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Chad Brown-Trained Trio Headline Ballston Spa

Trainer Chad Brown will be represented by a trio of turf distaffers while seeking his sixth triumph in Saturday's 33rd running of the Grade 2, $400,000 Ballston Spa for older fillies and mares going 1 1/16 miles over the Mellon turf at Saratoga Race Course.

Brown, a three-time leading trainer at the Spa, is the winningest trainer in the Ballston Spa, having saddled Zagora [2012] and Lady Eli [2017] to victories en route to Champion Grass Female honors in their respective years, as well as winning with Dacita [2015], Quidura [2018] and Significant Form [2019].

Juddmonte's Viadera, who arrives off nearly three week's rest, was a troubled fourth as the favorite in the De La Rose on Aug. 8 at the Spa, where she made her first start in over eight months. The 5-year-old daughter of Bated Breath will try to regain her winning form from last season, when she secured three stakes victories.

Following a triumph by a neck in the 2020 De La Rose, which was her second start in North America, she won by the same margin against stable mate Blowout in the Grade 3 Noble Damsel on September 26 at Belmont Park. Viadera brought her form to new heights when shipping to Southern California for the Grade 1 Matriarch on November 29 at Del Mar, besting Blowout once more under a well-timed ride by jockey Joel Rosario to win by a nose.

In the De La Rose last out, Viadera rated at the rear of the field along the rail, checked slightly down the backstretch, and lacked racing room in upper stretch to close late finishing 2 ¾ lengths behind stable mate Regal Glory.

“She had a lot of trouble last time, but she got something out of it and hopefully can move forward off short rest,” Brown said.

Rosario, the pilot in all five of her North American starts, will retain the mount from post 3.

Kalifornia Queen, owned by Madaket Stables, Michael Dubb and First Row Partners, arrives off a late-closing second to stable mate Great Island in the Grade 3 Matchmaker on July 17 at Monmouth Park.

A Group 2 winner in her native Germany, the 4-year-old daughter of Lope de Vega was unplaced in graded stakes in her first two starts in North America, but made her third effort stateside a winning one in an allowance optional claiming tilt at the Ballston Spa distance on July 13 at Belmont Park.

Brown said he was satisfied with the effort.

“She ran great last time. Cutting her back and taking the blinkers off have done her well,” Brown said.

Kalifornia Queen will leave post 6 under jockey Flavien Prat.

Swift Thoroughbreds, Madaket Stables and Wonder Stables' Tamahere seeks her first victory since capturing her North American debut in the Grade 2 Sands Point on October 10 at Belmont Park.

The French-bred daughter of Wootton Bassett finished second in two of her three efforts this season. In her 2021 debut, Tamahere was second to Juliet Foxtrot in the Grade 1 Jenny Wiley on April 10 at Keeneland. After a distant ninth in the Grade 1 Longines Just a Game on June 5 at Belmont Park, she received a drop in class into allowance optional claiming company to run second on July 28 at Saratoga.

Jockey Irad Ortiz, Jr. will ride Tamahere from post 2.

Trainer Tony Dutrow will send out Woodford Racing's High Opinion, who bested winners last out on July 31 going one mile over Saratoga's inner turf.

The 4-year-old daughter of Lemon Drop Kid lit up the tote board when breaking her maiden at 97-1 odds on October 10 at Belmont Park and validated the effort when finishing a close second in the next-out Winter Memories on November 15 at Aqueduct.

Jockey Luis Saez will pilot High Opinion from post 1.

R Unicorn Stable's New York Girl has been multiple graded stakes placed since joining the barn of Hall of Fame trainer Bill Mott last year and will seek a breakthrough victory in the Ballston Spa.

The 4-year-old daughter of New Approach was beaten by one length or less in three graded stakes events to kick off her 2021 season. After losing by one length in the Grade 3 Endeavor on February 6 at Tampa Bay Downs, she returned to the Oldsmar oval to finish third beaten three-quarters of a length one month later in the Grade 2 Hillsborough. In the Grade 2 Distaff Turf Mile on May 1 at Churchill Downs, she closed late to finish second and miss by a half-length.

