Horse Racing: Travers Stakes preview
It was never a done deal but horse racing enthusiasts hoped that Lookin at Lucky would make an appearance at the highlight of the Saratoga racing season. That won’t be happening though. His trainer Bob Baffert confirmed that Lookin at Lucky is out of the $1 million grade I Travers Stakes.
Baffert was never sure about the Travers Stakes. “I hate to say yes and I hate to say no because I’ve been known to change my mind,” Baffert said. Lookin at Lucky has been racing hard this summer and the past season. The horse featured in 2009 as a two year old and already has 5 starts this year. Baffert was concerned about Lookin at Lucky’s health.
Those were reasonable concerns because after the spectacular win at the hotly contested Haskell, Lookin at Lucky spiked a fever. Baffert said that just before Lookin at Lucky caught the fever they were seriously considering returning to Saratoga for Travers but the fever and subsequent treatment regime that will last for three weeks rules out that possibility for good.
The Haskell winner may be out but Super Saver is being pointed towards the Travers Stakes. The Kentucky Derby winner admittedly finished poorly at Monmouth Park but is still a strong contender and expected to race at the Travers. Even though the horse finished second and couldn’t give the winner a good enough challenge the trainers were satisfied with his performance. Trainer Todd Pletcher said that the race was not disappointing. He said that Super Saver made a great effort and was challenging the pacemakers by the halfway point. Lookin at Lucky was in a league of his own but Super Saver didn’t let go of the rest of the field. He finished a very close fourth.
The owners of the Derby winner, Bill Casner and Kenny Troutt, also own Drosselmeyer. The three year old pulled a 13-1 upset in the Belmont Stakes and was being pointed towards the Travers when an Ankle Injury sidelined the horse for the remainder of the year including the Travers. Another Travers hopeful out due to Injury was Winslow Homer. Winslow Homer landed 2 first place finishes in 3 starts this year and is not expected to return to racing before next year.
A big name at the Haskell Invitational and runner up to Lookin at Lucky, Trappe Shot would also be taking a shot at the Travers Stakes. His trainers couldn’t be happier with his second place Haskell finish. “We were second to a top horse. We're disappointed because we think an awful lot of this horse. But this race is the best of the best, and right now we're in second-place,” trainer Kiaran McLaughlin said. The Trainer was torn between the King Bishop and Travers stakes scheduled for the same day later this month.
He expressed concerns about sending Trappe Shot off against the Amsterdam Stakes Winner, Discretely Mine who is being pointed at the King Bishops instead of the Travers. However, as long as Lookin at Lucky was destined for Travers too, the trainer had a difficult choice to make between the two events. Now that the most promising horse of the year is no longer a threat at the Travers, the race would be Trappe Shot’s most likely next start.
Another contender for the Travers Stakes would be the Jim Dandy Stakes winner, A Little Warm. The horse has had a splendid season so far. He finished first in 3 of his 5 starts this year and second in the remaining two. His trainer Anthony Dutrow, while answering questions outside A Little Warm’s Barn said that he saw no reason why the horse wouldn’t be racing on the 28th. “The Travers is a go,” he said.
Dutrow said that A Little Warms 1 3/4 length win at the Jim Dandy would have given anyone confidence. “How does he fit with his peers going into the Travers? I think very well.”
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