The Puma seeks to make the grade in the Travers Stakes, with Javier Castellano as a luxury partner

The Gustavo Delgado trainee arrives sharper following his fourth-place finish in the Haskell Stakes (G1) and will once again have the Venezuelan jockey aboard, who will be targeting his eighth victory in Saratoga's midsummer derby

SARATOGA SPRINGS, New York (Special for Turf Diario).— Among the many prominent names lining up this Saturday for the Travers Stakes (G1-2,000 m, $1,250,000), The Puma emerges as one of those horses capable of making a significant leap forward. His connections are confident that his fourth-place finish in the Haskell Stakes (G1) served to restore his racing sharpness, and they now expect to see a version much closer to the colt that came within a nose of winning the Florida Derby (G1).

Trained by Venezuelan horseman Gustavo Delgado, The Puma returned in the Haskell after nearly four months on the sidelines. Over a muddy and sealed track at Monmouth Park, he finished fourth, beaten 4 1/4 lengths in a performance compromised by multiple factors.

“Luis Saez rode him for the first time in the Haskell and only met him that day. We were training at Gulfstream and had to travel up to New Jersey to run at Monmouth. He was coming off a four-month layoff, the track was heavy, and he stumbled coming out of the gate. It was three or four things piling up,” explained Gustavo Delgado Jr., son and assistant to the trainer.

The outlook promises to be different this time. The Puma has a start under his belt and will reunite with Javier Castellano, his regular jockey, who missed the Haskell while sidelined with an injury. He will break from post 4 and has been pegged at 8-1 on the morning line.

The presence of Castellano adds a special flavor. Just three days before the Travers, the Venezuelan reached 6,000 career wins in the United States at Saratoga, and he will now aim to extend a record he already holds: he is the winningest jockey in the history of the midsummer derby.

Castellano boasts seven Travers victories, achieved aboard Bernardini (Bernardini, 2006), Afleet Express (Afleet Alex, 2010), Stay Thirsty (Bernardini, 2011), V. E. Day (English Channel, 2014), Keen Ice (Curlin, 2015), Catholic Boy (More Than Ready, 2018), and Arcangelo (Arrogate, 2023). His victory with Keen Ice holds a unique place in history, as it ended the undefeated streak of Triple Crown hero American Pharoah (Pioneerof the Nile).

“He definitely knows how to win this race,” acknowledged Delgado Jr. “He’s been working him and is happy with the way he comes into the race. We’d love to see him run the way we think he can.”

The Puma has shown solid signs during his preparation at Saratoga. Castellano has been in the irons for several of his breezes, with the barn focusing primarily on building stamina ahead of the demanding 2,000 meters of the Travers.

The chestnut colt also possesses a pedigree tailor-made for the challenge. He is a son of Essential Quality, winner of the Travers in 2021 for Brad Cox, and his connections believe the distance could play heavily in his favor.

“We know he’s fast already, so we tried to build stamina. His sire won the Travers 5 years ago, he has the pedigree for it, and his gallop-outs after the works have always been strong. Maybe the race sets up in his favor; that’s what we’re hoping for,” Delgado Jr. explained.

For the team, it also marks a return to the Travers after sending out Mage (Good Magic) in the 2023 edition following his victory in the Kentucky Derby (G1).

Comparisons between the two are inevitable, though Delgado Jr. notes clear differences. “I think people relate The Puma to Mage because he was our other major horse. They share the same coat color, but their personalities are very different. Mage was more aggressive; this one is more of a chill guy.”

The Puma proved his class prior to his layoff when he lost by just a nose to Commandment (Into Mischief) in the Florida Derby (G1). The Haskell was his first start since, and he now arrives at the Travers with a solid foundation, a race under his belt, and his regular rider back aboard.

Golden Tempo (Curlin), Renegade (Into Mischief), and several of the season's premier 3-year-olds stand in his path. The Puma will need to take another step forward to hold his own against them.

The Delgado barn believes he is primed to do so. And if the best version of the son of Essential Quality shows up, he will have in his stirrups a man who knows the path to the Travers winner's circle like few others.