Winners of the Travers Stakes have included some all-time greats. Man O’ War avenged his defeat by Upset in the 1920 Travers. Whirlaway, the 1941 Triple Crown winner, also won the Travers. Damascus rolled to an impressive 22-length victory in 1967. Who will join this illustrious list? Let’s find out who is most likely!
Travers Morning Line Odds
These are the official entrants for the 2021 Travers Stakes, along with their post positions, trainers, jockeys, and morning lines:
- Midnight Bourbon (Steve Asmussen/Ricardo Santana, Jr.) - 9-2
- Essential Quality (Brad Cox/Luis Saez) - 4-5
- Keepmeinmind (Robertino Diodoro/Joel Rosario) - 6-1
- Dynamic One (Todd Pletcher/Irad Ortiz, Jr.) - 6-1
- Miles D (Chad Brown/Flavien Prat) - 12-1
- Masqueparade (Albert Stall, Jr./Miguel Mena) - 8-1
- King Fury (Kenneth McPeek/Jose Ortiz) - 15-1
Keep in mind that you are not guaranteed to get these morning line odds on the horse come post time. Instead, the best way to get the best odds on your Travers Stakes horse is to sign up for one or more of the top online sportsbooks and keep an eye on the odds as the race draws closer. That way, you can place your bet and lock in the best odds before the race.
The current odds at the best online sportsbooks are featured below:
 |  |  | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Essential Quality | +080 | +080 | +080 |
| Midnight Bourbon | +450 | +450 | +450 |
| Keepmeinmind | +600 | +600 | +600 |
| Dynamic One | +600 | +600 | +600 |
| Masqueparade | +800 | +800 | +800 |
Travers Stakes Online Betting
The first step toward a profitable Travers Day is to set up an account to bet the Travers Stakes online. There are many sportsbooks out there, so it can be difficult to pick the right one. Fortunately, we make it easy. Read our trusted reviews of the best online sports betting sites.
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Travers Handicapping
Now that you know where you can bet the Travers, let’s learn a little more about handicapping the Travers Stakes, and about who the contenders are in the Travers Stakes.
Travers Stakes Contenders
The Travers begins with #2 Essential Quality, who will likely be the odds-on favorite. He comes into the Travers off of a win in the Jim Dandy (G2), the local prep race, where he rallied and gamely rejected fellow Travers runner Keepmeinmind.
Essential Quality has never run a bad race, and looks just as strong whether he is winning easily or digging in for a razor-thin win. The 1 1/4-mile distance should be no problem for him given what he proved in the Triple Crown season, and his victory in the Southwest Stakes shows he can handle the rain that is supposed to fall on Saturday in Saratoga.
However, the Spa is the graveyard of favorites, and some of the strongest favorites in history have been beaten in the Travers. #1 Midnight Bourbon has the best chance to surprise in the Travers. He is drawn on the rail, and there is a good chance he will send from there and get a very cozy trip on the lead. This makes him an interesting alternative.
If anyone is close to Midnight Bourbon in the earlier stages of the race, it will probably be #6 Masqueparade. He isn’t a pacesetter, but he does tend to stalk close to the pace and make an early move. That does bode well for him getting a good trip. But, he will have to move forward to beat the best contenders in this, and will have to prove he can run as well without Lasix as with it.
Both #3 Keepmeinmind and #4 Dynamic One are off-pace runners, and both have made good account at the Spa this summer. Keepmeinmind ran a close second behind Essential Quality in the Jim Dandy; Dynamic One rallied to win the Curlin. And, both are coming into the Travers in good form.
Dynamic One will probably be the longer price of the two since he comes out of a restricted stakes and not a graded one. However, with rain likely, the fact that Dynamic One has already won over a wet Saratoga track makes him the more interesting one of those two. Keepmeinmind has fine slop pedigree, but has yet to handle a wet track on race day.
Travers Stakes Longshots
The Travers field features a pair of longshots, both of whom are by excellent long-distance sire Curlin.
#5 Miles D makes his graded stakes debut after running second behind Dynamic One in the Curlin Stakes. He ran well over wet dirt in that race and he does have tactical speed. He also has a good distance pedigree. However, given how heavily his trainer Chad Brown tends to get bet at Saratoga, there is a good chance he will be an underlay.
#7 King Fury makes his return to the dirt after finishing off the board in the Saratoga Derby (G1) over grass last out. His recent dirt starts have been very strong, both in the Lexington (G3) and the Ohio Derby (G3). It especially stands out that his Lexington score came over a sloppy track at Keeneland.
Free Travers Picks
These are your free expert picks for the 2021 Travers Stakes:
- $20 Win: #1 Midnight Bourbon
- $2 Exacta Key: #2 Essential Quality with #1 Midnight Bourbon and #4 Dynamic One
- $1 Trifecta Key: #2 Essential Quality with #1 Midnight Bourbon, #4 Dynamic One, and #7 King Fury
