Jaxon Traveler fends off Tejano Twist to win Whitmore Stakes
Jaxon Traveler lagged behind the early pacesetters before he was set down by jockey Flavien Prat for a decisive move in mid-stretch on his way to a nose victory Saturday in the Grade 3, $250,000 Whitmore Stakes, a six-furlong dash for older horses at Oaklawn.
A 6-year-old Munnings horse owned by West Point Thoroughbreds and trained by Steve Asmussen, Jaxon Traveler (5-1) repelled a late rally by last year’s winner Tejano Twist (6-5), a 5-year-old gelding who closed late under Chris Landeros only to come up just short.
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“Watching it live, obviously, I was hoping that he held on like he did,” Asmussen said. “But definitely a big sigh of relief when (they) put his number up.”
Early pacesetter Ryvit (6-5), who was the favorite by only $82 in a $278,457 win pool, finished third, another 1 1/4 lengths behind. Surveillance (8-1) took fourth, and Osbourne (16-1) was last of the five finishers. Ninja Warrior and Cowan were scratched.
The winning time was 1:10.04 on the fast main track after early fractions of 22.41, 46.23 and 58.03 for the first quarter-, half- and five-eighths of a mile.
“It was a good trip,” Prat said. “Settled down nice on the outside. Made a good move when I asked him to go. I thought I kept a little something, but I knew it was going to be close.”
It was the third win in the last four races for Jaxon Traveler. He won the Zia Sprint on Nov. 28 and last out Feb. 18 in the Bill Thomas Memorial at Sunland Park, both in New Mexico. His only loss in that span was Feb. 3, when he was an empty fifth in the slop at Oaklawn in the King Cotton Stakes.
It was the first Whitmore win for both Asmussen and Prat. Asmussen extended his record for most Oaklawn stakes victories with his 111th. Seven have come during the current 2023-24 meet.
Jaxon Traveler bumped his career earnings to $891,849 after running his record to 28: 9-7-5. Jaxon Traveler also won the $200,000 Bachelor Stakes for 3-year-old sprinters in 2021 at Oaklawn.