Meanwhile, dual Derby and Breeders' Cup hero Auguste Rodin (Deep Impact {Jpn}), arguably the most important older horse to have been kept in training at Ballydoyle for many years, is set to get his campaign underway in next week's Dubai Sheema Classic. 

Described by joint-owner Michael Tabor as “our Frankel” after he slammed his Dewhurst rivals last term, City Of Troy heads the Guineas and Derby betting at odds of 4-6 and 2-1 respectively.

With so much on the line for a horse who has commanded such praise, O'Brien could be forgiven for feeling the pressure. The truth couldn't be further from the case. 

Speaking at a media morning at Ballydoyle on Wednesday, O'Brien said, “I don't feel pressure at all. All we can do is our best and whatever will be will be. But he [City Of Troy] looks a bit different at the moment anyway.”

O'Brien added, “He has always been very special. He always looked a bit different–even from the time we worked him to when he ran in his maiden.  All you can do is just keep turning up and running and see what is going to happen, but he does work very differently [to anything else].

“Horses are working in very bad ground at the moment-it's deep. He shouldn't like that at all but he is just powering through it. We hope to get him to Naas on Sunday after racing. They'll all work together–him, Henry Longfellow (Ire) (Dubawi {Ire}), River Tiber (Ire) (Wootton Bassett {GB}), they'll all go together over seven or seven-and-a-half furlongs. The plan is to go straight to the Guineas with City Of Troy.

“If that went well, then he could go for the Derby, and if that went well, there's a chance he could go to Saratoga for the Travers Stakes. That's very possible if things go well and it will be interesting.”

O'Brien is no stranger to running top-class horses on the dirt. Johannesburg famously won the Breeders' Cup Juvenile in 2001 while Galileo (Ire), George Washington (Ire), Henrythenavigator and Duke Of Marmalade (Ire) are some of the more established names to have tackled the Breeders' Cup Classic, albeit the latter pair's efforts came on the Pro-Ride surface at Santa Anita in 2008. 

Mendelssohn came closest to delivering O'Brien and the Coolmore team a breakthrough success in the Travers when second to Catholic Boy in the 2018 edition of the race. However, City Of Troy would rank as by far the most high-profile colt that connections have pointed towards the Travers, with O'Brien putting his confidence behind last year's European Champion Two-Year-Old's ability to handle the surface on breeding.

Speaking about the reasoning behind such ambitious campaigning, he explained, “It's just to expose him, really. Obviously he's by Justify, which makes Justify very exciting for us because he should be able to do dirt as easily as he does grass. That's what makes him unique, really. “Every one of those Justifys are the same. They are long-striding and big horses. They are scopey and very genuine. They are all happy to go forward and you can't go hard enough in their races. It's going to be very exciting.”

O'Brien added, “He's done very well over the winter. He's a medium-sized horse to look at, but when you stand into him he's much bigger than you think he is, which is the sign of a very well-proportioned horse. It will be exciting.

“When John [Magnier] and the lads are thinking like that, they are not afraid to push him out there and see what he is able to do. If it went well in the Guineas, we're happy to step up to a mile and a half in the Derby and then you could come back to a mile and a quarter on the dirt at Saratoga.”

City Of Troy is likely to be O'Brien's sole runner in the Guineas while targets for Henry Longfellow, Diego Velazquez (Ire) (Frankel {GB}), River Tiber and Unquestionable (Fr) (Wootton Bassett {GB}) will be decided after they work at Naas this weekend. 

O'Brien said, “I'd imagine if City Of Troy goes to the Guineas, he'll go himself. River Tiber always worked very well. He wasn't right in Deauville or in the Middle Park–he wasn't one hundred per cent, so there's a good chance there's more to come from him. I think he's a miler–he's fast. I couldn't see him getting much further.

“Unquestionable could go for the French Guineas. He's done very well. He'll go to Naas on Sunday to work and he could go for a trial in France before going back for the Guineas. He could be a French Derby horse. He's not as quick as the others, so he could get a bit further.

“When we went to America with them last year, River Tiber was five lengths better than the winner. He's not rated that way, but if you put the two of them together, that is what will happen.”

O'Brien added, “Henry Longfellow could stretch out but he looks like a miler the way he's going, so how much further he'd get, I'm not sure. He could be a French Derby horse, as could Diego Velazquez–he might be more that than a Guineas horse, but he'll go with them [to Naas] as well, so it will be interesting.”

Asked for an under-the-radar three-year-old colt to follow for the campaign, O'Brien put forward Grosvenor Square (Ire) (Galileo {Ire}), winner of the G3 Eyrefield S. at Leopardstown last term and no bigger than 20-1 for the Derby.

“Grosvenor Square could be a very interesting horse,” he said. “I think he'd have no problem with better ground. He's not a heavy-framed horse, he's a good mover. He'll go for a Derby trial.”

