2023 Travers Stakes Field Preview & Poll
Dr. Gregory Beroza, aka HorseDoc ‘Talking Horses,’ offers a a brief preview of this year’s Travers Stakes.
Saratoga Empty Starting Gate. Photo by GBeroza.
This year’s 2023 Travers Stakes at Saratoga promises to be an epic battle of the country’s best 3-year-olds, including: last year’s 2-year-old Eclipse Award Champion Forte, Kentucky Derby winner Mage, Preakness winner National Treasure, and Belmont Stakes winner Archangelo.
We’ve gathered expert opinions, analyses, and predictions from Hall of Fame Trainers, former Travers winning Trainers, plus other knowledgeable racing insiders and broadcast them in a YouTube documentary video. The winner of this race will potentially enter the Premier Breeder’s Cup Classic later this year and be eligible for Horse of the Year Honors.
Twenty-five previous Travers winners have been inducted into Saratoga’s Thoroughbred Racing Hall of Fame. This will be a memorably historic race. The Travers is run at 6pm ET and broadcast on Fox affiliates and FanDuel TV. Full video coverage with pictures is available on the ‘Talking Horses’® YouTube Channel.
| Post | Horse | Last Race | Trainer | Jockey | Record | Odds | Earnings |
| 1 | Forte | Jim Dandy Stakes G2 (1st) | T. Pletcher | Irad Ortiz, Jr. | 9: 7-1-0 | 7-5 | $2,954,830 |
| 2 | Archangelo | Belmont Stakes G1 (1st) | J. Antonucci | Javier Castellano | 5: 3-1-0 | 5-2 | $1,067,400 |
| 3 | Tapit Trice | Haskel Stakes G1 (5th) | T. Pletcher | Jose Ortiz | 8: 4-0-2 | 12-1 | $1,063,650 |
| 4 | Mage | Haskel Stakes G1 (2nd) | G. Delgado, Sr. & G. Delgado, Jr. | Luis Saez | 6: 2-2-1 | 4-1 | $2,488,700 |
| 5 | National Treasure | Belmont Stakes G1 (6th) | B. Baffert | John Velasquez | 7: 2-1-2 | 8-1 | $1,365,000 |
| 6 | Disarm | Jim Dandy Stakes G2 (4th) | S. Asmussen | Joel Rosario | 8: 2-2-2 | 8-1 | $750,200 |
| 7 | Scotland | Curlin RS (1st) | W. Mott | Junior Alvarado | 4: 3-1-0 | 12-1 | $211,210 |
Trainer/Jockey/Historic Notes:
- T. Pletcher already won two Travers. Neither Irad or Jose Ortiz have won a Travers. Irad Ortiz Jr is currently leading Saratoga meet jockey.
- Jena Antonucci is the first female trainer to win a Triple Crown race. Archangelo’s sire Arrogate won Travers for Trainer Baffert in 2016 in record standing time of 1:59.36. Jockey Javier Castellano holds the record for winning 5 Travers.
- Bob Baffert won three Travers and his Jockey John Velasquez won two Travers.
- This will be the first Travers since 2017 and the fourth time three Triple Crown winners will compete in Travers.
- W. Mott and J. Alvarado have never won a Travers.
- Keen Ice, trained by Dale Romans, defeated Triple Crown Winner American Pharoah in the 2015 Travers, after coming second in the Haskell. Mage finished second in the Haskell this year. This is the Delgado’s second Travers having saddled runner-up Caracaro in 2020.
- Jim Dandy winners and participants have done well in Travers ie Forte & Disarm.
- Both favorites (Tiz the Law-2020; Essential Quality-2021; Epicenter-2022) and long-shots (Arrogate-2016 12:1-2016; Keen Ice 2015 16-1-2015; V.E. Day 2014 20:1; Golden Ticket 2012 34:1) have won the Travers.
Dr. Gregory A. Beroza, DVM, DACVS, DABVP has been a practicing veterinarian and consultant for 42 years; and HorseDoc® ‘Talking Horses’® media host, author, and consultant since 2007. Dr. Beroza is a multimedia host and broadcasts his productions, including a new Podcast, via his WuzUpDoc Media website: www.WuzUpDoc.com. He can be found on Twitter, Facebook, Youtube and other social media sources.
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