Early Travers Preview

I’ve compiled a list of possible Travers entrants, and broke them down to see what we have on our hands.  As of now this looks to be one of the weakest Travers I can remember, but hopefully it will surprise us.  Here are your possible runners:

Alpha – Winner of the Jim Dandy, and your most likely favorite for the Travers.  He is four for six in the state of New York with two of those wins coming at Saratoga.  Reminds me a lot of last years Travers winner; Stay Thirsty.

Atigun – It was a disappointing Jim Dandy for him, but I still think he might point for this race.  He’s been an inconsistent horse for most of the year, so it’s very hard to predict what he might do in this one if he enters.  If he runs his best race, he could make some noise.

Cogito – Cogito will add international flavor to the Travers, but who knows what you will get with this horse.  He ran the mile and one-quarter distance pretty well in his last effort, but that was on the turf.  Will he like the dirt?

Five Sixteen – He could be an interesting long shot.  His last two races weren’t all that bad, and he looks like a horse that could be improving.  I could see him ruining a lot of tri’s or super’s.

Liaison – You know this horse is going to give you a solid effort, but is he good enough to actually win a race like this?  He ran a pretty solid race in the Jim Dandy considering the slow pace.  Give him the right set up and he’ll have a shot.  He’s one of only two Grade 1 winners that will be in this field.

Hansen – Make fun of him all you want, but he’s the other Grade 1 winner that will be in this race.  Is there any way in the world he gets a mile and one-quarter?  No,  I don’t think so!  But it’s not my horse, and if they want to run him in the Travers so be it.  He has certainly earned it.

Neck n’ Neck – This is a horse that is really on the improve.  His Matt Winn victory was really impressive, and he came back to run a very solid second in the Jim Dandy.  If you believe in workouts then you like this horse as well.  DRF’s Mike Welsch has reported that his works over the Oklahoma Training track have been impressive.  One to watch…

Nonios – I’ve really taken a liking to Nonios, and I think he has a great shot to win this race.  He was beaten almost four lengths by Paynter in the Haskell, but I believe Paynter would beat anyone in this field by that same margin.  California horses have won all the big 3-year-old races this year, so why not Nonios in this one?

Quick Wit – He was a nose winner in the Hall of Fame Stakes, so this would be a quick turn around.  I still wouldn’t be surprised if he runs considering Romans likes to run in big races.  I’m not sure he’ll be any kind of factor, but if the track comes up sloppy you’d have to consider him.

Stealcase – I’ve heard he put in a nice workout yesterday, but I can’t say I’m real high on him.  Stealcase has had five chances to win graded races and hasn’t really been close to winning any of them.  He was sort of the “wise guy” horse in the Haskell, but was a distant third.

Street Life – If there is a pace melt down, this will most likely be your winner.  Street Life is the deepest of closers, and showed a little class in winning the Curlin Stakes last time out.  He’s a solid horse, and a definite tri and super bet, but his one-dimensional style makes him a tough win bet.

Willy Beamin – Even though it’s been against lesser competition,  four easy wins in row should serve notice that this horse is one to watch.  Maybe not worth a large play, but he’s a reasonable long shot to throw a couple of bucks on.