The next article was written by NESN’s Colin Sheehan.
There is a large storyline unfolding in horse racing lately.
The 2024 Travers Stakes deserves your consideration this Saturday. Let’s study why.
What’s the Travers Stakes?
The Travers Stakes, often known as the “Midsummer Derby,” is the marquee occasion of the historic Saratoga summer season meet. It’s restricted to 3-year-old’s and is run over the filth floor at a mile and 1 / 4 with a handbag of $1.25 million.
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The sphere typically options lots of the finest horses from the Triple Crown season, and this yr is not any completely different, as Sierra Leone (runner-up within the Kentucky Derby), Dornoch (winner of the Belmont and Haskell Stakes) and Fierceness (Florida Derby and Jim Dandy winner) are all slated to race. These three proficient horses are joined by Honor Marie, who was a well-liked Derby selection (eighth in Derby; fourth in Belmont), and a few new faces on the scene, together with Invoice Mott-trained Batten Down (first in Ohio Derby; third in Jim Dandy) and evenly raced Unmatched Knowledge, who has gained all three of his begins.
What makes this yr so particular?
Enter: Thorpedo Anna!
Nicknamed “The Grizzly, “Thorpedo Anna is a 3-year-old filly who has dominated her competitors this yr, profitable the Kentucky Oaks (filly model of the Kentucky Derby), the Acorn Stakes at Saratoga on Belmont Stakes weekend and the Teaching Membership American Oaks — all by at the least 4 lengths. She began seven instances and gained six of these contests, main her coach, Kenny McPeek, to determine to run her in opposition to the boys within the Travers.
A filly taking up the boys at all times brings added consideration, however when it is a race as huge because the Travers, it is the story that is fascinating the racing world. She is trying one thing that hasn’t been performed for the reason that filly Girl Rotha gained the Travers in 1915.
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With a fast search of Thorpedo Anna on X, one can simply see how her each transfer is being effectively documented. Kudos to McPeek for offering each day updates on what her subsequent transfer will probably be. Whether or not it is strolling across the barn, education within the paddock or understanding on the monitor, every replace has been an occasion that racing followers need to be a part of.
Thorpedo Anna received her nickname, “The Grizzly,” when McPeek was quoted earlier than the Kentucky Oaks as saying, “They higher convey a bear, as a result of I’m bringing a Grizzly!”
McPeek actually hasn’t been flawed. And now, we are going to discover out if “The Grizzly” is nice sufficient to beat the boys.
Thorpedo Anna is ridden by Kentucky Derby-winning jockey Brian Hernandez Jr., and drawing the within put up goes to require one other sturdy rail experience, just like the experience he gave Mystik Dan to win the Derby.
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From an Equibase velocity determine standpoint, Thorpedo Anna’s career-best is a 105, which places her in firm with the opposite prime horses (who’re within the 105-110 vary).
The principle competitors
Dornoch, who’s partly owned by former Main League Baseball participant Jayson Werth, is the largest menace within the race. Dornoch’s popping out social gathering concerned profitable this yr’s Belmont Stakes at Saratoga after which backing that up with one other stable victory within the Haskell Stakes.
Dornoch would be the early velocity and attempt to take the sphere wire to wire. Being in put up place No. 7 provides some intrigue to the setup, nonetheless. Within the Belmont Stakes, Dornoch gained from the No. 6 gap.
To Dornoch’s outdoors is Fierceness, the Kentucky Derby favourite who has been unable to place collectively back-to-back profitable performances. After simply profitable the Jim Dandy on July 27, the query comes again round. Fierceness needs to be forwardly positioned and can profit from nobody to his outdoors, permitting him to simply sit off Dornoch.
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Sierra Leone is your nearer who continues to return up simply brief at brief costs and is hard to belief as a win candidate, although the expertise is clearly there. He is actually a horse that you could depend on to get into your trifectas, with second-place finishes within the Derby and Jim Dandy and a third-place end within the Belmont Stakes.
Can Thorpedo Anna do it?
Horse racing might use a narrative like Thorpedo Anna profitable such a giant race. And he or she has a superb opportunity right here. I might be mendacity if I mentioned I wasn’t pulling for her as a fan.
A key to her success would be the Chad Brown-entered No. 3, Unmatched Knowledge, who must be placing stress on the early velocity of Dornoch and Fierceness. If the three of them get right into a duel on the entrance finish, and Thorpedo Anna is ready to save floor on the rail and sit behind them as they tire, she must be in nice place to move them late.
The spectacular factor about Thorpedo Anna is how confidently and comfortably she has completed her races, many instances with Hernandez barely transferring. That features a race during which she misplaced a shoe and her final race when she had quite a lot of hassle leaving the gate.
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Sierra Leone and Honor Marie would be the late threats closing late. Honor Marie provides blinkers and switches to extremely succesful jockey Tyler Gaffalione, and at 20/1 could be a greater worth choice beneath as a substitute of Sierra Leone.
Take a stroll across the Saratoga grounds lately and the enduring second of Rachel Alexandra profitable the Woodward is throughout you. This might be one other iconic second on the historic monitor.
I’ll take Thorpedo Anna to win and also will key her in exactas over Dornoch, Sierra Leone and Honor Marie. Lets go Grizzly!
Here is a have a look at the total area for the Travers Stakes:
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1: Thorpedo Anna – Kenneth McPeek/Brian Hernandez Jr — 3/1
2: Sierra Leone – Chad Brown/Flavien Prat — 7/2
3: Unmatched Knowledge – Chad Brown/Irad Ortiz Jr. — 8/1
4: Company Energy – Claude McGaughey III/Javier Castellano — 15/1
5: Batten Down – William Mott/Junior Alvarado — 20/1
6: Honor Marie – D. Whitworth Beckman/Tyler Gaffalione — 20/1
7: Dornoch – Danny Gargan/Luis Saez — 5/2
8: Fierceness – Todd Pletcher/John Velazquez — 3/1