New York Girl arrives off a troubled fourth at allowance optional claiming level on August 1 over the Spa inner turf.

Breaking from post 4, New York Girl will be piloted by Hall of Famer John Velazquez, the winningest rider in the Ballston Spa with five victories.

Rounding out the field is Just In Time Racing's multiple stakes-placed Platinum Paynter, who was third in the Grade 3 Beaugay on May 8 at Belmont Park and in the Grade 3 Dr. James Penny Memorial on July 6 at Parx Racing. Trained by Juan Vazquez, the daughter of Paynter made her 5-year-old debut when second to Regal Glory in the Plenty of Grace on April 24 at Aqueduct.

Jockey Jose Lezcano will ride from post 5.

The Ballston Spa is slated as Race 4 on the 13-race card. First post is 11:35 a.m. Eastern. For the third consecutive year, FOX will air the Runhappy Travers as the centerpiece of a 90-minute telecast beginning at 5 p.m. The networks of FOX and FOX Sports will air 7.5 total hours of live racing and analysis on Runhappy Travers Day, with coverage scheduled to begin at 11:30 a.m. on FS1. For the complete Saratoga Live broadcast schedule, and additional programming information, visit https://www.nyra.com/saratoga/racing/tv-schedule.

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Lexitonian Will Try To Carry Momentum Into Forego

Calumet Farm homebred Lexitonian, a racing enigma who broke through with his biggest performance to date last month, goes after a second consecutive win for the first time in his career in Saturday's Grade 1, $600,000 Forego at Saratoga Race Course.

The 42nd running of the Forego, a seven-furlong sprint for older horses, is one of seven graded-stakes, six of them Grade 1, worth $4.6 million in purses on a blockbuster program highlighted by the 152nd renewal of the Grade 1, $1.25 million Runhappy Travers.

Five of the eight horses entered in the Forego are Grade 1 winners, including Firenze Fire, Mind Control, Mischevious Alex and Whitmore, the champion sprinter of 2020. Lexitonian joined the group with a half-length victory in the six-furlong Alfred G. Vanderbilt July 31, his 19th career start and first since being eased to the wire in the Grade 1 Hill 'n' Dale Metropolitan Handicap June 5 at Belmont Park.

“He's probably not a fan favorite horse because he's a tough horse to handicap. No one knows what to expect,” trainer Jack Sisterson said. “We've always had the confidence to put him in races like that. He does from time to time throw a clunker in. He got beat [45 ¼] lengths in the Met Mile. A lot of people probably would have dropped him down a grade to get him a confidence win and get him back on track, but he showed signs that he was still capable of winning a type of race like the Vanderbilt. We stuck him in there and he proved to everybody that he's got the capability of jumping up with a big performance.”

Sisterson approached the Vanderbilt with a different strategy, asking jockey Jose Lezcano to get the 5-year-old son of champion sprinter Speightstown involved early. Breaking from the rail, they dueled first with Strike Power and then with Special Reserve on the lead before prevailing at odds of 34-1, the longest shot in a field of nine that also included Whitmore [third], Firenze Fire [fifth] and Mischevious Alex [eighth].

“We sort of changed the tactics with him,” Sisterson said. “He'd been breezing down on the inside of horses, and he's very workmanlike. It was just by chance we drew the one hole. I suppose when you draw the one, you have to jump and go forward. Going three-quarters, you're not going to take back and make one run. I'd never be someone to tell a jockey what to do, but I just chatted to Jose about the race. I said, 'Let's be real aggressive early and see if you can put him on the lead.' Credit to Jose, it was a brilliant ride. Lexitonian really responded to that.”

Lexitonian became a graded-stakes winner in the Grade 3 Chick Lang in 2019 at Pimlico Race Course, later that summer returning to Maryland to take the Concern at Laurel Park. He won one of his next 11 starts prior to the Vanderbilt, coming up a nose short in the Grade 1 Bing Crosby last August and a head shy in the Grade 1 Churchill Downs May 21. He also ran fifth in last year's Forego, beaten 2 ½ lengths by Win Win Win.