City Of Troy is not the only horse that O'Brien is exploring the idea of running on dirt this season as Dubai-bound Auguste Rodin could tackle the surface at some point this year. More immediately, races like the Tattersalls Gold Cup at the Curragh and the Prince Of Wales's S. at Royal Ascot will come under consideration for the four-year-old after Meydan.

O'Brien concluded, “Auguste Rodin has another bit of work to do before he goes on Saturday, but everything looks good at the moment. It's his first run of the year but we're very happy with him.

“The plan was he goes there, then he could go to the Curragh for the Tattersalls Gold Cup and then Ascot for the Prince of Wales's.

“After that, we could have a look at a dirt race with him. We'll see how that goes. He could go to Saratoga as well. His season will be split in two really, with a busy first half and then a break. As a rule, Deep Impacts are mainly turf horses, but we were surprised how well he worked on the dirt at the Breeders' Cup-he floated over it. He has an unusual action, so it will be interesting to see.”

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“It has been a surreal experience to own a horse of this magnitude,” said owner Jon Ebbert. “The day I laid eyes on him at the yearling sale, I said to myself that this is the most beautiful horse I have ever seen. I'm so blessed the way everything unfolded and so appreciative of my team. To win the Belmont, the Travers and looking as the possible favorite in the Breeders' Cup is incredible. From the beginning of this journey, I tried to make every right decision for this horse, and now I have another important one to make. Upon his retirement, I've chosen Lane's End as the perfect fit for his stallion career.”

Trainer Jena Antonucci, who became the first woman to saddle the winner of a Triple Crown race when Arcangelo captured the Belmont, added, “Having the opportunity to steward Arcangelo thus far in his racing career has been the absolute blessing of a lifetime, for which I will be eternally grateful for. Watching him grow into his mental and physical greatness has been remarkable. We will be excited to see the talent of his progeny and watching Arcangelo pass along his innate ability, talent, and desire to be a champion.”

By champion Arrogate, the sire of five Grade I winners in his brief career at stud, Arcangelo was bred by Don Alberto Corporation. His dam Modeling, a $2.85-million Keeneland November broodmare purchase, is a half-sister to Streaming (Smart Strike), winner of the GI Hollywood Starlet S. She hails from the family of broodmare of the year and prolific producer Better Than Honour, the dam of back-to-back Belmont winners Rags to Riches and Jazil.

“Arcangelo's historic 3-year-old campaign fits a profile that we are very familiar with on our stallion roster,” said Lane's End's Bill Farish. “There's no doubt that Arrogate's brief career at stud has had a major impact on racing and the opportunity to stand a Classic-winning son of his with such a deep pedigree makes Arcangelo an exciting and unique prospect for Lane's End.”

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“It was a serious work. A pretty work,” Antonucci said immediately after the drill. “I wanted sub-12 seconds the final furlong, which he gave me. I think I'm pretty spot-on with that. That's what he'll need to do on race day.”

Ten days ago at Santa Anita, Arcangelo had his first local work when going five furlongs in 1:02.20. Antonucci said the 3-year-old ridgling will have one more work about 10 days ahead of the 1 1/4-mile Classic.

“We'll increase the pace of his gallops and just continue to do what we're doing,” the trainer added. “For his final work, we'll see if we need to tighten something here or there, or if he needs more of a lung-opener.”

Arcangelo, who will be facing older rivals for the first time in the Classic, is coming off wins in the May 13 GIII Peter Pan S., June 10 GI Belmont S. and, most recently, the Aug. 26 GI Travers S.

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Closed on closing day.

On purpose.

While it may be a sad afternoon for the 22,097 patrons on the grounds for the last card of 2023, the Fitch brothers, who operate King's and the City Tavern on Caroline Street, use closing day at the track to pause a bit on Labor Day and celebrate. They put on a party for every member of their staff, all of whom were able to bring a guest, in late morning and then take the group over to the races.

Jason Fitch teed up “awesome” and “fantastic” to describe business at King's during the season.

That wasn't the case for the New York Racing Association. Despite unusually wet weather that did a number on total handle, NYRA reported that attendance was up 2.8% to 1,105,863, the third-highest in history. It was the eighth consecutive year that Saratoga's attendance topped one million. The average daily paid attendance was 27,642.

With 65 races washed off the turf–a 306% jump from the 16 last summer–and four cancelled due to wet weather, handle dropped 9.0%, from $878,211,963 to $799,229,288. The daily average handle was $19,980,732.

A year ago, the handle jumped $62.7 million, 7.7%, from rainy 2021 when NYRA lost 45 grass races.

For King's, Fitch said, “The weather was OK. I think the weather not being as hot helped out. Unfortunately, when it rains during the season it sucks for the track, but for us, people just get out of the rain.”

