Travers Stakes Post Draw Reaction by 1/ST BET:
Kentucky Derby and Belmont Stakes winner Sovereignty reigns over the Travers Stakes this Saturday at Saratoga, so much so that his strength has scared away numbers. Only four challengers joined the superstar 3-year-old in the entry box today for the $1.25 million Midsummer Derby. Preakness winner Journalism and Kentucky Derby and Belmont Stakes-placed Baeza were notable absentees, both foregoing a potential third clash with the division’s clear leader.
Horseplayers betting Saturday’s Saratoga card with 1/ST BET and Xpressbet can take advantage of the $5,000 Exacta-Thon promotion. Also, be sure to check out the 1/ST BET Travers Day Tailgate contest with VSIN, where your knowledge of horses and the opening week of the college football season could pay off. Registration begins on Wednesday.
The Travers’ most dangerous early speed and chief rival to Sovereignty figures to be Magnitude, who drew the rail and will be the target under Ben Curtis. Magnitude burst onto the scene in February with a romping win in the Risen Star at Fair Grounds before being sidelined by injury. His return blowout in the Iowa Derby indicates he could be a second half of the season force. Bracket Buster (post 2) set the pace in the Haskell and Pegasus at Monmouth earlier this summer and should be in the mix with Magnitude. That he drew post 2 means there’s a chance the two speeds hook up in the room through the stretch the first time.
Both McAfee (post 5), the half-brother to 2024 Horse of the Year and Travers runner-up Thorpedo Anna, and lightly raced Strategic Focus (post 3) project to get mid-pack trips. Sovereignty has been effective from off the pace in key races but showed more tactical speed in the Jim Dandy prep. Jockey Junior Alvarado should be able to pick any spot given the race shape, small field size and long run into the clubhouse turn. If Bracket Buster does the dirty work keeping Magnitude honest, Sovereignty should be poised to deliver the knockout as he has since the first Saturday in May.
Saturday’s Travers Stakes Day program gets underway at 11:40 am ET and includes undercard stakes like the Grade 1 Personal Ensign, Ballerina, H. Allen Jerkens Memorial and Forego, as well as the Grade 2 Lake Placid.
Travers Stakes 156 | Saratoga | Saturday, August 23, 2025 | Race 13
1-Magnitude (Steve Asmussen / Ben Curtis) 2-1
2-Bracket Buster (Victoria Oliver / Luis Saez) 20-1
3-Strategic Focus (Chad Brown / Flavien Prat) 6-1
4-Sovereignty (Bill Mott / Junior Alvardo) 2-5
5-McAfee (Rick Dutrow / John Velazquez) 20-1
For more handicapping insights, access the free 1/ST and VSIN Travers Stakes Wager Guide, launching Monday and updated throughout the week.
