Contenders crowd 12-horse Travers field
Eight horses ran Triple Crown races
SARATOGA SPRINGS — Kentucky Derby and Preakness winner Big Brown isn’t around, yet other notable 3-year-olds are taking a shot at the 139th Travers Stakes at Saratoga.
Pyro, winner of the Louisiana Derby and a Derby runner, is the 7-2 favorite Saturday in a field of 12. The field also includes Da’ Tara, upset winner of the Belmont Stakes, and six others that started in at least one leg of the Triple Crown series. Harlem Rocker, winner of the Prince of Wales Stakes at Fort Erie, is the 4-1 second choice.
The winners of the Wood Memorial, Santa Anita Derby, Fountain of Youth Stakes and Swaps Stakes are among the starters in the $1 million Travers.
The last three runnings of the Travers have gone to the winner of Saratoga’s Jim Dandy Stakes, which bodes for Macho Again (5 percent owned by Dr. Joseph Cervi of Orchard Park), who won a narrow decision over Pyro on July
27. The next race after the Jim Dandy was won by another Travers contender, Mambo in Seattle, who raced only twice as a 2-year-old and made his second start of the season at Churchill Downs on the Derby supporting card.
“We gave him time to be what he can be,” trainer Neil Howard said. “It’s a big step for him, but it’s a big step for a lot of them. It’s a very contentious race.”
The legendary trainer Allen
Jerkens provided a surprise addition to the Travers on Wednesday when he entered Tizbig, who will go into the 1v-mile race only six days after his last start.
The 79-year-old Jerkens, known as the “Giant Killer” for the stunning upsets by his horses, said the decision to enter Tizbig was made based on observation and instinct.
“He looked strong [Tuesday] when he was galloping,” said Jerkens, who saddled Onion when he upset Secretariat in Saratoga’s Whitney Handicap 35 years ago this month. “It’ll either make him run better or worse — one or the other. Maybe he’ll run real big.”
Pyro, ridden by Shaun Bridgmohan, will attempt to re-establish the stature he enjoyed early in the season when he was regarded as the favorite to win the Derby until the emergence of Big Brown.
The handlers of Big Brown decided to skip the Travers after he won Monmouth’s $1 million Haskell Invitational this month.
Pyro finished second to Macho Again in the Jim Dandy.
“We were disappointed he didn’t win the Jim Dandy, but it was a good effort,” Pyro trainer Steve Asmussen said. “When we lead him over, we’re going to lead him over with confidence.”
