Memorable History of Triple Crown Winners in Travers

Affirmed held off Alydar in the 1978 Travers Stakes, but a disqualification reversed the official order of finish between the two familiar rivals. (Photo by Horsephotos.com)
American Pharoah was pre-entered for the Travers Stakes at Saratoga Race Course later this month, and 15 other horses are nominated for the race. If he continues to train well and the plan does not change, fans will not only get to see the Triple Crown winner race at one of the world’s most-storied and picturesque racetracks, they could also get to see the champion in one of the biggest tests of his career.
American Pharoah would be only the fourth Triple Crown winner to run in the Travers, the oldest stakes race in America. To understand how unique and exciting this year’s Travers could be, let’s look back at the other three occasions that a Triple Crown champ came to the Spa.
1930 Gallant Fox
A record 40,000 fans came to Saratoga to see the 1930 Triple Crown winner Gallant Fox take on his rival Whichone. Whicone had beat Gallant Fox as a 2-year-old in the Futurity Stakes at Belmont Park and had been predicted to beat Gallant Fox in the 1930 Belmont Stakes. That prediction didn’t come to pass as Gallant Fox beat Whichone by four lengths. A rematch was expected in the Dwyer Stakes, but Whichone had to miss it because of an injury. Gallant Fox won the Dwyer at 1-to-10 odds. The two horses would finally link up in the Travers, which was nearly a match race with only three entries: Gallant Fox, Whichone, and the 100-to-1 Jim Dandy.
The track was thick with sticky mud after a heavy rainstorm, and Gallant Fox had never raced in mud before. Perhaps bettors should have taken note that the 100-to-1 Jim Dandy had won the Grand Union Hotel Stakes the year before on a muddy track at odds of 50-to-1. He was a right mudder, but the fans overlooked him and loaded up on the two rivals. Jim Dandy won the race three lengths ahead of Gallant Fox before a record crowd that included future President Franklin D. Roosevelt.
1941 Whirlaway
The 1941 Triple Crown winner also faced two rivals in the Travers, 11 years after Gallant Fox’s defeat. There had been two Triple Crown winners since Gallant Fox — Omaha and War Admiral — but the connections of both horses passed on running in the Travers.
Many thought Whirlaway was a beatable champion. He had lost the Arlington Classic Stakes to Attention three weeks before the Travers. And 10 days before the Travers, Whirlaway won the Saranac Handicap at Saratoga by a nostril over Man o’ War’s son War Relic in what was maybe one of the first major controversial finishes since the advent of the photo finish.
1941 TRIPLE CROWN WINNER WHIRLAWAY

Photo by Horsephotos.com
Like Gallant Fox, Whirlaway raced against two other horses on a muddy track. Unlike Gallant Fox, Whirlaway didn’t mind the surface. Whirlaway closed from 13 lengths back and gave the fans a thrilling stretch run. The papers the next day called him “a mud-covered lightning streak.”
Whirlaway remains the only Triple Crown winner to win the Travers Stakes — the “superfecta” of Thoroughbred racing.
1978 Affirmed
After Whirlaway in 1941, the world would see five more Triple Crown winners skip the Travers before Affirmed competed in 1978. Affirmed and Alydar’s Triple Crown rivalry was far from over in August when the Saratoga meet rolled around. Both horses were racing in Saratoga, though not against each other. Alydar ran in the opening-day Whitney Stakes, and won the race against older horses, including J. O. Tobin, who had beaten Seattle Slew. Affirmed ran in the Jim Dandy (remember him?) Stakes and won, although it wasn’t easy and wasn’t as impressive as Alydar’s race.
Prior to the Travers, the familiar rivals’ camps were exchanging lots of heated talk, and Alydar’s trainer said he was after “revenge.” Affirmed’s trainer asked, “won’t this ever end?”
The race ended up being one of the most memorable Travers of all time. Four horses entered the race, but it was a two-horse test. When, on the turn, Laffit Pincay Jr., who was riding in place of the recently injured Steve Cauthern, moved Affirmed toward the rail, he misjudged the distance between his horse and Alydar and forced Alydar to drop back to avoid colliding.
Incredibly, Alydar recovered and was able to rally for second place behind Affirmed. The stewards disqualified Affirmed and awarded Alydar the victory. Many of the 50,000-plus fans in attendance booed the decision. John Vietch, trainer of Alydar, said in the post-race interview: “No, I’m not happy winning this way. It’s hollow as hell.” It was the last time the two rivals would meet.
1978 TRAVERS REPLAY