Travers 2021: See horses, draw, odds for ‘Midsummer Derby’

It is not a question of whether Belmont Stakes winner Essential Quality will be the favorite Saturday. It is how short his post-time odds will be when the gates open for the Grade 1, $1.25 million Travers Stakes at Saratoga.

“I feel like he’s as good as he’s ever been,” trainer Brad Cox said Wednesday morning after Essential Quality (4-5) drew post 2 and was made the morning-line favorite for the 1 1/4-mile highlight of the Saratoga summer. “I feel like if we run our race, we’ll be tough. There’s six other good colts in there, and we still have to play our game. If we do, I think we’ll be a big factor.”

A Godolphin homebred colt by Tapit, Essential Quality last raced July 31, when he was a half-length winner as the 2-5 favorite in the Jim Dandy (G2). If he were to finish first Saturday, Sáez would have a second Travers victory to go with the one he had in 2013 with Will Take Charge.

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“Luis is riding him with a lot of confidence,” Cox said. “He thinks the world of him. He’s been able to breeze him his last two works up here, and he’s super excited about the opportunity on Saturday. I don’t give Luis many instructions with this horse. It’s just, ‘Do your thing,’ and it tends to work out.”

Preakness runner-up Midnight Bourbon (9-2) was installed as the second favorite and will start from the rail post in the field of seven 3-year-olds. In his last start for trainer Steve Asmussen, he lost jockey Paco López when Hot Rod Charlie interfered with him last month in the Haskell (G1) at Monmouth Park. Ricardo Santana Jr. will be the fifth jockey in as many races for Midnight Bourbon, who is trying to snap a five-race losing streak.

Keepmeinmind (6-1), who closed to finish second to Midnight Bourbon in the Jim Dandy, drew post 3 and will be ridden by Joel Rosario.

“He loves his job,” his trainer Robertino Diodoro said. “When he goes out there to train, he’s a machine. In 20-something years of training, he’s probably the toughest horse we’ve ever trained. He just pulls. He’s tough.”

Coming off a first-place finish against restricted company July 30 in the $120,000 Curlin Stakes, Dynamic One (6-1) will be ridden from post 4 by Irad Ortiz Jr. He is trained by Todd Pletcher, who won the Travers with Flower Alley (2005) and Stay Thirsty (2011).

Masqueparade (8-1), who put a head in front on the backstretch before settling for third from post 2 in the Jim Dandy, drew No. 6 for Saturday, when he will be ridden again by Miguel Mena for trainer Al Stall Jr.

“It’s completely different than the Jim Dandy draw,” Stall said. “Being on the outside we can chase some speed. If there’s no speed we can lay very close. He can be more comfortable. In the Jim Dandy he was trapped inside between speed horses, so we couldn’t get anything done. They were shuffling us back, and we were last on the back side. Now he can float away from there and see how things go.”

Miles D (12-1), who was second to Dynamic One in the Curlin, will break from post 5. Trainer Chad Brown has called on top California rider Flavien Prat to take over for Rosario.

King Fury (15-1), who returns to dirt after finishing 10th on turf Aug. 7 in the Saratoga Derby Invitational (G1), got the wide draw. José Ortiz keeps the ride for trainer Kenny McPeek, who said he was surprised at having the longest shot on the morning line.

“We ran right with (Keepmeinmind and Masqueparade) in the Ohio Derby,” Stall said. “We split those two, and we really thought we could make a case that he should have won that day. He got shuffled back in the second turn and had to rally and still almost won the race. He’s a good colt, and he’s going to make his presence felt.”

The Travers is posted for 6:16 p.m. EDT, making it the 12th race on a card that starts at 11:35 a.m. The National Weather Service said there is a 40 percent chance of showers after 2 p.m. Saturday at Saratoga. Otherwise the forecast is for a partly sunny day with a high near 76.