Essential Quality battles to 2021 Travers Stakes win

Saratoga Springs, N.Y.

It is always a bad idea to engage in a fight with Essential Quality.

Midnight Bourbon became the latest victim of the Godolphin homebred that will almost surely be crowned 3-year-old champion, succumbing to him a neck in the $1.25 million Travers Stakes on Saturday at Saratoga Race Course.

In an age when too many horses are either retired abruptly or are unable to retain their form, hard-nosed Essentially Quality showed in the 152nd edition of the Travers that he is standing the test of time. He became the 29th horse to complete the Belmont-Travers double. He stands as the first Breeders’ Cup Juvenile winner to capture the Travers since Street Sense in 2007.

When trainer Brad Cox was asked what those factoids say about the gray son of Tapit, he offered a ready response. “He’s a true champion, that’s what it says,” Cox responded.

In reflecting on Essential Quality’s eighth victory in nine starts – one that hiked his career earnings to $4,215,144 – the element that towers above the rest is his willingness to slug it out with the best of his generation and dispatch them in the end.

He did that to Hot Rod Charlie in rallying to win the Juvenile and the Belmont Stakes. He fought to a neck decision against Highly Motivated in the Blue Grass Stakes. He endured a wide trip in the Jim Dandy, but he still found a way to be half a length better than Keepmeinmind in the Jim Dandy.

He had every reason to fall short in the Travers. Midnight Bourbon showed no ill effects from a hair-raising Haskell in which he clipped heels with Hot Rod Charlie and nearly fell, leading to the disqualification of Hot Rod Charlie. He broke sharply from the rail for jockey Ricardo Santana, Jr., and was allowed a comfortable lead in the Travers. He covered the opening quarter of a mile in 24.18 seconds. He barely broke a sweat in a half that went in 48.96 seconds. He was still coasting through three quarters in 1:14.49 seconds on a fast track while Essential Quality and his rider, Luis Saez, patiently tracked them in second.

“We got the racetrack, the set-up, the chances we wanted, the right trip,” acknowledged trainer Steve Asmussen.

Still, Essential Quality and Saez always had the leader measured.

“Luis did a good job of recognizing that there wouldn’t be a whole lot of pace,” Cox said. “He asked him to run out of there and established good position and didn’t let Midnight Bourbon get too far away up the backside. I was a little worried up the backside once (Midnight Bourbon) cleared up with softer fractions.”

Saez gave Essential Quality his cue that it was time to brawl with three furlongs remaining. Cox no longer had to worry.

His colt sliced into the lead with every stride. Once he edged past Midnight Bourbon, there was no doubt he would stay on top. “He gets past the horse and he can stay there,” Saez said. “He don’t waste energy.”

Cox had entered the “Mid-Summer Derby” with a world of confidence. “He’s been touting himself for the last 10 days, two weeks. He had his game face on,” he said.

Asmussen pointed to the final time of 2:01.96 as a testament to the top two finishers. “For them to go from 14 and change to 2 and 1, they ran home. That’s picking it up,” he said.

Miles D, testing Grade 1 company for the first time in four lifetime starts, was impressive in finishing third for jockey Flavien Prat. “He’s lightly raced and looks like he has a bright future ahead of him,” said trainer Chad Brown.

Keepmeinmind, King Fury, Masqueparade and Dynamic One completed the order of finish.

Essential Quality clearly has the $6 million Breeders’ Cup Classic at Del Mar on Nov. 6 in his future. But will he be given one more race as a prep to get there?  

“I have no clue right now,” Cox said. “We’ll take a deep breath and, obviously, watch him over the next week and go from there.”

It might be the only time Cox has been stumped since hard-hitting Essential Quality began demonstrating his quality at the start of his career.