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Essential Quality tops Travers field

New York Hot List Staff | Friday, August 27, 2021


The annual running of the Travers Stakes comes with some good news and some bad news. The good part is that a collection of the sport’s top 3-year-olds will clash at a classic 1 ¼-mile distance. The bad news is that the arrival of Travers Day means that there is only a little more than a week left in the glorious Saratoga meet. Oh well. Back to the good stuff, the Travers will provide an excellent showdown with the leading 3-year-old, Belmont Stakes winner Essential Quality, facing challenges from the likes of Midnight Bourbon, Dynamic One, and Keepmeinmind in what should be a memorable renewal. And remember, first race post time is 11:35 a.m. Saturday at the Spa.

Here’s the Hot List picks for the Travers:

Saratoga, Saturday, Race 12, $1.25 million Travers (G1): (2) Essential Quality has run eight times and is only one length short of a perfect record and that one length was in the Kentucky Derby. This son of Tapit has six graded stakes wins and three of them were in Grade 1s. No other horse in this field has done better than a Grade 3 victory. Essential Quality cut back from the Belmont Stakes to win the Jim Dandy (G2) and that is not easy to do. He has stamina, a turn of foot down the stretch, and knows how to win. (1) Midnight Bourbon hit the board in 8 out of his 10 career starts missing only when sixth in the Kentucky Derby and then when getting fouled in the stretch of the Haskell (G1). He has tactical speed and a class edge with his four recent starts coming in Grade 1 and 2 stakes. (4) Dynamic One bounced back from a bad experience in the Kentucky Derby to win the Curlin at Saratoga with a closing move where he looked like a winner the entire race. Todd Pletcher has this son of Union Rags going in the right direction. (7) King Fury has had bad luck mixed in with excellent races. He was meant for the Jim Dandy but then could not run when his barn was quarantined. Trainer Kenny McPeek opted to give him a race on the turf. The 15-1 morning line odds seem too high but are very attractive since his wins are just as good as anybody in the field but the top choice.

Analysis of Saturday’s full card and the Special Saturday Pick 3 are available free of charge at this website.