The Fitch brothers' taverns and other Saratoga businesses are likely to be packed with racing fans in early June if the New York Racing Association moves the GI Belmont S. upstate during the demolition and rebuild of Belmont Park. NYRA officials acknowledged in June that the 2025 Belmont could be held at Saratoga. On Sunday, NYRA President and CEO David O'Rourke said his company is considering running the Belmont S. in Saratoga in 2024 and 2025.

In a runaway, Irad Ortiz, Jr. was the leading jockey for the second consecutive year and fifth overall with 62 wins. His brother, Jose, was next with 37 wins.

Linda Rice tied Chad Brown for the training title with 35 victories by winning twice Monday, including the final race of the season with Lt. Mitchell (The Lieutenant). In what might be a historic bookend, Rice also won the first race of the season on July 13 with Bustin Bay (Bustin Stones).

“We won three yesterday which gave us a chance,” said Rice. “I thought it was pretty unlikely, but you never know. The day before we were second beaten a neck, fourth beaten a head. But then yesterday after winning three, I thought, 'Well, maybe we have a chance.' It's been a tremendous year. A lot of highs and lows in racing. We've all seen them and we've all experienced them. Today was a good day.”

Rice made history in 2009 when she became the first woman to win the Saratoga title. Now she has two.

“They were both really special in their own way. You never take the fun out of the first one and, of course, this is a win and a tie at the same time,” said Rice. “It's been a great year, it's been a lot of fun, there's always a little heartache in the middle and would've, could've, should'ves. But it's been a great meet.”

It was Brown's third straight title and sixth overall.

“It was a great meet and I'm proud of my team,” said Brown. “The Alabama and Saratoga Derby at the top, those were huge wins. My team persevered through the weather–we had a record number of off-the-turf races and second-places, and they were still able to grind out a tie for the win, which is amazing. Hopefully, we can continue that into the fall.”

Seth Klarman's Klaravich Stables finished on top of the owner's table with 22 victories, including the GI Albama S. with Randomized (Nyquist).

“Winning at Saratoga is always special,” said Klarman. “Winning a race that's as historically important as the Alabama will always be a highlight of my ownership career.”

Klaravich Stables now boasts 23 owners' titles at NYRA tracks, and six consecutive at Saratoga.

According to NYRA, 10.61 inches of rain fell after July and led to a soggy, sometimes grim meet. The 155th Saratoga season was irreparably damaged by the deaths of eight horses, who suffered injuries in racing, and four more who were euthanized after being injured in training. Even though more than five dozen races were taken of the turf for safety reasons, six of the eight deaths were from incidents in races that were conducted on the turf courses. One of the six on turf was believed to be a heart attack.

The two fatalities from dirt races were eerily similar: high-profile unbeaten 3-year-olds breaking down in the stretch while leading and on their way to victory in seven-furlong undercard races on the two biggest days of the meet. Maple Leaf Mel (Cross Traffic) shattered her right foreleg in the GI Test S. on Whitney Day, Aug. 5. Three weeks later, New York Thunder (Nyquist) suffered a catastrophic injury to his left foreleg in the GI H. Allen Jerkens on Travers Day.

The horrific injuries dramatically changed the atmosphere each day and diminished the reaction for White Abbario (Race Day)'s surprise win at 10-1 in the Whitney and Arcangelo (Arrogate)'s victory in the Travers.

“Triumph and tragedy could be a good way to put it,” O'Rourke said.

New York Thunder's death was the second on Travers Day. Two hours and forty minutes earlier, Nobel (Ire) (Lope de Vega {Ire}), an Irish-bred 4-year-old was injured in the gallop-out after the fifth race on turf. O'Rourke said NYRA considered cancelling the remainder of the card following the Jerkens and possibly not running the following day. He said that his team reviewed the surfaces, consulted with jockeys, trainers and veterinarians and decided that the tracks were safe. There were no serious injuries reported in the seven race days following the Travers program.

“I think a fair question would be, 'Well, what's our reaction?'” O'Rourke said about the injuries and deaths. “Over the last few years, we've leaned pretty heavily on the technology, whether it is trackers, projects going on two years now. PET scan imaging has been a discussion that's coming to fruition near-term. Of course, you have other things such as tracks. For us, it's leaning in to those type of two aspects of technology that will allow us to improve safety. We're completely focused, and more than ever motivated, to move as quickly and as prudently as possible on some of these.”

Tracking sensors are aimed at identifying changes in a horse's stride that may be the result of stress on legs or an undetected injury. PET scans will be used for deeper analysis of horses that have been flagged by vets for possibly having an issue.

NYRA will have a synthetic track at the new Belmont Park and O'Rourke said a synthetic track could be installed at Saratoga, but it would not happen in time for the 2024 season. Synthetic tracks are considered to be safer surfaces for horses. Turf horses adjust better to synthetic surfaces than dirt and there are likely to be fewer scratches when races are moved from turf to synthetic surfaces.

