Study Guide: 2024 Travers Stakes

Aug 19, 2024 J. Keeler Johnson/TwinSpires.com

The $1.25 million Travers (G1) over 1 1/4 miles at Saratoga draws a quality field every year, but the 2024 edition has come up especially strong.

All eight entrants are stakes winners. Six are graded stakes winners, four are Grade 1 winners, and one was last year's two-year-old male champion. Five of them competed in either the Kentucky Derby (G1) or Kentucky Oaks (G1) during the spring at Churchill Downs.

This top-to-bottom depth means the Travers is packed with viable win contenders. Let's review the entries:

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Thorpedo Anna

Start(s): 7
Wins: 6
Place: 1
Show: 0

Owner: Brookdale Racing, Mark Edwards, Judy B. Hicks, and Magdalena Racing
Breeder: Judy Hicks
Trainer: Kenny McPeek
Jockey: Brian Hernandez Jr.

Top Speed Rating: (101) when winning the Acorn (G1) at Saratoga.
Total Earnings: $1,980,663

Sire: Fast Anna
Dam: Sataves
Color: Dark bay/brown

The red-hot filly Thorpedo Anna is 4-for-4 this year, winning the Fantasy (G2), Kentucky Oaks (G1), Acorn (G1), and Coaching Club American Oaks (G1). She's repeatedly defeated quality competition, but facing males over 1 1/4 miles is a new challenge. The last filly to win the Travers was Lady Rotha in 1915, so Thorpedo Anna has more than 100 years of history to overcome.

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Sierra Leone

Start(s): 7
Wins: 3
Place: 3
Show: 1

Owner: Mrs. John Magnier, Michael B. Tabor, Derrick Smith, Westerberg, Rocket Ship Racing, and Peter M. Brant
Breeder: Debby M. Oxley
Trainer: Chad Brown
Jockey: Flavien Prat

Top Speed Rating: (104) when finishing third in the Belmont (G1) at Saratoga.
Total Earnings: $2,218,000

Sire: Gun Runner
Dam: Heavenly Love
Color: Dark bay/brown

Blue Grass (G1) winner Sierra Leone has been running well against strong competition, finishing second in the Kentucky Derby (G1), third in the Belmont (G1), and second in the Jim Dandy (G2). But the latter two defeats came against Travers rivals Dornoch and Fierceness, so Sierra Leone may need a career-best effort to turn the tables.

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Unmatched Wisdom

Start(s): 3
Wins: 3
Place: 0
Show: 0

Owner: Klaravich Stables
Breeder: Estate of Harvey A. Clarke, Paul Braverman, Sebastian Murat, et al.
Trainer: Chad Brown
Jockey: Irad Ortiz Jr.

Top Speed Rating: (99) when winning the Curlin S. at Saratoga.
Total Earnings: $178,750

Sire: Cairo Prince
Dam: Glide On By
Color: Dark bay/brown

Unmatched Wisdom has yet to taste defeat, winning his first three starts for hot trainer Chad Brown. He led all the way in the Curlin S. at Saratoga last month, but the 99 Brisnet Speed rating he received looks a little light against the Travers field, so stepping up sharply in class is a question mark.

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Corporate Power

Start(s): 5
Wins: 2
Place: 2
Show: 0

Owner: Courtlandt Farms
Breeder: Stonestreet Thoroughbred Holdings
Trainer: Shug McGaughey
Jockey: Javier Castellano

Top Speed Rating: (98) when finishing second in the Curlin S. at Saratoga.
Total Earnings: $148,200

Sire: Curlin
Dam: Road to Victory
Color: Bay

Corporate Power won the Sir Barton S. during the spring, then closed gamely to finish second by one length against Unmatched Wisdom in the Curlin. He's improving for Hall of Fame trainer Shug McGaughey, but the Travers is by far his toughest test to date.

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Batten Down

Start(s): 6
Wins: 2
Place: 1
Show: 2

Owner: Juddmonte
Breeder: Juddmonte
Trainer: Bill Mott
Jockey: Junior Alvarado

Top Speed Rating: (100) when winning the Ohio Derby (G3) at Thistledown.
Total Earnings: $454,850

Sire: Tapit
Dam: Close Hatches
Color: Gray/roan

Batten Down picked up a graded victory when leading all the way to win the Ohio Derby (G3) in a decisive finish, but he subsequently finished a distant third to Fierceness and Sierra Leone in the Jim Dandy, suggesting he has form to find against this caliber of competition.

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Honor Marie

Start(s): 7
Wins: 2
Place: 2
Show: 0

Owner: Ribble Farms, Michael H. Eiserman, Earl I. Silver, Kenneth E. Fishbein, and Dave Fishbein
Breeder: Royce Pulliam
Trainer: D. Whitworth Beckman
Jockey: Tyler Gaffalione

Top Speed Rating: (100) when finishing fourth in the Belmont (G1) at Saratoga.
Total Earnings: $626,175

Sire: Honor Code
Dam: Dame Marie
Color: Bay

Winner of the Kentucky Jockey Club (G2) last fall, Honor Marie has gone 0-for-4 competing against tough competition this year, with his best finish being a second in the Louisiana Derby (G2). Adding blinkers could potentially sharpen the speed of this deep-closing colt, a positive since he rallied much too late when fourth in the Belmont behind Dornoch and Sierra Leone.

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Dornoch

Start(s): 9
Wins: 5
Place: 2
Show: 0

Owner: West Paces Racing, R. A. Hill Stable, Belmar Racing and Breeding, Two Eight Racing, and Pine Racing Stables
Breeder: Grandview Equine
Trainer: Danny Gargan
Jockey: Luis Saez

Top Speed Rating: (106) when winning the Belmont (G1) at Saratoga.
Total Earnings: $2,352,275

Sire: Good Magic
Dam: Puca
Color: Bay

When Dornoch secures a comfortable trip on or near the lead, he's mighty tough to defeat. Victories in the Haskell (G1), Belmont (G1), Fountain of Youth (G2), and Remsen (G2) have come at the expense of talented rivals like Sierra Leone and Honor Marie, stamping Dornoch as a major win threat — and the slim morning-line favorite — in the Travers. It's worth noting he's already scored a top-tier victory over this track and 1 1/4-mile distance in the Belmont.

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Fierceness

Start(s): 7
Wins: 4
Place: 0
Show: 1

Owner: Repole Stable
Breeder: Repole Stable
Trainer: Todd Pletcher
Jockey: John Velazquez

Top Speed Rating: (112) when winning the Breeders' Cup Juvenile (G1) at Santa Anita.
Total Earnings: $1,978,850

Sire: City of Light
Dam: Nonna Bella
Color: Bay

Consistency isn't a strong suit for Fierceness, who has faltered as the favorite in three high-profile stakes. But sandwiched among those defeats are terrific victories in the Breeders' Cup Juvenile (G1), Florida Derby (G1), and Jim Dandy (G2). In the latter race, held at Saratoga last month, Fierceness overcame a wide trip to defeat Sierra Leone by one length with a strong 105 Brisnet Speed rating. If Fierceness brings his A game to the Travers, he'll be a formidable win threat, but his past performances suggest that's not a certainty.