The $1.25 million Travers Stakes (G1) is the most important race of the summer at Saratoga, and it is coming up on Saturday, August 27! The race covers the classic distance of a mile and a quarter on the dirt, and its field of eight includes the top active three-year-old males in the country. The quality of the field makes it one of the best betting horse races of the summer!
The Travers is the oldest stakes race in the United States for straight three-year-olds, and has been run since 1864. Classic champions include Ruthless, Man o’ War, and Triple Crown winner Whirlaway. More recent stars to win the Travers include Easy Goer, Holy Bull, Bernardini, Arrogate, and Tiz the Law.
Who will add their name to this exciting list of champions? Keep reading to find out!
Though few things would be as fun as taking a trip up to New York to see the Travers in person, we cannot all make it there. However, you can still enjoy all the action of the Travers from anywhere by betting it from your phone, tablet, or computer at an online sportsbook! In fact, betting it from a top online sportsbook can be even better than playing from the track!
All of our recommended online sportsbooks have the basics of a great wagering experience: a smooth user interface, real Vegas odds, and trustworthy deposits and cash-outs. Unlike the racetrack, they also offer lucrative online betting bonuses like rebates, referral incentives, and extra betting credits just for signing up or funding your account.
Taking a few moments now to choose the sportsbook with the best bonuses for your betting style can mean hundreds or even thousands of dollars in extra money for your bankroll. So, read our reviews now, choose the best online sportsbook for you, and bet the Travers stakes with confidence!
This is the official field for the 2022 Travers Stakes including post positions, trainers, jockeys, and morning lines:
Keep in mind that if you bet the Travers at the racetrack, you are not guaranteed to get these morning line odds: they are just the track’s best guess about the odds come post time. Your best bet in the Travers is to play at an online sportsbook.
Since online sportsbooks offer fixed odds wagering for races like the Travers, you lock in the best price the moment you bet! This means that, when you see an overlay on a horse you like, you can go ahead and bet with confidence because the price then is the price you will get when your horse wins the race. You no longer have to worry about post-time odds fluctuations!
 |  |  |
|
|---|---|---|---|
| Epicenter | +140 | +125 | +140 |
| Cyberknife | +450 | +450 | +450 |
| Zandon | +600 | +450 | +600 |
| Artorius | +550 | +675 | +550 |
| Early Voting | +900 | +825 | +900 |
| Rich Strike | +1100 | +1400 | +1100 |
Now that you know the best places to bet the Travers Stakes online, it is time to get to know the horses in the field.
Epicenter comes into the Travers as the horse to beat. He won over the course last time out, and should be even sharper second off the layoff. Though the pace won’t be blazing sharp, even if he sits off the lead, he closed into a slow pace in the Jim Dandy to win smartly so he can get a trip. The biggest question is the distance, as he flattened a bit in the Kentucky Derby, though that day he may have rallied into a breakneck pace too soon.
Cyberknife is an interesting up-and-comer. Though he was well beaten in his only other try at 1 ¼ miles, that was in the Kentucky Derby and he was close to a blazing pace. This time the pace will not be nearly so fast. He should not be far from likely pacesetter Early Voting, and the pace should be reasonable. With a solid distance pedigree, good tactical speed, and improving form, he has a strong win chance at a better price than Epicenter.
Among the three-strong Chad Brown brigade, Zandon is consistent enough to get an underneath share, though in a field this deep he tends to find one or two too good. Artorius gets a class test, but has a win over the course and real upside to improve. Early Voting likely sets the pace, but he got the run of the Jim Dandy and emptied out, making him suspect in the Travers.
Two of the longer shots are in serious pace trouble in the Travers. Both Rich Strike and Gilded Age do their best work closing from well off the pace. Rich Strike benefited from that in Kentucky Derby, and Gilded Age did in his two-back allowance win, but neither will get the torrid early fractions they need to run their best race in the Travers.
Ain’t Life Grand is more interesting among the long shots because he has shown some tactical versatility. Though he comes into the Travers out of less difficult races, two Travers winners in the last ten years made their last pre-Travers starts in allowance company, meaning sometimes horses can take that class step in the Travers. If you want to use a bomb in your exotics, Ain’t Life Grand is the one.
Now that you have created your online betting account and gotten to know the field, there is only one more thing to do: go online and place your bets for the Travers Stakes! Here are the expert recommended bets on the race:
About the Author
For a decade, Rowan Ward has been making horse race predictions and wagers in Chicago, and has been writing about horse racing for nearly just as long. Understanding the various factors that influence a race's outcome, they often find that the age-old saying "the pace makes the race" can uncover worthwhile betting opportunities. When it comes to handicapping, their favorite races are those held locally in Chicago, major stake races across the country, and two-year-old maiden races with intriguing bloodlines.
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