It's the biggest day of the 2011 Saratoga meeting, and one of the biggest days on the racing calendar. That's right, it's Travers Day. The Grade 1 Travers Stakes is the 12th race on the card and will go to post at 5:45pm Eastern (TV: NBC). The first graded stakes of the day is the Grade 2 Ballston Spa in race 8.
You can find a summary of the entire day's results, payouts, final times, and fractional splits, at the bottom of this post. Click on the name of the winning horse to go to the chart (via Equibase).
2:55 PM: Stay Thirsty takes the Travers and both stakes races for three-year-olds at Saratoga this summer. Shackleford and Coil were no shows, while Rule On Ice was able to secure 4th.
2:30 PM: A thrilling finish to the King's Bishop as Caleb's Posse is able to wear down Uncle Mo in the final furlong. Uncle Mo was very game in his first race off of an extended layoff, but didn't have enough in the tank to put the field away at the top of the stretch.
1:45 PM: 3-Hilda's Passion grabs a clear lead within the first furlong and then stream rolls the field to win the Grade 1 Ballerina in the tenth race at odds of 5/2. Why couldn't she have done that on Derby day!
1:10 PM: Taking advantage of quick early fractions, 6-Hot Summer wins the G2-Ballston Spa in her first start since running 3rd to Royal Delta and Buster's Ready in the Black-Eyed Susan.
The main track at Saratoga seems pretty fair today, although speed is definitely holding.
12:35 PM: 3-Daveron sits mid-pack through solid fractions and kicks on for home at the top of the stretch to win the Grade 2 Ballston Spa in the eighth at Saratoga. Pace setter 9-Tapitsfly held on for 2nd, while 2-Romacaca finished 3rd.
12:03 PM: Time for the stakes portion of the card beginning with the only turf stake on the day - the Grade 2 Ballston Spa. 1-Miss Keller (IRE) has scratched from the field.
11:50 AM: A pretty wide-open seventh race on the inner turf course is the final event before the start of today's graded stakes. 6-Fizzano (2/1) and 1-Seattle Mission (5/2) are taking the most cash with under 10 minutes to post, but this race could produce another big priced winner. Chad Brown sends out 8-Atitlan (7/1) for his first try against winners; might be worth a play in this spot.
10:55 AM: A very, very impressive debut win by 7-Miss Netta in the fifth race. The juvenile filly is a daughter of Kentucky Derby winner Street Sense out of a Dynaformer mare (Dyna Peak).
Check out the splits by that juvenile filly - 22.27, 45.81 and 1:10.74. She wasn't asked for anything in the stretch and ran the final 1/8th of a mile faster than Fire On Ice in the 2nd (although both were geared down at the end). Looks like a couple of nice juvenile maiden winners today.
The Early Pick 4 comes back at $395.00 for $1
10:25 AM: Trainer Chad Brown continues his sizzling Saratoga meeting as 4-Good Prospect wins race number four at the Spa. Coming into today, Brown was 57-18-13-3 at the current meeting (32%) with a $2 ROI at a healthy $2.88.
9:48 AM: 12-Daddy Nose Best (4/1) and Julien Leparoux roll home to take the third at Saratoga and the first on the lawn.
The Early Pick 3 pays a fat $4,499.00 for $1 due to the 50/1 winner in the first leg..
9:20 AM: Speed has held well through the first two races on the card. Pretty Boy Freud pressed the early pace and Fire On Ice went gate-to-wire.
9:15 AM: Fire On Ice, a first time starter by Unbridled's Song out of a Storm Cat mare (Lost in the Storm) blows away the field by 10+ lengths in the second at Saratoga. Scorching splits from the winner: 22.29, 22.78, 11.73 and 12.87. The final 1/8th was slow but the race was over and Fire On Ice was under little urging from David Cohen. Very impressive debut win.
8:45 AM: A big, big price in the first at Saratoga as 9-Pretty Boy Freud scores at a fat 50/1.
