M-L Favorite Essential Quality Draws Post 2 for Travers

This has certainly been a chaotic racing season for 3-year-old males.

Nearly four months after the fact, the identity of the winner of the Kentucky Derby Presented by Woodford Reserve (G1) is still in limbo pending the final ruling after the victorious Medina Spirit  failed two post-race drug tests.

Hot Rod Charlie  crossed the wire first in the TVG.com Haskell Stakes (G1) but was disqualified and placed last for clipping heels with Midnight Bourbon , causing that runner to stumble and unseat his rider.

Yet through it all, at the top of the pecking order, there has been Godolphin's Essential Quality , the division's 2-year-old champion.

He was the favorite in the Kentucky Derby, where he raced wide and suffered his lone defeat, losing by only a length.

He was favored in the Belmont Stakes Presented by NYRA Bets (G1), which he won, defeating runner-up Hot Rod Charlie.

He was a 2-5 choice last month at Saratoga Race Course in the Jim Dandy Stakes (G2) and posted a hard-fought victory to improve his record to seven wins in eight starts.

Now, with the 152nd running of the $1.25 million Runhappy Travers Stakes (G1) for 3-year-olds on tap for Aug. 28 at the Spa, he's once again back in his familiar role as the horse to beat.

Landing post two at the Aug. 25 draw, the homebred son of Tapit   was installed as the 4-5 morning line favorite in a field of seven for a 1 1/4-mile test known as "The Midsummer Derby."

"He's at the head of the class right now," trainer Brad Cox said. "It crossed my mind the other day that if this horse had won the Kentucky Derby he probably would have been a Triple Crown winner, given the success he had against the horses who ran in the Preakness (G1). But it is what it is. He's a great horse and we're happy with what he's accomplished and hopefully we can keep him at the head of the class."

Essential Quality and Saratoga's leading rider, Luis Saez, received a highly beneficial race over the track July 31 in the Jim Dandy.

Despite racing wide around both turns in a five-horse field and looking quite vulnerable in the final sixteenth when Keepmeinmind  took a serious run at him, Essential Quality showed the determination of a champion in fending off that final bid and winning by a half-length in the 1 1/8-mile stakes at the Spa.

"Every time I watch the Jim Dandy, it gets more impressive," Cox said about the son of the Elusive Quality mare Delightful Quality. "You normally don't win races with trips like that on the dirt, or the turf for that matter. It was an incredible performance and Luis thought there was still more left."

Off his 1 1/4-length win in the 1 1/2-mile Belmont Stakes, the demanding 10-furlong distance of the Travers figures to be in Essential Quality's wheelhouse.

"The mile-and-a-quarter is what he's looking for," Cox said.

Winchell Thoroughbreds' Midnight Bourbon was pegged as the 9-2 second choice after his mishap in the Haskell, when he was a close third in the stretch before stumbling. Trained by North America's all-time wins leader Steve Asmussen, in his start before that the son of Tiznow  was second by 3 1/2 lengths in the Preakness and before that he was sixth by 8 1/4 lengths in the Kentucky Derby.

He will depart from the rail under jockey Ricardo Santana Jr., which promises to make him a prominent figure in the early pace, as he was in the Haskell and Preakness.

Cypress Creek Equine, Arnold Bennewith, and Spendthrift Farm's Keepmeinmind drew post three as the 6-1 co-third-choice.

The son of Laoban has faced Essential Quality four times and has yet to finish in front of him.

"We believe he's coming into the Travers a lot better, so let's see if we get lucky," said the colt's trainer, Robertino Diodoro. "We'll be keeping a close eye on (Essential Quality). He's a tough horse but we're overdue. We'll give it a try."

Though he owns a record of 1-3-2 from 10 starts with placings in grade 1, 2, and 3 stakes, Keepmeinmind's lone win came seven starts ago in the Kentucky Jockey Club Stakes (G2) as a 2-year-old.

