Travers Stakes: the race where crowns hold no value

Golden Tempo will arrive at Saratoga on Saturday as the winner of the Kentucky Derby and the Belmont Stakes, and the betting favorite, but history demands caution: from Gallant Fox to Affirmed, by way of some of the greatest upsets of all time, the Midsummer Derby built much of its legend by tearing down champions

Keen Ice defeating Triple Crown winner American Pharoah in the 2015 Travers Stakes ADAM COGLIANESE / NYRA

By Diego H. Mitagstein

There are racetracks where champions build their history, and others where they must also defend it. Saratogadefinitively belongs to the second group. It is not by chance that, over the years, it earned one of the most famous nicknames in world racing: The Graveyard of Champions.

And if there is one race capable of explaining such a reputation on its own, it is the Travers Stakes (G1), the traditional Midsummer Derby that will celebrate its 157th edition this Saturday, featuring a $1,250,000 purse and 2,000 meters capable of once again reshaping the map of a generation.

Golden Tempo will arrive there carrying a weight that might feel like tons to any other horse. Winner of the Kentucky Derby (G1) and the Belmont Stakes (G1), the colt owned by Phipps Stable and St. Elias Stable starts as the 5-2 morning-line favorite and will look to reaffirm his status as the leader among the 3-year-olds. But Saratoga has a long memory. And the memory of the Travers is filled with champions who arrived convinced that nothing could go wrong, only to become part of the other side of history.

Perhaps the most famous case occurred in 1930. Gallant Fox was the undisputed king of the United States at the time. He had captured the Preakness Stakes, the Kentucky Derby, and the Belmont Stakes, becoming the second Triple Crown winner in history, even though that designation had not yet reached the mythic stature it holds today.

The son of Sir Gallahad III entered the Travers as a heavy 1-2 favorite. The track was muddy, and for much of the running, he engaged in a grueling duel with Whichone (Chicle). Meanwhile, racing almost unnoticed in the back, was Jim Dandy (Jim Gaffney).

Off at 100-1 odds, Jim Dandy capitalized on the exhaustion of the frontrunning champions, surged past, and ultimately defeated Gallant Fox by 8 lengths. It was one of the greatest upsets in American racing history, making such a profound impact that Saratoga eventually named one of its premier stakes after him—the traditional prep race leading into the Travers.

Twelve years earlier, however, the Travers had already demonstrated that credentials could be left at the gate. The 1918 edition brought together for the first time the winners of the three races that would later form the Triple Crown: Exterminator (McGee) entered following his victory in the Kentucky Derby; War Cloud (Polymelus) had taken the Preakness; and Johren (Spearmint) had claimed the Belmont.

It seemed impossible for the Travers to fall into any other hands. Yet, Sun Briar (Sundridge) won it by a head, setting a track record in the process.

More than a century later, it remains one of those extraordinary statistical gems that help put the magnitude of the Travers into perspective: all three winners of the Triple Crown races lined up together at Saratoga, and not one of them could win.

Even the absolute greatest were put to the test there.

Man o' War (Fair Play) won the 1920 Travers in 2m1s4/5, a record that stood untouched for 42 years. He also had the satisfaction that afternoon of defeating Upset (Whisk Broom), the only horse ever to beat him, which had occurred just a year prior at Saratoga in the Sanford Stakes.

The redemption of Man o' War also serves to show that the Graveyard of Champions moniker extends far beyond the Travers itself.

Man o' War lost there. Secretariat (Bold Ruler) fell there in 1973 to Onion (Third Martini) in the Whitney Stakes(G2). And there, in 2015, American Pharoah (Pioneerof the Nile) arrived after becoming the first Triple Crown winner in 37 years, only to find an unexpected spoiler in Keen Ice (Curlin) in the Travers.

Saratoga shows little regard for reverence.

Another unforgettable chapter in Travers history was written in 1978, when Affirmed (Exclusive Native) and Alydar(Raise a Native) met once more after staging one of the most remarkable Triple Crown battles on record.

Affirmed had defeated Alydar in the Kentucky Derby, repeated the feat in the Preakness, and edged him out again by a mere head in the Belmont to seal the Triple Crown. At Saratoga, he crossed the line first once more. But he did not get the victory.

Affirmed drifted in and interfered with Alydar during the stretch run; the stewards intervened and disqualified him. Alydar was awarded the victory, achieving in the stewards' room what he had never been able to accomplish across the three spring classics: officially defeating his eternal rival.

There were also Travers editions that made history without needing an upset.

In 1962, Jaipur (Nasrullah) and Ridan (Nantallah) ran virtually nose-to-nose for the entire distance. They engaged each other early, neither gave an inch, and they hit the wire as one. Jaipur won by a nose in record-setting time, an edition still frequently cited among the finest of the 156 Travers run to date.

Every era has found its own story, and now it is Golden Tempo’s turn. His challenge even has a very recent blueprint. Just twelve months ago, Sovereignty (Into Mischief) arrived at Saratoga after taking the Kentucky Derby and the Belmont, and dominated the Travers, becoming the first horse since Thunder Gulch (Gulch) in 1995 to sweep all three races in the same season. Before that, Shut Out (Equipoise) had accomplished it in 1942.

Golden Tempo will attempt to repeat the feat, but it will be no simple task.

Renegade (Into Mischief), recent winner of the Jim Dandy Stakes (G2), looms as the second choice at 3-1. Also lining up are Preakness Stakes (G1) winner Napoleon Solo (Liam's Map) and Haskell (G1) winner Baby Vino(Vino Rosso).

There will also be special focus from South America on The Puma (Essential Quality), trained by Gustavo Delgadoand featuring hall-of-famer Javier Castellano, the all-time record-holding jockey in the Travers with 7 victories. The chestnut colt will break from post 4 and has been installed at 8-1.

Golden Tempo will break from post 9. He has already proven that 2,000 meters suit him brilliantly, and he boasts a campaign that puts him a cut above the rest. On Saturday, he will have the chance to transform that supremacy into something even greater.

First, however, he must pass through Saratoga—the same stage that saw Gallant Fox fall when he seemed invincible; the track where all three 1918 Triple Crown race winners were defeated together; the place where Affirmed crossed the wire first only to be placed second; the venue that brought down Man o' War, Secretariat, and American Pharoah.

The Travers carries 157 years of stories. Many were written by champions. Several of the very best, curiously enough, were written by those who dared to defeat them. Golden Tempo may arrive on Saturday loaded with titles, classic victories, and favoritism, but when the gates open, all of that stays behind. Because Saratoga is Saratoga. And in the Graveyard of Champions, crowns have never guaranteed a thing.