“You could do one here with the inner turf course and then widen the outer turf course. You'll get more lanes,” O'Rourke said. “You'll have technically less running lanes on turf, but in off-weather you wouldn't be beating up the course. So you might get more actual run out of it. And then Option B is you go with synthetic and you change out the dirt tracks. And that's something that the board is engaged on right now, that conversation.”

O'Rourke said it was not likely that the dirt track at Saratoga would be replaced by a synthetic track in the near term.

The $1.25-million Travers drew the three winners of the Triple Crown races for a showdown in August for just the fourth time in history. Forte (Violence), the 2-year-old champion, also was in the mix and was the favorite. Arcangelo, trained by Jena Antonucci for Blue Rose Farm, completed the Belmont S.- Travers double. In the three previous times, a horse that did not compete in any of the Triple Crown races prevailed.

Antonucci bucked current practices and did not give the gray colt a prep race before the Travers. Hall of Famer Javier Castellano added to his stakes record, with his seventh victory, as Arcangelo won by a length over Disarm (Gun Runner).

With the victory, Antonucci became the second woman and the first since Mary Hirsch, to win Saratoga's biggest race. She gave credit to her crew.

“Mostly gratifying for the team and for what we collectively have done,” she said. “Yes, someone has to sign the paychecks and drum the drum, but this isn't a “me” thing, it's an “us” thing. This horse is showing what the team can do.”

Antonucci said the meet was one of mixed emotions, of highs and lows.

“If anything, I hope that it heightens the responsibility of every person involved to steward the best decisions possible,” she said. “And if, through tragedy, we all feel the most exposed to do better and to grow, than that's what's going to be. I think every single person needs to make sure and do a self-check that everyone's doing their part to make it all more productive and a better outcome for everybody.”

Castellano continued with what has been a strong year with three graded-stakes wins: the Travers, the GI Jockey Club Gold Cup and the GIII Schuylerville on opening day. Veteran trainer Gary Contessa, returning to racing in New York after a stint in Delaware, managed just two wins, but they were in graded stakes, the Schuylerville and the GI Hopeful on Monday with Nutella Fella (Runhappy), who paid a whopping $111.

This is the 10th season that the Fitch brothers have operated King's. The track season is the busiest time of the year for their business. To mark the end of the exciting and tiring summer, the Fitches and their staff take the day, have a party and go to the races.

“It's bittersweet,” Jason Fitch said. “Love the meet. Love the hustle and bustle of summer. You love Travers, but you hate Travers because Travers means that summer is over.”

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The catastrophic leg injuries that led to two horses being euthanized Saturday brought the total of equine deaths to 12 since the start of the unusually rainy season July 13. According to the New York State Gaming Commission's Breakdown, Death, Injury and Incident Database, four of the fatalities were related to training injuries and eight to racing. Six of the eight deaths were from incidents in races run on the turf courses. Seven were musculoskeletal injuries and one was believed to be a heart attack.

The two dirt breakdowns were horrific, taking place in the stretch, with unbeaten, high-profile 3-year-old horses well on their way to victories in seven-furlong Grade I races: Maple Leaf Mel (Cross Traffic) in the GI Test S. on Aug. 5 and New York Thunder (Nyquist) in the GI H. Allen Jerkens Memorial on Saturday.

In the minutes after the New York Thunder injury, O'Rourke said NYRA had to consider whether to immediately close on the biggest day of the Saratoga season.

“Everything is going through your mind at that point,” he said.

After consulting with his staff and a number of other people, O'Rourke elected to run the remainder of the card, including the $1.25-million GI Travers S.

“I was speaking with the Gaming Commission at the same time, the stewards at the same time, about the situation that we're in,” he said. “Obviously, there's board members here. Many of them, if not most of them, are horsemen. The decision was made to continue the card because we have no evidence that there's anything going on with these racetracks.”

There were no further injuries.

After what he described as a sleepless night, O'Rourke said that he and Glen Kozak, NYRA executive vice president and track superintendent, started talking with trainers at 6:30 a.m. Sunday and later talked with jockeys and veterinarians. At 12:45 p.m., NYRA announced that the 11-race program would be held.

John Velazquez, co-chairman of the Jockeys Guild, said the riders met with O'Rourke and expressed confidence in the conditions.

“We didn't find any issues at all,” Velazquez said. “The tracks feel safe. We didn't come up with anything that we were concerned with.”

Velzaquez acknowledged that the injuries are unsettling and said that NYRA should continue its reviews.

“We've definitely had some really horrendous breakdowns,” he said. “We are very saddened about it. There are going to be more investigations and more things we have to do and hopefully we find more answers. It will be days or weeks, whatever it is, but right now the tracks feel safe and let's continue.”

Saturday, Nobel (Ire) (Lope de Vega {Ire}), an Irish-bred 4-year-old was injured in the gallop-out after the fifth race on turf. Two hours and 20 minutes later, New York Thunder broke bones in his left front leg in the Jerkens.

