furlongs) |
| Record | 1: 59 1⁄5 secs, Arrogate (2016) |
| Surface | Dirt |
| Track | Left-handed |
| Qualification | 3-year-old American-bred |
| Weight |
Colt/Gelding: 126 lb (57 kg) Filly: 121 lb (55 kg) |
| Purse | US$1,250,000 |
The Travers Stakes is an American Grade I Thoroughbred horse race held at Saratoga Race Course in Saratoga Springs, New York. It is nicknamed the "Mid-Summer Derby" and is the third-ranked race for American three-year-olds according to international classifications, behind only the Kentucky Derby and Belmont Stakes. First held in 1864, it was named for William R. Travers, the president of the old Saratoga Racing Association. His horse, Kentucky, won the first running of the Travers. The race was not run in 1896, 1898, 1899, 1900, 1911, and 1912.
The Travers is run at scale weights: colts and geldings carry 126 pounds (57 kg) and fillies carry 123 pounds (56 kg). The purse was increased to $1,000,000 in 1999 and then to $1,250,000 in 2014. The purse for the 2015 renewal was increased to $1,600,000 due to the presence of Triple Crown winner American Pharoah. The race is the highlight of the summer race meeting at Saratoga, just as the Belmont Stakes is the highlight of the spring meeting at Belmont Park.
The Travers has been run at four different distances:
In 1941, Whirlaway became the only horse ever to win the both the American Triple Crown and the Travers Stakes, sometimes referred to as a "superfecta".
In 1962, arguably the greatest Travers in history took place. Jaipur won by a nose-bob in track record time over the arguably more talented Ridan after a long, head-to-head battle over the entire mile and a quarter. Still written and talked about today, the race is listed in the 2006 book Horse Racing's Top 100 Moments written by the staff of Blood-Horse Publications. The race result determined which colt would be named the 1962 U.S. Champion 3-Year-Old Horse.
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