Sidor: A Haskell-Travers double looks increasingly difficult
Following Maximum Security’s recent win in the Haskell Invitational (G1), trainer Jason Servis will take his time deciding on whether to enter the Travers Stakes (G1), too. The son of New Year’s Day is expected to move to Saratoga this week, but whether he runs in the Aug. 24 race will be decided at a later date.
Examining the history of the Haskell-Travers double offers plenty to consider for not only the connections of the highest-ranked 3-year-old in the latest NTRA Top Thoroughbred Poll, but also fans of the sport.
In 1968, Monmouth Park inaugurated the Haskell Handicap in honor of former track president and chairman, Amory L. Haskell, as the its marquee race. The race was originally intended as an opportunity for top older horses to compete against one another. In 1981, after having the likes of Damascus and Forego compete in the race, the Monmouth Invitational Handicap merged with the Haskell to run as an invitational for 3-year-olds.
The race’s notoriety has ebbed and flowed since then. Its entrants have included Horse of the Year winners such as Holy Bull, Point Given, Curlin and Rachel Alexandra, as well as champion 3-year-old males like Lookin At Lucky. Since receiving its Grade 1 status to go with a $1 million purse, the Haskell has also paired with the Travers Stakes as one of two major stops for the best sophomores in the country.
But is it practical anymore to try winning both?
As noted, the last 3-year-old champion (and Horse of the Year) to win both the Haskell Invitational and the Travers Stakes was the dual classic winner Point Given in 2001. Summer Bird, the 2009 Belmont winner, was a runner-up to eventual Horse of the Year Rachel Alexandra in the Haskell and also took the 3-year-old male championship after winning the Travers and Jockey Club Gold Cup (G1).
In addition to Point Given, there have been a number of horses that have managed the Haskell-Travers double: Holding Pattern (1974), Wajima (1975), Wise Times (1986), Forty-Niner (1988), Holy Bull (1994) and Coronado’s Quest (1998).
As those dates suggest, perhaps the double has become more daunting in previous years. A clear sign of this is the fact that Triple Crown-winning trainer Bob Baffert, who leads all conditioners with eight Haskell wins and eight 3-year old male championships has focused recent efforts on winning the Travers Stakes. He sent Arrogate there in 2016, West Coast in 2017, and this year the 2018 champion 2-year old Game Winner has made it his primary summer target. It took a talent like American Pharoah to try both, and after winning the 2015 Haskell, he came up just short in the Travers.
Since 1964 when Saratoga’s Jim Dandy was first run, there have been 10 Jim Dandy winners who have also won the Travers Stakes. However, this statistic is deceptive for predicting Travers winners because eight other Travers winners prepped in the Jim Dandy and didn’t win it, while five other Travers winners prepped in Saratoga races other than the Jim Dandy. Of the last 55 editions of the Travers Stakes, 43 percent have been won by horses who prepped locally. That said, the last three Travers winners came out of either California or Belmont Park.
So history says Maximum Security’s team has a tough decision. The emergence of the Pennsylvania Derby (G1), another $1 million race, has also influenced where sophomores run the second half of the season given its spacing to facing older competition in the Breeders’ Cup Classic — and provides Maximum Security a nice fallback should he not be ready for the Travers.
In 2013, Will Take Charge used the race as a springboard to his runner-up finish in the Breeders’ Cup behind Mucho Macho Man. The following year, Bayern used the race to prep for his Breeders’ Cup Classic victory, and fellow race entrant California Chrome finished third in the race. Perhaps Omaha Beach could also appear there this year as the former Kentucky Derby favorite returns to the races in another twist to an intriguing race toward a 3-year-old championship.
Todd Sidor, an attorney by trade, has helped produce equine law seminars, and continues to be active in racing partnerships. His more than two decades passion and respect for the sport of horse racing will always make him, first and foremost, a racing enthusiast.