Immediately after Nobel's injury, O'Rourke said he, staff members and Dr. Scott Palmer, the Equine Medical Director for the Gaming Commission walked the turf course to look for problems. Since more than 11 inches of rain have fallen during the meet, prompting NYRA to move 59 races off the grass to the dirt, the rail has been placed far out in the middle of the course. On Saturday, the rails were down and the horses were running on very good turf. Still, Nobel was injured.

“We wanted to take a look at it,” O'Rourke said. “One easy solution was to pull everything off the turf. They were on fresh ground. I'm out there with experts and what I'm looking for is unanimous consensus. Not a majority. Everyone's consensus of opinion was that the turf course was in immaculate condition in the lanes we were in.”

When New York Thunder went down between the eighth pole and the sixteenth pole, O'Rourke said Kozak reviewed the surface.

“Glen installed this track and is quite familiar with moisture and the measurements and everything,” O'Rourke said. “It's nothing off about the track. I'm convinced, I'm confident in that moment of that, but I want more information. Sometimes you need more time. We made the decision to continue the card.”

Afterward, O'Rourke said the NYRA staff continued to look at the two turf courses and the dirt main track to help develop data that could be useful in Sunday's review

“This has been a tough meet, so this has been a topic,” he said. “It's not like all of a sudden we started taking a second look. After racing, the track guys are doing their thing. Some of them, I think, were here all night.”

Sunday's card was completed without incident, but O'Rourke said the investigation is far from complete. Noting that NYRA is a non-profit, he said continuing to race on Saturday and Sunday was not related to revenue, but to safety.

“This is about how do we get it right, when and how we're making decisions and why,” he said. “And my first job right now is to check off the tracks because that's the question I'm getting quite a bit. I came out of that, on that aspect, confident that every piece of information or resource that I think is applicable, that we have access to, is telling me the same thing.”

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Sometimes no plan ends up being the best plan, as demonstrated by Arcangelo's artful dissection of a “loaded” Midsummer Derby that brought together not only the winners of this year's three Triple Crown races, but also the GI Breeders' Cup Juvenile champion colt from last season.

Yet while Arcangelo's team–owner Blue Rose Farm, trainer Jena Antonucci, and the now seven-time winning Travers jockey Castellano–deservedly basked in the glory of the colt's well-improvised, 105 Beyer Speed Figure score that came 11 weeks after a 7-1 upset of the GI Belmont S., the connections of the high-profile Travers also-rans might have been rightfully questioning how their own pre-race strategies also seemed to disintegrate shortly after the starter sprung the latch for Saratoga's annual showcase race.

Take 'TDN Rising Star' Forte (Violence), for example. The reigning 2-year-old champ and winner of three of five graded stakes at age three was favored to win the Travers at 1.75-1 odds. But I wouldn't bet that too many people expected him to outbreak the field, especially considering he was fractious in the gate from post one and that he had never led at the first call in any of his previous nine races. Yet he popped out on top and spearheaded the pack for the first 100 yards before jockey Irad Ortiz, Jr. decided he wanted Forte back in his comfort zone of targeting pacemakers and not being one himself.

At the same time, GI Kentucky Derby upsetter Mage (Good Magic) also broke with more early energy than usual, leaving Flavien Prat with an unexpectedly hard-to-handle, keyed-up colt as the field scrambled for position into the clubhouse turn.

With both Ortiz and Prat committed to conceding their positions in efforts to get their colts to settle, Castellano had to adjust his own rhythm and cadence in their wake, dropping back to fifth while securing a rail spot for Arcangelo.

The two colts who projected to be the main speeds on paper–the GI Preakness S. wire-to-wire victor National Treasure (Quality Road) and the all-the-way Curlin S. winner Scotland (Good Magic)–then came around Forte and Mage while Arcangelo, taking the shortest route at the fence, edged up into second.

Onto the backstretch, the Travers pack sorted itself into a more logical procession after opening quarter-mile splits of :23.46 and :24.54.

But then the 12-1 'TDN Rising Star' Tapit Trice (Tapit) surged up with an early bid for third behind Scotland and National Treasure, and these tactics, too, were out of the ordinary for a colt who has historically lagged and had to be scrubbed on in the early stages.

But on Saturday, Tapit Trice was newly adorned with blinkers for the first time in a race, and jockey Jose Ortiz had already started nudging him for run at the mile pole to see if the equipment change would produce a prolonged bid that would be able to sustain giving up five paths of real estate through the initial turn.

By the time the field crested the half-mile marker through a third-quarter split in a speeded-up :23.63, the body language of the contenders was telling: Scotland was all-out under pressure, with National Treasure being pushed along but not making headway while three-quarters of a length behind. Tapit Trice continued his wide journey three deep through the second turn, while Arcangelo fluidly clicked into a higher cruising gear, with Castellano tipping him out to the four path and appearing primed to pounce turning for home.

