2024 Travers Stakes at Saratoga

Bet the Travers Stakes online with OffTrackBetting.com - US Legal Online Wagering

The 155th running of the Grade 1, $1,250,000 Travers Stakes will be held on Saturday, August 24 at Saratoga Race Course.

When is the Travers Stakes?

The Travers Stakes will run on Saturday, August 24, 2024!

Where is the Travers Stakes?

The Travers Stakes is raced at Saratoga Race Course in Saratoga Springs, New York.

Where can I watch the Travers Stakes?

You can watch the Travers Stakes live on OffTrackBetting.com website or downloadable OTB app.

Where can I bet on the Travers Stakes?

Watch and wager on the Travers Stakes with OffTrackBetting.com. All wagers made through OffTrackBetting.com are directly commingled into track pools, so you can play all of your favorite bet types with confidence, knowing that you'll receive full track odds on all wagers made with us. And with free, high-quality video, you can watch the races online or with your mobile device.

OffTrackBetting.com is US-based and legal and licensed, and we promise you superior customer service and the best online wagering experience in the industry.

2024 Travers Stakes - Bet with OTB

The Travers Festival, which offers nine stakes including six Grade 1s from Wednesday, August 21 through Saturday, August 24, is headlined by the 155th edition of the 1 1/4-mile Travers on Saturday, August 24. Horseplayers from around the Untied States can bet and watch all of the action here at OffTrackBetting.com.

The lucrative Travers Day card features five Grade 1 stakes and an automatic berth in the Breeders' Cup to the winner of the Grade 1, $750,000 Resorts World Casino Sword Dancer Stakes [Turf] and Grade 1, $500,000 Ballerina Handicap [Filly and Mare Sprint.]

In addition to the Travers, the stacked card will also include the Grade 1, $500,000 Forego Stakes, a seven-furlong sprint for 4-year-olds and upward, and the Grade 1, $500,000 H. Allen Jerkens Memorial for 3-year-olds going seven furlongs.

The Travers Festival kicks off August 21 with the restricted $135,000 John's Call for older turf horses and continues on Thursday, August 22, with the Grade 2, $400,000 Ballston Spa at 1 1/16-miles for turf fillies and mares.

The August 23 card will offer the Grade 1, $500,000 Personal Ensign Stakes at nine-furlongs for older fillies and mares along with the $150,000 Smart N Fancy for older filly and mare turf sprinters.

OffTrackBetting.com - US Legal Travers Stakes betting online is a great way to wager horse racing at Saratoga Race Course. Available to customers across the United States, OTB features both Thoroughbred and Standardbred racing from major racing venues in the US as well as top international racing from Europe, Italy, Japan, Australia and Hong Kong.

Nicknamed the "Midsummer Derby," Saratoga's Travers Stakes is the oldest major Thoroughbred horse race in North America. Inaugurated in 1864, the Travers is held each August and regularly attracts the best three-year-old racehorses in North America. Handicappers welcome the Travers as one of the premier betting events in the United States, and bettors are virtually ensured to be rewarded significantly when their bets are winning ones.

Horses that compete in the Travers were likely to have been prevalent throughout the Triple Crown races - the Kentucky Derby, Preakness Stakes and Belmont Stakes.

The race is named for William R. Travers, the first president of Saratoga who won the iaugural running in 1864 with a horse named Kentucky. The race has had gaps in its history and was not run in 1896, 1898, 1899, 1900, 1911, and 1912.

In addition, There have been three disqualifications in the Travers: Trial By Jury finished first in 1915, but was disqualified and placed last; Run Dusty Run finished first in 1977 but was disqualified and placed second, and Affirmed finished first in 1978 but was disqualified and placed second.

In 2012, the Travers wound up with two winners for the first time in history when Golden Ticket and Alpha finished in a dead heat. The 1874 Travers also ended in a dead heat, but Attila was declared the official winner after a runoff with Acrobat.

It was contested at distances ranging from 1 1/8 miles to 1 ¾ miles before settling on its traditional distance of 1 ¼ miles more than a century ago.

• 1 miles (2.81 km): 1864 to 1889
• 1 miles (2.41 km): 1890 to 1892
• 1 miles (2.01 km): 1893 to 1894, 1897
• 1.12 miles (1.81 km): 1895, 1901 to 1903
• 1¼ miles (2.01 km): 1904 to present

The present distance of 1 mile is a perfect distance for contemporary three-year-olds. The race is open to colts and geldings, carrying 126 lb (57.2 kg) and fillies, carrying 121 lbs. (54.9 kg).

• In 1941, Whirlaway became the only horse ever to win the superfecta: he'd won the Triple Crown, then went on to take the Travers, as well.
• In 1962, Jaipur won by a nose-bob in track record time over Ridan, who was considered to be more talented. The long battle (the entire 1 � mile) saw the two horses duke it out the entire distance of the race.
• In 1982, Runaway Groom (Champion Canadian three-year-old), who was trained by John DiMario, arrived at the Saratoga backstretch after a very long and exhausting season. He'd competed in the Canadian Triple Crown: he won the Prince of Wales Stakes, the Breeders' Stakes, and finished second in the Queen's Plate. Runaway Groom's Travers victory made him the only horse in racing history to beat the winners of that year's American Triple Crown in the same race. (Kentucky Derby winner Gato Del Sol; Preakness Stakes winner Aloma's Ruler and Belmont Stakes winner, Conquistador Cielo.)
• Point Given, a gorgeous, big, 17hh monster, won the Travers on August 25, 2001. That day, Point Given drew a record Travers Stakes Day crowd, 60,486 fans. The race brought in a total betting handle of $34,529,273. This was also a Saratoga record to that date.

---

Travers Trophy

The Travers Trophy is known as the Man O'War Cup, and was designed by Tiffany & Co. The trophy was named for Samuel Riddle's great Champion: Mr. Riddle donated the trophy as the permanent award for winning the race. A gold-plated replica is presented to the winner every year, by a member of the Riddle family.

Travers Blanket

The winner of the Travers Stakes will receive an extravagant floral blanket, a beautiful blanket of flowers to drape over the horse, hand-made locally with over a thousand carnations.

Travers Canoe

The Travers Canoe has been a lovely tribute to the winners of the Travers, every year since 1961. Every year, the canoe is painted in the colors of the silks of reigning Travers winner. A canoe has been a fixture in the infield pond since 1926, but it wasn't until 1961 that the canoe became affiliated with the Travers.

Travers Festival

The city of Saratoga Springs NY celebrates the entire week leading up to Travers Day with various events, including a restaurant week, racing events, live music and more. It's the annual Travers Festival!