Dynamic One  (6-1) also posted a win over the track last month, taking the Curlin Stakes, which was restricted to 3-year-olds who had not won a graded stakes beyond a mile this year. Owned by Repole Stable, Phipps Stable, and St. Elias Stable and trained by Todd Pletcher, the sport's all-time leader in earnings, the son of Union Rags   was narrowly beaten in the Wood Memorial Presented by Resorts World Casino (G2) before finishing a well-beaten 18th in the Kentucky Derby, his last start before the Curlin.

Dynamic One, bought for $725,000 from the Claiborne Farm consignment at the Keeneland September Yearling Sale, will break from post four with Irad Ortiz Jr., bidding for Pletcher's third Travers win.

Peter Brant and Robert LaPenta's Miles D  (12-1), a son of Curlin   trained by Chad Brown, was second in the Curlin and wound up with post five.

FTGGG Racing's Masqueparade (8-1) battled for the early lead in the Jim Dandy, winding up third, beaten 2 3/4 lengths.

"I think he deserves a chance," trainer Al Stall Jr. said. "I think he's coming into (the Travers) completely different from the Jim Dandy draw. He can chase speed or can get very close if there's no speed. He's got natural speed so I like where we are (post 6)."

A son of Upstart  , Masqueparade  won the Ohio Derby (G3) two starts back, beating Travers starters King Fury  and Keepmeinmind.

It's been an eventful Saratoga meet for Three Chimneys Farm's King Fury and trainer Kenny McPeek. 

On the July 15 opening day of the meet, it was announced a horse in the same barn as McPeek's horses (who was not trained by McPeek) was diagnosed with Equine Herpesvirus-1. Though none of McPeek's horses became ill from the disease, they were quarantined for 21 days, and King Fury, who was second by a half-length in the Ohio Derby, could not run as planned in the Jim Dandy.

Instead, McPeek opted for the Aug. 7 Saratoga Derby Invitational Stakes (G1T) on turf, which did not work out well. The son of Curlin had a wide trip from post 11 In his turf debut and wound up 10th.

"In hindsight, I should have scratched," Mc Peek said about the turf stakes.

Needless to say, McPeek is delighted to get the $950,000 purchase from the Hill 'n' Dale Sales Agency consignment at The Saratoga Sale, Fasig-Tipton's New York Sale of Selected Yearlings, back on the more friendly brown grounds of the main track.

"He's begging for a mile-and-a-quarter," McPeek said about the Stonestreet Lexington Stakes (G3) winner. "We were unlucky in the spring. He got a fever the day before the Kentucky Derby. We felt that was going to be a big day. Saturday's a really big day to make amends."

King Fury was priced as the 15-1 outsider from post seven, which surprised McPeek.

"We were right there with (Masqueparade and Keepmeinmind) in the Ohio Derby, splitting those two," McPeek said. "I thought we could make a case that we should have won that day. We got shuffled back on the second turn and had to rally and still almost won the race.

This is a good colt and he's going to make his presence felt."

Given McPeek's penchant for winning in major races at long odds, as he did last year at 11-1 with the filly Swiss Skydiver  in the Preakness and 70-1 with Sarava in the 2002 Belmont Stakes, plus Saratoga's fame for producing upsets, King Fury offers an intriguing presence in the field—even with Essential Quality towering over it.

"This won't be the first time I ran a longshot in a big race," McPeek said.

No, it won't.

2021 Travers  Field

Post    Horse    Trainer    Jockey  ML Odds

1    Midnight Bourbon     S. Asmussen    R. Santana Jr.  9-2

2    Essential Quality    B. Cox    L.Saez  4-5

3    Keepmeinmind     R. Diodoro    J. Rosario  6-1

4    Dynamic One     T. Pletcher    I. Ortiz Jr.  6-1

5    Miles D     C. Brown    F. Prat  12-1

6    Masqueparade     A. Stall Jr.    M. Mena  8-1

7    King Fury     K. McPeek    J. Ortiz  15-1