7:00 AM PACIFIC: Here are the early changes at Saratoga:
Main Track is FAST
Turf course is GOOD FIRM (The turf course was upgraded to FIRM at some point today)
Stakes Scratches:
Race 8: 1-Miss Keller (IRE)
Race 9: 8-Valliant Passion
Race 10: 1-Hour Glass
Payouts
| # | Winner | $2 Win | $1 Ex | $1 Tri | .10 Super | $1 DD | $1 P3 | $.50 P4 | $2 P6 |
| 1 | 9-Pretty Boy Freud | 102.50 | 434.00 | 1,151.00 | |||||
| 2 | 1-Fire On Ice | 7.50 | 9.60 | 95.25 | 287.50 | ||||
| 3 | 12-Daddy Nose Best | 10.60 | 21.80 | 496.00 | 567.75 | 30.75 | 4,499.00 | ||
| 4 | 4-Good Prospect | 6.90 | 23.90 | 270.50 | 123.40 | 21.10 | 108.50 | ||
| 5 | 7-Miss Netta | 17.00 | 83.50 | 734.00 | 706.70 | 23.80 | 143.75 | 395.00 | |
| 6 | 5-Strategic Missle | 24.00 | 95.25 | 662.50 | 763.50 | 139.25 | 373.50 | ||
| 7 | 6-Fizzano | 6.60 | 39.75 | 109.75 | 129.60 | 47.00 | 570.00 | ||
| 8 | 3-Daveron | 11.00 | 48.00 | 142.50 | 61.55 | 19.40 | 290.00 | 1,622.00 | |
| 9 | 6-Hot Summer | 16.40 | 71.75 | 348.50 | 53.25 | 141.25 | |||
| 10 | 3-Hilda's Passion | 7.10 | 12.60 | 53.75 | 43.25 | 214.75 | |||
| 11 | 2-Caleb's Posse | 13.80 | 19.70 | 262.50 | 103.65 | 29.00 | 235.50 | ||
| 12 | 9-Stay Thirsty | 6.80 | 39.00 | 656.00 | 511.85 | 24.20 | 97.50 | 363.25 | |
| 13 | 8-Cincinnati Kid | 8.70 | 43.00 | 839.50 | 399.10 | 15.60 | 93.00 | 51,316.00 |
Fractions and Internal Splits
| Fractions | Internal Splits | ||||||||||
| # | Dist. | Class | 1st | 2nd | 3rd | Final | 1st | 2nd | 3rd | Final | |
| 1 | 7.0 | AllowanceN1X | 22.83 | 45.54 | 1:09.40 | 1:22.15 | 22.83 | 22.71 | 23.86 | 12.75 |
|
| 2 | 6.0 | MdSpWt | 22.29 | 45.07 |
56.80 |
1:09.67 |
22.29 |
22.78 | 11.73 | 12.87 | |
| 3 | 8.5T |
MdSpWt | 23.47 |
47.75 |
1:12.39 |
1:42.90 |
23.47 |
24.48 |
24.64 |
30.51 |
|
| 4 | 8.5T | $20k Claim | 23.81 | 48.00 |
1:11.94 |
1:41.78 |
23.81 |
24.19 |
23.94 |
29.84 |
|
| 5 | 6.0 | MdSpWt | 22.27 | 45.81 |
58.07 |
1:10.74 |
22.27 |
23.54 |
12.26 |
12.67 |
|
| 6 | 5.5T | AllowanceN1X | 21.60 | 44.46 |
56.19 |
1:02.20 |
21.60 |
22.86 |
11.73 |
6.01 | |
| 7 | 8.5T | AllowanceN1X | 23.77 | 48.54 |
1:12.67 |
1:42.55 |
23.77 |
24.77 |
24.13 |
29.88 |
|
| 8 | 8.5T | G2-Ballston Spa | 23.52 | 47.19 | 1:10.67 |
1:40.09 |
23.52 |
23.67 |
23.48 |
29.42 |
|
| 9 | 6.0 | G3-Victory Ride | 21.77 | 44.23 |
56.66 |
1:10.18 |
21.77 |
22.46 |
12.43 |
13.52 |
|
| 10 | 7.0 | G1-Ballerina | 22.83 | 45.43 |
1:09.19 |
1:22.06 |
22.83 | 22.60 |
23.76 |
12.87 |
|
| 11 | 7.0 | G1-King's Bishop | 22.23 | 44.92 |
1:09.21 |
1:21.59 |
22.23 |
22.69 |
24.29 | 12.38 |
|
| 12 | 10.0 | G1-Travers | 23.45 | 47.63 |
1:11.91 |
2:03.03 |
23.45 |
24.18 | 24.28 |
51.12 |
|
| 13 | 8.5T | MdSpWt | 23.17 | 48.10 |
1:12.14 |
1:36.08 |
23.17 |
24.93 |
24.04 |
23.94 |
|