“He'd probably been a bit unfortunate not to already have been a Grade 1 winner. Obviously I'm biased. He's had some near misses but he put it all together in the Vanderbilt,” Sisterson said. “He's shown us signs that he's going to run the same sort of race he did in the Vanderbilt. We haven't changed anything up with him. We've just kept it simple. With him, less is more. We found that out pretty quickly. We're excited about Saturday. It would be great to see him duplicate a performance like that. I think he's well capable of doing it. He couldn't be doing any better.”

Lezcano returns to ride from post position 3.

Robert LaPenta, trainer Ron Moquett and Head of Plains Partners' Whitmore rallied to be third after some early trouble in the Vanderbilt, beaten less than two lengths. According to Equibase, the 8-year-old gelding – a winner of 15 races including the 2018 Forego and nearly $4.5 million in purse earnings from 42 career starts – can become the second-oldest horse to win a Grade 1 event at Saratoga behind John's Call, who was 9 when he won the Sword Dancer in 2009.

The Vanderbilt was Whitmore's first race since running third by a head in the Churchill Downs, a nose behind Lexitonian. Winner of the Grade 1 Breeders' Cup Sprint last fall to clinch his first year-end championship, he will have the services of Joel Rosario from post position 2.

Another multi-millionaire in the Forego is Mr. Amore Stable's Firenze Fire, a 14-time winner with nine graded victories who earned Grade 1 credentials in the 2017 Champagne at Belmont Park. The 6-year-old Poseidon's Warrior horse has enjoyed great success downstate, including wins in the Grade 2 True North and Grade 3 Runhappy this spring, but his lone win in eight Saratoga starts came in the Grade 3 Sanford in 2017, his second career race.

Making his third straight appearance in the Forego, having run second to champion Mitole in 2019 and 11th behind Win Win Win last year, Firenze Fire will have Jose Ortiz in the irons from post position 8.

Red Oak Stable and Madaket Stables' Mind Control [post 4, John Velazquez] snapped an eight-race losing streak last out in the Grade 2 John A. Nerud July 4 at Belmont Park, his first start for newly inducted Hall of Fame trainer Todd Pletcher. His two career Grade 1 victories have come at Saratoga in the 2018 Hopeful and 2019 H. Allen Jerkens, both at the Forego distance, for previous trainer Gregg Sacco.

“He's good at the distance. He's won over the track and seems to be maintaining form,” Pletcher said. “We expect a tough race, but he's doing good.”

Cash is King and LC Racing's Mischevious Alex won back-to-back Grade 3 stakes last year in the Swale at Gulfstream Park and Gotham at Aqueduct for trainer John Servis. Moved to South Florida-based Saffie Joseph, Jr. for 2021, the 4-year-old Into Mischief colt put together a three-race win streak that included the Grade 3 Gulfstream Park Sprint and Aqueduct's Grade 1 Carter. Third in the Met Mile, he regressed with an eighth-place finish in the Vanderbilt that left Joseph scratching his head.

“Last race, he didn't show up. Hopefully, we can correct it this time and he can come back and run his usual race for us,” Joseph said. “If he runs his race, he's a horse who goes in there with a good chance.”

Mischevious Alex's stablemate, Shooting Star Thoroughbreds' Chance It, has run second two starts this year, both at Gulfstream. He was beaten less than a length each time after returning from more than a year layoff, first by Double Crown in a May 23 optional claimer and then by Miles Ahead in the Grade 3 Smile Sprint July 3.

“Chance It is making his third start off a layoff and seems to be training really well. He always had a lot of potential. He'll have to step it up against these types of horses, but he's entitled to have a chance,” Joseph said. “He's come back and in his both his races, he's been just as good as before the layoff. The added distance will work to his advantage. This will be his test to see if he belongs against these types of horses. We feel like he does, so fingers crossed.”

Tyler Gaffalione has the call on Chance It from post position 6, while Irad Ortiz, Jr. rides Mischevious Alex from post position 1.

