Nest Likely for Alabama, but Travers Not Ruled Out

The talk July 24 at Saratoga Race Course centered around the dazzling performance put together by 3-year-old filly Nest the day before in the $500,000 Coaching Club American Oaks (G1).

The question was this: Will the daughter of Curlin   head next to the $600,000 Alabama Stakes (G1) Aug. 20 or would she try the boys again, this time in the $1.25 million Runhappy Travers (G1) Aug. 27?

The destination answer on this day was probably the Alabama, but don't count out the marquee event of the Saratoga summer. Todd Pletcher, Nest's Hall of Fame trainer, said the filly would probably run in the Alabama. But...

"I had a brief conversation (with her owners) and we did not completely rule out the Travers," he said. 

Nest's 12 1/4-length CCA Oaks win over Longines Kentucky Oaks (G1) winner Secret Oath  closes the gap between the two for divisional honors. D. Wayne Lukas, Secret Oath's Hall of Fame trainer, said Sunday that his filly was heading to the Alabama.

It's the likely landing spot for Nest, too, but the Travers carrot is dangling in front of the ownership group of Mike Repole's Repole Stable, Aron Wellman's Eclipse Thoroughbred Partners, and Michael House.

"It is a distant thought," Repole said while watching races from his clubhouse box. "It's not in the front of my head. We will talk about it. Eclipse has a huge say in what we do, Todd has a huge say in what we do."

Both races are 1 1/4 miles. Nest has already run against colts, finishing second in the 1 1/2-mile Belmont Stakes presented by NYRA Bets (G1).

Repole will be running Be Better  in the $135,000 restricted Curlin July 29, and he could be Travers bound. And Pletcher trains the highly regarded Charge It , owned by Mandy Pope's Whisper Hill Farm, who is training up to the Midsummer Derby.

A filly hasn't won the Travers since 1915.