Forte at this point was rallying admirably considering his dire, self-inflicted circumstances, but the favorite's wide move from last under Irad Ortiz was accompanied by a whiff of too-little-too-late desperation. The punchless Mage dropped back to trail the field and was not hammered on for run by Prat when it was evident he was in no way in it to win it.

Banking off the bend through a fourth-quarter split in :24.65, Arcangelo drew abreast with what had essentially been a six-furlong middle move by Tapit Trice and the stubbornly staying-on Scotland.

Castellano gave one cursory look over his right shoulder to size up the threat from Forte, and he saw enough to know he wouldn't have to glance back in that direction again while hustling his colt with a vigorous hand ride in upper stretch.

Three-sixteenths out, Arcangelo put away both pacemakers, then braced for a fresh challenge from the late-striding Disarm (Gun Runner). A bit of judicious right-handed stick work outside the eighth pole elicited just enough torque from Arcangelo to keep Disarm at bay, with the final margin between them a length at the wire and Tapit Trice 2 1/2 lengths farther back in third.

In order, Forte, National Treasure, Scotland and Mage rounded out the finish.

Although Arcangelo's winning Beyer represents a three-point bump over his 102 for the Belmont S. and continues the colt's upward arc of always running a faster figure than his previous race over six lifetime starts, his final time of 2:02.23 for 10 furlongs was the slowest winning time for the Travers since V.E. Day stopped the timer in 2:02.98 back in 2014.

Arcangelo also made his winning move through a final quarter- mile clocked in :25.85, which is the slowest final split for the Travers since Keen Ice required :26.49 to upset American Pharoah in the 2015 edition.

Your Travers takeaway will depend upon how much emphasis you put on each of the above-mentioned factors.

On one hand, the winner looked visually impressive, and resonates as a colt who doesn't need to have everything go his own way to run his “A” race.

Arcangelo's speed figure came back more than respectable, but when the raw times get compared to the race's recent history, they're only so-so.

You also have to factor in that the next time Arcangelo meets Grade I competition, three of his main contenders are probably not going to suffer the disadvantageous types of trips that skewed the efforts of Forte, Mage, and (to a lesser degree) Tapit Trice.

On Sunday, the connections of the Travers top four reported all colts emerged from the race in decent shape. Mage's team posted on Twitter that he was doing well after “a bad day at the office.”

Antonucci was non-committal about a next start for Arcangelo. The GI Breeders' Cup Classic, though, would afford the same 11-week spacing as the colt's wins between the Belmont S. and the Travers.

That time frame would also match the same 11 weeks that Arcangelo's sire utilized when he won the Travers and the Classic in succession in 2016.

And let's not forget that Arrogate then parlayed those emphatic wins at age three into a sweep of the GI Pegasus World Cup and G1 Dubai World Cup early in his 4-year-old season.

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“He came back well and is full of himself today,” said trainer Jena Antonucci. “Of course the Breeders' Cup is on the radar, but horses don't care about schedules or spreadsheets. We'll do what we've been doing and give him his space. We'll let him pave the way.”

Arcangelo added the Travers to his win in the GI Belmont S. in June.

“I'm just so glad the race has helped to validate he's not a fluke or a one-hit wonder,” said Antonucci. “It allows him to be validated, and I'm grateful for that. Horse and team, I'm most proud of that.”

Travers runner-up Disarm (Gun Runner), who closed for second while making his first start with blinkers, could make his next start in the Sept. 23 GI Pennsylvania Derby at Parx.

“He just seems to get incrementally better,” said Winchell Thoroughbreds racing manager David Fiske said. “[The blinkers] didn't hurt. It's hard to say how much of a difference they made because he did run some pretty credible races without the blinkers. I suspect he'll run back with them because like I said, they didn't hurt him at all.”

Hall of Fame trainer Todd Pletcher reported Sunday Tapit Trice (Tapit) and Forte (Violence) emerged well from their respective third- and fourth-place finishes in the Travers.

“They're doing good,” Pletcher said. “Both of them looked well this morning.”

Asked for future plans for the pair, Pletcher said, “We'll give it a few days to see how they are and come up with a game plan.”

Pletcher said he is pleased with how Repole Stable, Eclipse Thoroughbred Partners and Michael House's Nest (Curlin) came out of her third-place finish as the favorite in Friday's GI Personal Ensign S., just her second start this year following her 2022 champion 3-year-old filly campaign.

“She's doing good,” Pletcher said. “She bounced out of the race well. It was hard to make up ground on a sloppy, gooey track when a quality horse gets loose on the lead. I thought she ran hard. It was only her second race of the year so, hopefully, it moves her forward.”

Pletcher said Nest will be pointed to either the GII Beldame S. during the Belmont at the Big A fall meet or the GI Juddmonte Spinster S. at Keeneland. Both 1 1/8-mile races are Oct. 8.

