Champion Essential Quality (Tapit) came into Saturday's GI Runhappy Travers S. as the heavy favorite with three other Grade I victories to his credit, in addition to his Eclipse Award. Midnight Bourbon (Tiznow), on the other hand, entered with a point to prove as he never had a chance to show his stuff last time in Monmouth's GI Haskell Invitational S. July 17, after clipping heels and almost going down in the stretch. Essential Quality got the better of his rival at Saratoga Saturday, but not before Midnight Bourbon gave him a run for his money in a nail-biting stretch drive.
Hammered down to 2-5 favoritism, Essential Quality bobbled a step exiting the two-hole while Midnight Bourbon got away cleanly from the inside stall. The 5-1 shot dictated terms through a :24.18 first quarter with the chalk leading the rest of the field a few lengths back in second. Midnight Bourbon still had things his own way on the front end through a half in :48.96, but Essential Quality and the others closed the gap as three-quarters went in 1:14.49. Curlin S. runner-up Miles D (Curlin) ranged up alongside Essential Quality approaching the far turn, but the Eclipse winner quickly dismissed him and moved up to challenge the pacesetter. Essential Quality and Midnight Bourbon exited the bend in unison and battled stride-for-stride down the lane, pulling well clear of the rest of their rivals. Midnight Bourbon battled on gamely at the fence, forcing Essential Quality to summon all of his class to forge clear in the final strides for a neck success. It was five lengths back to Miles D in third.
“We were hoping that he wouldn't lose as much ground and have more of a ground-saving trip as opposed to the Jim Dandy,” said winning trainer Brad Cox. “Luis [Saez] did a good job of recognizing that there wouldn't be a whole lot of pace. He asked him to run out of there and established good position and didn't let Midnight Bourbon get too far away up the backside. I was a little worried up the backside once he cleared up with softer fractions. He's a tremendous horse. He's a champion and he ran like one today.”
The conditioner added, “He's danced a lot of dances and shown up. His lone defeat was the Kentucky Derby, where we felt he was right there in the mix. He's done nothing wrong. We're proud of what he's accomplished this year and he's a very good horse with a fantastic resume.”
“This is a great accomplishment for the whole Godolphin team to be a part of this magical ride,” said Godolphin's Jimmy Bell. “When you go to the Belmont at the mile and a half, to a mile and an eighth [in the Jim Dandy] to a mile and a quarter, hats off to the way they brought him into this race in good form. Luis Saez might be the hottest jockey in the country. We're just very fortunate and blessed to be a part of this team.”
“Right from [the gate] I was on him [Midnight Bourbon] because I knew he was the speed horse, and that horse, when he takes the lead, he keeps going,” said Saez, who piloted champion Will Take Charge (Unbridled's Song) to victory in the 2013 Travers. “So, I got on him right from there and put him right there in the beginning. He seemed so perfect. That was the plan, but I always feel like I have so much horse that I can make my move and get going. He gets past the horse and he can stay there, he don't waste energy. It's amazing, that's my second Travers and I'm so thankful to be here and be a part of it in this amazing race.”
As for Midnight Bourbon, jockey Ricardo Santana said, “I got a perfect trip. I couldn't ask for a better trip. The winner is way too good. I was walking on the lead and he was going pretty well, too. We slowed it down a little more and went [six furlongs] in 1:14 and I was very happy with him, but the winner was way too good.”
Tabbed a 'TDN Rising Star' after his debut win at Churchill last September, Essential Quality followed suit with a win in the GI Claiborne Breeders' Futurity at Keeneland a month later and capped an Eclipse-winning season with a win in the GI Breeders' Cup Juvenile at that oval in November. Opening his sophomore account with a dominant score in a sloppy edition of Oaklawn's GIII Southwest S. Feb. 27, the homebred captured the GII Toyota Blue Grass S. back in Lexington Apr. 3. Suffering his first defeat when fourth as the favorite in the GI Kentucky Derby May 1, he skipped the GI Preakness S. in favor of the June 5 GI Belmont S. and took that contest by 1 1/4 lengths. Essential Quality prepped for the Midsummer Derby with a half-length defeat of Keepmeinmind (Laoban) in the local GII Jim Dandy S. July 31.
Pedigree Notes:
Essential Quality is one of 27 Grade I scorers for record-setting sire Tapit and one of 91 graded stakes winners by the Gainesway stalwart. The champion colt is one of 10 Grade I winners and 61 graded victors out of a daughter of the late Darley stallion Elusive Quality. Godolphin went to $3-million to acquire Essential Quality's second dam, the unraced Contrive (Storm Cat), just after her daughter Folklore (Tiznow) completed her championship juvenile season with a win in the GI Breeders' Cup Juvenile at Belmont at the 2005 Fasig-Tipton November Sale. She was in foal to Pleasantly Perfect at the time of that purchase. Delightful Quality went on to be Grade III-placed for Sheikh Mohammed's operation and Essential Quality is her only winner from two foals to race. Her second foal, the now-5-year-old mare Indelible (Tiznow), summoned $1.6 million from Nobutaka Tada at last term's Fasig-Tipton November sale. Delightful Quality's most recent produce is an unraced juvenile filly named Famed (Uncle Mo). She was barren when bred to Uncle Mo for 2020 and barren yet again when bred to his son Nyquist for 2021. The 12-year-old mare visited Tapit this spring. Essential Quality hails from the family of two-time Japanese champion Contrail (Jpn) (Deep Impact {Jpn}).
Travers Day Handle & Attendance…
The 13-race Runhappy Travers Day card generated all-sources handle totaling $51,381,515. A paid crowd of 44,507 witnessed Essential Quality's (Tapit) victory in the feature event. On-track handle was $9,406,526. NYRA was honored to welcome New York Governor Kathy Hochul to Saratoga Saturday, where she presented the Man o' War Cup to the connections of Essential Quality.
Saturday, Saratoga
RUNHAPPY TRAVERS S.-GI, $1,225,000, Saratoga, 8-28, 3yo, 1 1/4m, 2:01.96, ft.
1–ESSENTIAL QUALITY, 126, c, 3, by Tapit
 1st Dam: Delightful Quality (GSP, $253,900), by Elusive Quality
 2nd Dam: Contrive, by Storm Cat
 3rd Dam: Jeano, by Fappiano
'TDN Rising Star' O/B-Godolphin, LLC (KY); T-Brad H. Cox;
J-Luis Saez. $670,000. Lifetime Record: 9-8-0-0, $4,215,144.
Werk Nick Rating: A. Click for the eNicks report & 5-cross
pedigree.
2–Midnight Bourbon, 126, c, 3, Tiznow–Catch the Moon, by
Malibu Moon. ($525,000 Ylg '19 KEESEP). O-Winchell
Thoroughbreds LLC; B-Stonestreet Thoroughbred Holdings
LLC (KY); T-Steven M. Asmussen. $230,000.
3–Miles D, 126, c, 3, Curlin–Sound the Trumpets, by
Bernardini. ($470,000 Ylg '19 KEESEP). O-Peter M. Brant &
Robert V. LaPenta; B-River Bend Farm (KY); T-Chad C.
Brown. $125,000.
Margins: NK, 5, NK. Odds: 0.45, 5.80, 18.70.
Also Ran: Keepmeinmind, King Fury, Masqueparade, Dynamic One.
Click for the Equibase.com chart, the TJCIS.com PPs, or the free Equineline.com catalogue-style pedigree. VIDEO, sponsored by TVG.
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