Reincarnate Will Skip Travers Stakes at Saratoga

The field for the $1.25 million Travers Stakes (G1) shrunk by one Aug. 18 when Hall of Fame trainer Bob Baffert said Reincarnate  would not be making the trip to Saratoga Race Course.

Baffert, who has won the Midsummer Derby three times, will only send Preakness Stakes (G1) winner National Treasure  to the race, which will be run Aug. 26.

"I just decided I wanted to split them up," Baffert said by phone from his summer base at Del Mar.

Reincarnate won the listed Los Alamitos Derby, going gate-to-wire, in his last start July 8. He has two wins and two thirds in five career starts this year. The son of Good Magic   was third in the Rebel Stakes (G2) and third in the Arkansas Derby (G1), both at Oaklawn Park. He finished 13th in the Kentucky Derby (G1).

Baffert will redirect Reincarnate to the $1 million Pennsylvania Derby (G1) at Parx Racing Sept. 23. The colt is owned by SF Racing, Starlight Racing, Madaket Stables,  Robert Masterson, Stonestreet Stables, Jay Schoenfarber, Waves Edge Capital, and Catherine Donovan.

"They both have the same style of running," Baffert said about the two 3-year-olds. "National Treasure should like the 1 1/4 miles. The other horse, I would like to get maybe a softer spot for him. Forte is going to be very tough in the Travers."

Baffert said National Treasure is scheduled to work Aug. 19 at Del Mar.

With Reincarnate out, the expected Travers field looks like this: Mage  (trainer Gustavo Delgado, jockey Luis Saez), National Treasure (Bob Baffert, John Velazquez), Arcangelo  (Jena Antonucci, Javier Castellano), Forte  (Todd Pletcher, Irad Ortiz Jr.), Disarm  (Steve Asmussen, Joel Rosario), Tapit Trice  (Todd Pletcher, Jose Ortiz), and Scotland  (Bill Mott, Junior Alvarado).

Two other Baffert horses who could end up at the Spa worked Aug. 18. Arabian Lion  and Fort Bragg , expected for the $500,000 H. Allen Jerkens Memorial Stakes (G1), both worked five furlongs at Del Mar.

Arabian Lion, owned by Zedan Racing Stables, has won his last two, the Woody Stephens Stakes (G1) at Belmont Park June 10 and the Sir Barton Stakes at Pimlico Race Track May 20. The son of Justify   worked five furlongs from the gate in :59 1/5, the fastest of 45 at the distance.

Fort Bragg, a son of Tapit  , is owned by the same group that owns Reincarnate. He was timed in :59 3/5, the fourth fastest.

In his last start, Fort Bragg won the Dwyer Stakes (G3) at Belmont by a nose over Saudi Crown , who was second by a nose to Forte in the Jim Dandy Stakes (G2) at Saratoga July 29.

"'Lion is a laid back horse," Baffert said. "He hasn't run in awhile, that's why I worked him from the gate, to sharpen him up a little bit. He is a beautiful horse. Fort Bragg has really started to mature and started to put it all together."

Baffert, who said he may or may not be in Saratoga for Travers Day, expects his horses to ship Aug. 22.