Repole Stable's Fierceness (City of Light), tabbed a 'TDN Rising Star' following his impressive debut victory at Saratoga Friday, will likely tackle Grade I company for his second start, according to Pletcher.

“I think the [Oct. 7 GI] Champagne is the most logical next start,” Pletcher said.

Of the colt's maiden score, Pletcher said, “He was very impressive. He had been training really well leading up to it. We were expecting a good effort, but he actually delivered an even better one than we were hoping for.”

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That's a fairly daunting stat considering how the match-up of the GI Kentucky Derby, GI Preakness S. and GI Belmont S. winners is essentially what the public wants to see.

It's also a little surprising because of the presence of several high-profile horses on that list of Travers losers: Two of them had even swept the Triple Crown before getting derailed at the Spa–one crossed the wire first but was disqualified for interference, while the other endured the roughest trip of his career in his only loss at age three.

Adding to this year's intrigue, none of the winners of this spring's Triple Crown races are likely to be favored in the Travers. Derby upsetter Mage (Good Magic), Preakness victor National Treasure (Quality Road), and Belmont bloomer Arcangelo (Arrogate) all figure to be eclipsed in the betting by last year's 2-year-old champ, Forte (Violence).

Turn the clock back to 2017 to find the last Travers that lured all three Triple Crown race winners. Always Dreaming, first in the Derby, finished ninth in Saratoga's showcase race. Cloud Computing, the Preakness winner, ran eighth. Tapwrit, the Belmont winner, finished fourth, eight lengths behind the 6-1, wire-to-wire Travers outsider West Coast, who had broken his maiden in March, passed on the Triple Crown, and prepped with a score in the GIII Los Alamitos Derby.

In 2015, American Pharoah looked like a Travers slam dunk at .35-1 odds after dominating the division with powerhouse performances in the Derby, Preakness, Belmont, and GI Haskell Invitational. But the champ was boxed in, bounced around, and knocked off stride by 7-1 pace-presser Frosted in the Travers, softening him up just enough for the 16-1 Keen Ice to prevail by three-quarters of a length.

Before that, there had been a 33-year gap back to the last Travers that featured all three winners of that year's Triple Crown races.

The 1982 renewal only drew five entrants, but it was headlined by speedy Belmont stayer Conquistador Cielo, the 2-5 chalk who was looking to extend a seven-race win streak. Derby winner Gato Del Sol and Preakness upsetter Aloma's Ruler were the second and third favorites. But Aloma's Ruler and Conquistador Cielo dueled themselves into defeat, allowing the overlooked Canadian-bred gray Runaway Groom to eke out a half-length victory at 12-1 after prepping for the Travers with a score in Fort Erie's Prince of Wales S. Behind him, the Preakness, Belmont and Derby winners had to settle for second, third, and fifth, respectively.

The 1981 Travers also featured a Triple Crown triumvirate, consisting of Derby and Preakness winner Pleasant Colony, sent postward as the 8-5 fave, and Summing, who had beaten him in the Belmont. They were second and ninth, respectively, behind the 24-1 Travers party crasher Willow Hour, who splashed home by a head after refusing to get hooked into running too fast too early by a rabbit entrymate of Pleasant Colony's.

You have to go all the way back to 1978 to find the last time the Travers drew the winners of all three spring Classics and the first horse across the line was a winner of one of those races. But even that apparent victory was fleeting.

In this case it was the Triple Crown champ Affirmed, who was sent off the 7-10 favorite over the even-money Alydar, whom he had defeated in Louisville, Baltimore and New York. Yet in one of the most dramatic renewals in Travers history, Affirmed's 1 3/4-length victory was erased by a disqualification because he had dropped down near the rail nearing the far turn, cutting off his arch-rival and forcing Alydar into the fence. The stewards' reversal of the order of finish based on the foul elevated Alydar to the win.

Big effort from 'Cody's' Lil Bro

Hunt Ball (Into Mischief), the 2-year-old little brother of multiple Grade I-winning miler Cody's Wish (Curlin), didn't win his sprint debut Saturday at Saratoga. But his second-place effort in the first race Aug. 19 behind wire-to-wire favorite Risk It (Gun Runner) stamps him as a horse of interest moving forward.

The Godolphin homebred for trainer Bill Mott got pinballed at the break then rushed up into contention, losing momentum several times while trying to find a comfortable stalking spot chasing a well-meant winner over six furlongs. He leveled off with purpose under coaxing and was drawing a bead on Risk It in upper stretch before the favorite kicked clear by 4 1/2 lengths.

Keep an eye on Hunt Ball with a little bit more real estate to work with in start No. 2, whenever and wherever it comes.

Hunt Ball's dam, Dance Card, lost her sprint debut back in 2012 before racking up four straight wins over 1 1/16 miles and nine furlongs, including a Grade I win in that year's Gazelle S.