Bill and Corinne Heiligbrodt's Yaupon won each of his first four career starts last year, two of them coming at Saratoga – an open allowance triumph over older horses and the Grade 2 Amsterdam – as well as the Chick Lang. Following a troubled eighth in both the Breeders' Cup Sprint to end 2020 and the Group 1 Dubai Golden Shaheen to open 2021, Yaupon returned to capture Pimlico's Lite the Fuse July 4 in his most recent outing.

“[The Breeders' Cup] was too much too soon,” Hall of Fame trainer Steve Asmussen said. “He had run well at Pimlico previously and thought it was a very fast race. He came out of it in good shape. Obviously, I think he deserves the chance in the Forego. He's run very well at Saratoga, as well.”

Ricardo Santana, Jr. rides Yaupon from post position 7.

Three Diamonds Farm's Doubly Blessed [post 5, Luis Saez] is set to make his graded-stakes debut in the Forego. Fourth in the 1 3/8-mile Stud Muffin March 27 at Aqueduct, the 4-year-old Empire Maker gelding will be cutting back to a sprint for the first time in a 13-race career that began last spring on the turf. Last out, he won a 1 1/16-mile optional claimer in the Belmont Park slop May 29.

The Forego is slated as Race 8 on the 13-race card. First post is 11:35 a.m. Eastern. For the third consecutive year, FOX will air the Runhappy Travers as the centerpiece of a 90-minute telecast beginning at 5 p.m. The networks of FOX and FOX Sports will air 7.5 total hours of live racing and analysis on Runhappy Travers Day, with coverage scheduled to begin at 11:30 a.m. on FS1. For the complete Saratoga Live broadcast schedule, and additional programming information, visit https://www.nyra.com/saratoga/racing/tv-schedule.

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Jackie’s Warrior Challenged By Comebacking Life Is Good In H. Allen Jerkens Memorial

J. Kirk and Judy Robison's Jackie's Warrior will seek to solidify himself as the nation's leading sophomore sprinter when taking on a compact but highly talented field in Saturday's 37th running of the Grade 1, $500,000 H. Allen Jerkens Memorial at seven furlongs over the Saratoga Race Course main track.

The prestigious event, formerly known as the King's Bishop, has seen five of its winners go on to earn the Eclipse Award for Champion Sprinter in their respective years, including Housebuster [1990], Squirtle Squirt [2001], Lost in the Fog [2005], Runhappy [2015] and Drefong [2016].

Jackie's Warrior, trained by Hall of Famer Steve Asmussen, has shown an affinity for Saratoga having not come close to losing in three starts at the Spa. After a three-length victory in the Grade 2 Saratoga Special last August, the son of Maclean's Music won the Grade 1 Hopeful by 2 ¼ lengths en route to a 5 ½-length score in the Grade 1 Champagne at Belmont Park, where he earned a 100 Beyer Speed Figure.

“He's done really well,” Asmussen said. “All three of his races at Saratoga were obviously very good. We're anxious to run him here again.”

After falling to Essential Quality – the favorite for Saturday's Grade 1 Runhappy Travers – in the Grade 1 Breeders' Cup Juvenile and Grade 3 Southwest, both around two turns, Jackie's Warrior regained winning form when cutting back to one turn for the Grade 2 Pat Day Mile on May 1 at Churchill Downs, fending off a stretch rally from Dream Shake to win by a head.

Jackie's Warrior then saw his unbeaten record around one-turn thwarted when losing the Grade 1 Woody Stephens on June 5 at Belmont Park to returning rival Drain the Clock, but displayed his most dominant effort yet when splashing through a sloppy and sealed main track at Saratoga, to turn the tables on his familiar foe in the Grade 2 Amsterdam on August 1 by 7 ¼ lengths, earning a career-best 102 Beyer.

A victory would make Jackie's Warrior the third horse in the last four years to capture both the Hopeful at 2 and the H. Allen Jerkens at 3, joining Practical Joke [2018] and Mind Control [2019].

Regular rider Joel Rosario will vie for his second Allen Jerkens victory when he pilots Jackie's Warrior from post 2.

