Usually, the Travers distance of a mile and a quarter is not a big issue given the lengthy run to the first turn. But the post position draw held Tuesday night in downtown Saratoga sure makes the dynamics intriguing.
However, much of the drama was shattered when trainer Danny Gargen, having drawn the extreme outside in post 12 with co-third choice Tax warned the other connections in attendance that they had better be ready.
“What choice do I have from there?” Gargan said when asked to assess his post position. “We’re goin’ and we’ll see where we’ll land. Everyone better be ready.”
Those likely to take Gargen’s remarks seriously would be Bob Baffert, whose Haskell runnerup drew post #7 and Looking At Bikinis, whose speed was compromised by a deeper, wet inside position in the Curlin. He likely will get away faster on a forecasted dry surface..
Tacitus with his new blinkers has drawn in mid-field and the Travers’ other classy closers, Code of Honor and Owendale, drew posts #2 and #1, respectively.
Here’s the Travers lineup, with early line odds:
- OWENDALE (6-1)
- CODE OF HONOR (4-1)
- HIGHEST HONORS (10-1)
- LAUGHING FOX (30-1)
- EVERFAST (30-1)
- TACITUS (5-2)
- MUCHO GUSTO (6-1)
- CHESS CHIEF (30-1)
- LOOKING AT BIKINIS (10-1)
- SCARS ARE COOL (30-1)
- ENDORSED (15-1)
- TAX (6-1)
