3-year-old division leader to be decided in the 27 August Grade 1 Travers Stakes
It is all going to come down to the wire, especially with eight months to go before the 2011 season comes to a close, and the 3-year-old division is yet to crown its champion and it looks as if the Grade 1 Travers Stakes winner would be the decisive factor
in the hunt.
The $1 million Grade 1 Travers Stakes has reeled in recent big winners and others who have narrowly missed their chances but certainly don’t lack in potential.
However, the focus would be on entrants like Coil, Shackleford, Stay Thirsty and Ruler on Ice, because whoever goes on to win the Travers Stakes would ride straight to the top of the 3-year-old division without a doubt.
It is shaping up to be a huge race as always, but this year too much is at stake and the favourites declared would certainly have an impact going in to the race.
Mike Repole owned and Todd Pletcher trained 3-year-old colt, Stay Thirsty, who went on to win the Grade 2 Jim Dandy Stakes at Saratoga on 30 July, 2011, over a distance of 1 1/8 miles on dirt, under Javier Castellano, is selected as the 5 to 2 favourite.
Travers Stake is run over a distance of 1 ¼ miles and Stay Thirsty has only once run the classic distance at Grade 1 Kentucky Derby and finished 12th at Churchill Downs.
Among the four top ranked sophomores is the Grade $1million Haskell Invitational winner Coil and he is sent as the second choice at 3 to 1.
The 3-year-old Point Given colt is trained by Bob Baffert for owners Michael Pegram, Karl Watson and Paul Weitman. Coil is 4 of 6 starts and he broke his maiden in 2010, will be looking to increase his wins in the Travers Stakes and for the top spot at the
3-year-old division.
Trainer Bob Baffert won the 2001 Grade 1 Travers Stakes with Coil’s sire Point Given. Bob Baffert is pretty optimistic about his colt’s prospects in the Travers on 27 August, 2011 at Saratoga after the training sessions he had turned in.
Then we have the Grade 1 Preakness Stakes winning 3-year-old Shackleford, also the Haskell Invitational runner-up. Trained by Dale Romans, the 3-year-old colt has been front and centre in the 3-year-old division so far and hasn’t found his bearings as of
yet.
Missing by a head in the Florida Derby and on top of that running all three Triple Crown races, and winning the Preakness Stakes is quite an achievement.
Last but not the least we have the Grade 1 Belmont Stakes title holder Ruler on Ice, who placed in a third in the Haskell Invitational and he is sent off at 6 to 1 to win the race.
It is all set to go and the top spot at the 3-year-old division is on the line as the top contenders ready themselves to take on each other at the Saratoga main track on 27 August.
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