Jackie's Warrior's biggest obstacle could come from the presence of returning graded stakes winner Life Is Good, who arrives off a five-month hiatus and makes his debut for Hall of Fame trainer Todd Pletcher.

The highly-regarded son of leading sire Into Mischief, owned by CHC Inc. and WinStar Farm, is unbeaten in three starts on the West Coast and has never been behind horses at any point of call, when racing for Hall of Famer Bob Baffert.

After a scintillating debut, winning by 9 ½ lengths in November at Del Mar, he started his 3-year-old campaign with a narrow victory in the Grade 3 Sham on January 2 at Santa Anita. He put up his best effort yet with a runaway conquest in the Grade 2 San Felipe on March 6 at Santa Anita, which he won by eight lengths, recording a 107 Beyer.

Pletcher will seek his fourth H. Allen Jerkens victory having won with More Than Ready [2000], Discreetly Mine [2010] and Capo Bastone [2013].

“It's a tall order going into a seven-furlong Grade 1 off a layoff,” Pletcher said. “The horse has trained extremely well, has been impressive in all his breezes and we like what we've been seeing from him.”

Breaking from post 6, Life is Good will be piloted by Hall of Fame jockey Mike Smith, a four-time Allen Jerkens winner who is currently tied with fellow Hall of Famer John Velazquez for most wins in the race's history.

Also from the Pletcher barn is Spendthrift Farm's Following Sea, who arrives from the Grade 1 Haskell Invitational where he was a distant third, elevated to second via disqualification.

The son of second-crop sire Runhappy, who won this race in 2015, cuts back to one turn. After defeating impressive next-out winner Happymac by 5 ¾ lengths in a six-furlong maiden special weight at Oaklawn Park, he defeated winners in his first start for Pletcher going 6 ½ furlongs on June 3 over a good main track at Belmont Park.

Velazquez will pilot Following Sea from post 4.

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Drain the Clock handed Jackie's Warrior his lone defeat around one turn in the Grade 1 Woody Stephens, tracking just to the outside of Jackie's Warrior down the backstretch and dueled with his foe in the stretch before putting his neck in front in the final furlong. While the same tactics were used in the Grade 2 Amsterdam, it was Jackie's Warrior who came out on top when utilizing his outside position down the backstretch and drawing away from Drain the Clock.

“Obviously, last time he was well-beaten fair and square by Jackie's Warrior,” said trainer Saffie Joseph, Jr. “We feel on his best day, he's just as good as others in the field. But we have a new challenge in Life Is Good. It should be quite a race, and hopefully he shows up and runs his race.”

Drain the Clock, by Maclean's Music, is owned by Slam Dunk Racing, Madaket Stables, Wonder Stables and Michael Nentwig.

Breaking from the inside post, Drain the Clock will be ridden by Irad Ortiz, Jr. who will seek his second victory in the contest.

Trainer Danny Gargan will saddle Judge N Jury as he makes his stakes debut off a sharp 8 ½-length allowance victory on July 23 at the Spa, registering a 99 Beyer while racing off a 10-month layoff.

Owned by Flying P Stable and West Paces Racing, the son of Tapiture graduated at second asking over next-out winner Work Out and subsequential stakes-winner Devious Mo on September 4 at the Spa.

Judge N Jury, bred in the Empire State by Wellspring Stables, will attempt to be the first New York-bred to capture the Allen Jerkens since Willy Beamin in 2012.

Leading rider Luis Saez will retain the mount from post 5.

Completing the field is Down Neck Stables' Newbomb, a two-time winner for trainer Kelly Breen. After finishing behind eventual stakes-winner Founder and the now multiple graded-stakes placed Nova Rags in his first two starts last season, the son of Speightstown made the third time the charm when firing off an eight-month respite to win a six-furlong maiden special weight event on June 19 at Monmouth Park. Newbomb defeated winners two starts later with an eight-length victory on August 7 at Saratoga.

Jockey Jose Ortiz will ride from post 3.