And Cody's Wish himself required four initial starts to find winning form in 2021, including twice being a beaten favorite as a juvenile at Saratoga before blasting through with three straight wins over one-turn miles at Churchill Downs.

Axel on a roll

If you have the drive and the talent, the mid-Atlantic region is a great region to launch a racing career as an up-and-coming jockey, because it affords opportunities to ride at both day and evening tracks.

Right now the 18-year-old apprentice Axel Concepcion is making the most of the roughly 75-mile commute between Laurel Park and Charles Town Races. In a span of just under 48 hours between Friday night and Sunday afternoon, he rode nine combined winners at those two tracks.

The weekend spree included the first stakes score for Concepcion, who turned pro Jan. 1 in his native Puerto Rico. He won 21 races there before earning his first mainland U.S. victory Feb. 19 at Fair Grounds. He shifted his tack to Laurel a week later. Riding with a five-pound allowance, he's currently Maryland's leading apprentice this year and is represented by agent Tom Stift.

Concepcion rode two winners at Charles Town Friday, Aug. 18. The next afternoon at Laurel he scored in four, including one aboard an 11-1 shot and another on the 4-1 Field Pass (Lemon Drop Kid) in the $75,000 Find S. for owner Three Diamonds Farm and trainer Mike Maker. Back at Charles Town under the lights Aug. 19, Concepcion made two more visits to the winner's circle. On Sunday, Aug. 20, he rode one winner at Laurel.

In between, he's at Laurel for morning training, honing his skills while trying to get noticed and pick up business on an ultra- competitive circuit.

“He's got to be there in the morning at 6 a.m.,” Stift said. “He's been doing it for months now. He's on a mission. Obviously, Mike [Maker]'s been watching the races and watching Axel ride. You don't put a bug boy on a [stakes] horse like that unless you've been paying attention.”

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“It was a good, useful work,” said trainer Bill Mott. “He galloped out well and seemed to have good energy and to be moving well. It was fast enough. I think we're fit enough.”

A debut winner at Gulfstream in March, Scotland was nosed out of an allowance victory at Keeneland in April before taking a one-mile optional claimer at Churchill June 3. He was making his two-turn debut when scoring a 3 1/4-length victory in the nine-furlong Curlin last time out.

Also working for Mott Sunday, champions Elite Power (Curlin) and Channel Maker (English Channel) worked four furlongs in company over the Oklahoma training track. Elite Power, targeting next week's GI Forego S., covered the distance in :49.55 (28/68), while Channel Maker, aiming for the GI Resorts World Casino Sword Dancer S., went in :49.75 (31/68).

“They both looked good and it was normal for them,” Mott said of the works.

On Saturday, Mott saddled firster Hunt Ball (Into Mischief), a half-brother to GI Breeders' Cup Dirt Mile winner Cody's Wish (Curlin), to a solid runner-up debut effort behind Risk It (Gun Runner).

Mott said the effort was educational for the juvenile, who split rivals from off the pace at the top of the lane and ran on well to be defeated 4 1/2 lengths in the six-furlong maiden race.

“We'll probably stretch him out a little bit and we found out he's pretty game,” Mott said of the Godolphin homebred. “He was willing to run through horses and he didn't seem intimidated by it.”

Meanwhile, with his debut victory, Risk It punched his ticket to the Sept. 16 one-mile GIII Iroquois S. at Churchill Downs, according to trainer Steve Asmussen.

“That's what we were hoping for and we were thinking about it,” Asmussen said. “He's trained like he'll get a mile. Obviously with his pedigree and what he's shown to this point, we're going to continue to dream.”

Trainer John Ortiz sent GIII Adirondack S. winner Brightwork (Outwork) out to work four furlongs in :52.11 (137/139) over the main track at Saratoga Sunday morning in preparation for the Sept. 3 GI Spinaway S.

“We gave her an interval workout in preparation to stretch her out. She worked a half-mile, but she galloped out another half mile,” Ortiz explained. “From the pole to the wire, they got her in about :52, but if you clocked from the quarter-pole and just follow her gallop out, she galloped out in :49 flat. So, she basically did two workouts.

“I told Irad [Ortiz] I wanted her to go nice and easy, and get her to relax and let her listen to you,” added Ortiz. “When she got to the top of the stretch, I wanted her to stride out. I wanted him to let her gallop out as far as she wants and she took him all the way back to the half-mile pole. We basically went about seven furlongs and she stayed consistent on it.”

Unbeaten in three starts, Brightwork graduated first time out going 4 1/2 furlongs at Keeneland Apr. 26. She won the six-furlong Debutante S. at Ellis Park July 2 before her five-length victory in the 6 1/2-furlong Adirondack Aug. 6.

Brightwork will be stretching out to seven furlongs for the Spinaway, but Ortiz is confident she will handle the extra distance.

“We use Equimetre to monitor her heart rate and stride length and I'm very, very in love with the data shown to me this morning. It looks like the further we go, the better with her,” Ortiz said.

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