The H. Allen Jerkens Memorial honors the late Hall of Fame conditioner known as “The Chief” who conditioned prominent racehorses such as Sky Beauty, Devil His Due, and Sensitive Prince among others. Perhaps Jerkens' greatest claim to fame is a penchant for defeating all-time greats in upset fashion, earning him the nickname “Giant Killer”. In 1973, he saddled Onion to a triumph in the Whitney and Prove Out in the Woodward, defeating Secretariat both times. Other all-time greats dethroned by Jerkens trainees include Kelso, Buckpasser, Cougar II and Forego.

The H. Allen Jerkens Memorial is slated as Race 9 on the 13-race card. First post is 11:35 a.m. Eastern. For the third consecutive year, FOX will air the Runhappy Travers as the centerpiece of a 90-minute telecast beginning at 5 p.m. The networks of FOX and FOX Sports will air 7.5 total hours of live racing and analysis on Runhappy Travers Day, with coverage scheduled to begin at 11:30 a.m. on FS1. For the complete Saratoga Live broadcast schedule, and additional programming information, visit https://www.nyra.com/saratoga/racing/tv-schedule.

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Champion Essential Quality ‘As Good As He’s Ever Been’ Ahead Of Saturday’s Travers

Reigning Eclipse Award-winning trainer Brad Cox has already secured a memorable meet at historic Saratoga Race Course and will be looking to accomplish a feat that has not been achieved in 79 years when he sends out ultra-consistent Godolphin homebred Essential Quality in Saturday's Grade 1, $1.25 million Runhappy Travers at the Spa.

The 152nd running of the Runhappy Travers – for 3-year-olds contesting the classic distance of 1 1/4 miles, is slated as Race 12 on the packed 13-race card that features seven graded stakes among six Grade 1 contests. First post is set for 11:35 a.m.

For the third consecutive year, FOX will air the Runhappy Travers as the centerpiece of a 90-minute telecast beginning at 5 p.m. The networks of FOX and FOX Sports will air 7 1/2 total hours of live racing and analysis on Runhappy Travers Day, with coverage scheduled to begin at 11:30 a.m. on FS1.

Cox, who has saddled Essential Quality to seven wins in eight starts, including three Grade 1 scores, won one of the most prestigious races for older horses at the Saratoga meet when Knicks Go posted a gate-to-wire triumph in the Grade 1 Whitney on Aug. 7. The Kentucky-born conditioner can now become just the third trainer all-time and first since John M. Gaver, Sr. in 1942 to win the Travers and Whitney in the same year with different horses.

Essential Quality offers his trainer a good opportunity to join that list, as the Champion 2-Year-Old drew post 2 with regular rider Luis Saez aboard in being installed as the 4-5 morning-line favorite.

“I feel like he's as good as he's ever been,” Cox said. “If we run our race, we'll be tough. There's six other good colts in there and we still have to play our game. If we do, I think we'll be a big factor.”

The gray Tapit colt was undefeated in three 2020 starts, racking up wins in the Grade 1 Breeders' Futurity in October at Keeneland before returning a month later to the same track to win the Grade 1 Breeders' Cup Juvenile.

After posting back-to-back wins to start his sophomore campaign on the Kentucky Derby trail – capturing the Grade 3 Southwest at 1 1/16 miles in February at Oaklawn Park and the 1 1/8-mile Grade 2 Blue Grass in April at Keeneland, Essential Quality ran his only non-winning race with a competitive fourth in the “Run for the Roses” on the first Saturday in May at Churchill Downs.

Undeterred, Essential Quality overcame Hot Rod Charlie's blistering fractions to run down his rival in the 1 1/2-mile Grade 1 Belmont Stakes presented by NYRA Bets on June 5 – giving Cox his first win in a Classic – and followed that effort, which netted a personal-best 109 Beyer Speed Figure, with a half-length win over Travers-rival Keepmeinmind in the Grade 2 Jim Dandy going 1 1/8 miles at Saratoga on July 31 in the local Travers prep.

“He's sharp, mentally. He's sharper this race than going into the Jim Dandy,” Cox said. “My plan all along was to have him peak in this spot. Our goal since the Kentucky Derby was to have him at his best Travers Day and from a mental and physical standpoint, I feel he's right where we want him.

“I think he's a classic-distance horse,” Cox added. “He's proven that already. I like the post. Hopefully, with a good trip, we'll get the job done on Saturday.”

Essential Quality has already amassed a field-high $3.5 million in earnings and will team with a familiar face, as Saez – the meet's leading rider – has been aboard for all eight of his previous starts.

“He fits him real well,” Cox said. “Luis is riding him with a lot of confidence. He thinks the world of him. He's been able to breeze him his last two works up here and he's super excited about the opportunity on Saturday. I don't give Luis many instructions with this horse. It's just 'do your thing' and it tends to work out.”

Cox's chase for history includes trying to join Gaver, Sr., who won the 1942 Travers with Shut Out and the Whitney with Swing and Sway, and James G. Rowe, Jr., who won the Travers with Twenty Grand and Whitney with St. Brideaux in 1931.

Keepmeinmind will attempt to thwart that bid for history, earning another opportunity to oppose Essential Quality. Owned by Cypress Creek Equine, Arnold Bennewith and Spendthrift Farm, the son of Laoban ran a hard-charging second to the Runhappy Travers morning-line favorite in the Breeders' Futurity and ran third in the Breeders' Cup Juvenile. The duo met up twice more in the spring, when Keepmeinmind finished fifth in the Blue Grass and seventh in the Kentucky Derby.

The Robertino Diodoro trainee competed in the Triple Crown's second leg, running fourth in the Preakness in May at Pimlico, before earning additional black type with a third-place Grade 3 Ohio Derby performance in June at Thistledown. Keepmeinmind matched his career-best 97 Beyer for closing on Essential Quality in the Jim Dandy last month, finishing second, 2 1/4 lengths ahead of fellow Travers foe Masqueparade.

Listed at 6-1, Keepmeinmind will have the services of Joel Rosario, who rode him for the first time in the Jim Dandy, from post 3.

“He's getting better and better,” Diodoro said. “The horse is overdue and he deserves a win. We definitely think the extra distance will help him big time and it's a huge plus having Rosario on the horse for the second time.”

Winchell Thoroughbreds' Midnight Bourbon, the runner-up to Rombauer in the Preakness, has not raced since clipping heels with Hot Rod Charlie and unseating rider Paco Lopez in the Grade 1 Haskell in July at Monmouth Park.

The son of Tiznow, who started his sophomore campaign with a win in the Grade 3 Lecomte in January at Fair Grounds, will look for a better trip in his first Saratoga appearance. Hall of Fame trainer Steve Asmussen, who set the all-time wins record for a North American thoroughbred conditioner earlier this month with a big Whitney Day at Saratoga, will look to add another milestone at the famous track in seeking his first Travers score.

Ricardo Santana, Jr. will be in the irons for Midnight Bourbon [9-2] from the inside post.

“He's a big horse and time should benefit him a bunch as he gets bigger and stronger and more mature,” said David Fiske, bloodstock advisor to Winchell Thoroughbreds. “He'll have to break well but I should expect to see him on or near the lead.”

FTGGG Racing's Masqueparade bested King Fury by a half length in the Ohio Derby, extending his winning streak to three, before finishing third in a Jim Dandy contest that will see the trifecta rematch in the Travers.

The Upstart colt's top three speed figures in his seven-race career have come in his last three starts, starting with an optional claiming victory in May at Churchill before graduating to stakes company. After showing an affinity for Saratoga last out, Masqueparade will stretch out to 10 furlongs for the first time for trainer Al Stall, Jr.

Stall, Jr. said Masqueparade, who drew post 6 with Miguel Mena aboard, will be looking for a better trip after leaving from post 2 in the five-horse Jim Dandy, with Dr Jack [to his inside] and Weyburn [outside] possibly putting undue pressure on his charge.

“I love the draw. It's completely different than the Jim Dandy draw,” Stall, Jr. said. “We're very happy with that. Being on the outside, we can chase some speed. If there's no speed, we can lay very close. He can be more comfortable. In the Jim Dandy, he was trapped inside between speed horses, so we couldn't get anything done because they were shuffling us back and we were last on the backside. Now he can float away from there and see how things go. He's got good natural speed, so I really like where we are. I think he deserves a chance.”

Stall, Jr. will be saddling his first Travers starter and is looking for the personal Whitney-Travers double, with Blame having won the 2010 Whitney.

Mena, who has been riding predominantly at Ellis Park and Indiana Grand Race Course, has been aboard for all of Masqueparade's starts and will travel to the Spa on Saturday. Masqueparade is listed at 8-1.

Three Chimneys Farm's King Fury, runner-up in the Ohio Derby, trained at Saratoga through an imposed quarantine due to a positive case of Equine Herpesvirus-1 in their barn, causing him to miss the Grade 2 Jim Dandy and instead return in the Grade 1 Saratoga Derby Invitational on August 7, where he finished 10th after a wide trip in his turf debut.

“He came out of it fine. He just got hung wide on the second turn,” trainer Kenny McPeek said. “I really feel like he needed a run. It was going to be a couple of months between races otherwise. Unfortunately, he didn't get a chance to run in the Jim Dandy, but he will be prepared for this.”

King Fury, a son of Hall of Famer Curlin, started his juvenile year with high expectations as a $950,000 purchase at the 2019 Fasig-Tipton New York Select Yearling Sale across the street from the Spa. After notching a win in the Street Sense in October at Churchill, King Fury made the grade with his 2 3/4-length score in the Grade 3 Lexington going 1 1/16 miles over a sloppy and sealed Keeneland track in April.

His previous start on dirt saw him rally from last-of-9 to get second in the Ohio Derby, and McPeek said a better trip on the fast track could have made the difference.

“I think he should have won. He got shuffled back at one point during the race and I think if that hadn't happened, he wins handily,” McPeek said. “He's a very good horse and he's going to relish a mile and a quarter.”

Jose Ortiz, aboard for the Saratoga Derby Invitational, will return to ride King Fury [15-1 odds] from post 7.

Repole Stable, Phipps Stable and St. Elias Stable's Dynamic One – second in the Grade 2 Wood Memorial presented by Resorts World Casino in April at Aqueduct – showed his affinity for the Saratoga track last out, rallying from last-of-seven to close strong, besting Miles D by 1 3/4 lengths in the Curlin on July 30 at Saratoga for his first stakes victory.

Dynamic One, trained by Hall of Famer Todd Pletcher, rebounded from an 18th-place finish in the Grade 1 Kentucky Derby to garner a personal-best 97 Beyer in the Curlin. The Union Rags colt did not break his maiden until fourth asking in March at the Big A but enters with momentum as Pletcher seeks his third Travers score.

“He obviously didn't fire in the Kentucky Derby, but his maiden races were pretty fast,” Pletcher said. “He showed he belonged in the Wood. We were happy with the way he was training going into the Curlin, that appears to be his most professional race so far so hopefully he's going into his best.”

Irad Ortiz, Jr. will ride Dynamic One [post 4, 6-1].

The Travers is one of the few stakes to elude four-time Eclipse Award-winning trainer Chad Brown, who will send out his 12th all-time starter in this race with Peter Brant and Robert LaPenta's Miles D, who handled the jump to stakes company with a runner-up effort in the Curlin.

The son of Hall of Famer Curlin has improved his Beyer Speed Figures in each of his three starts, including a 95 last out when running 1 3/4 lengths back to Dynamic One in his Saratoga bow.

Miles D [post 5, 12-1 odds] will pick up jockey Flavien Prat's services, with the rider looking to extend his success in the division aboard multiple horses. Prat guided Rombauer to victory in the Grade 1 Preakness and piloted Hot Rod Charlie to a close second behind fellow Travers-contender Essential Quality in the Grade 1 Belmont Stakes, earning a placing in all three legs of the Triple Crown, as he was aboard for Hot Rod Charlie's third-place Grade 1 Kentucky Derby finish.

“He's obviously a bit of a longshot in the race, so he's going to have to step up,” Brown said. “I'm thankful to have a horse in the race and hopefully he runs the race of his life and will be right there.”

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