A horse that wasn't ready for the Kentucky Derby is the program favorite in the Travers Stakes.
Bayern, making a late-season run for the male 3-year-old championship, is the early 2-1 choice in Saturday's $1.25-million race at Saratoga in upstate New York.
A 10-horse field was drawn Tuesday night at a downtown Saratoga Springs, N.Y., restaurant. Belmont Stakes winner Tonalist is the early 3-1 second choice and Wicked Strong, the Grade 2 Jim Dandy winner over the track last time, is the 7-2 third choice.
Breaking from the No. 2 post position, Bayern figures to set the pace in the mile-and-a-quarter Mid-Summer Derby for 3-year-olds. Ninth in the Preakness, Bayern has bounced back with spectacular victories going seven furlongs in Belmont Park's Grade 2 Woody Stephens and a mile and an eighth in Monmouth Park's Grade 1 Haskell Invitational.
Martin Garcia keeps the mount for Hall of Fame trainer Bob Baffert, who shipped Kaleem Shah's Offlee Wild colt to Oaklawn Park for a third-place finish in April's Grade 1 Arkansas Derby. Bayern then was placed second through disqualification after winning the Derby Trial at Churchill Downs and finished ninth in the May 17 Preakness.
Tonalist won the mile-and-a-half Belmont June 7 after skipping the Kentucky Derby and Preakness. The Tapit colt, trained by Christophe Clement, finished second in the Jim Dandy, his comeback race. Joel Rosario keeps the mount, breaking from post six.
Wicked Strong, April's Grade 1 Wood Memorial winner but fourth in the Kentucky Derby and Belmont, added blinkers for the Jim Dandy. Trained by Jimmy Jerkens, the Hard Spun colt breaks from post seven with Rajiv Maragh aboard.
Also in the field are Kentucky Derby runner-up Commanding Curve (15-1, jockey Shaun Bridgmohan), Charge Now (15-1, Junior Alvarado), V.E. Day (15-1, Javier Castellano), Viva Majorca (20-1, Julien Leparoux), Kid Cruz (12-1, Irad Ortiz Jr.), Ulanbator (30-1, Brian Hernandez Jr.) and Mr Speaker (10-1, Jose Lezcano).
Bayern is expected to fly from Southern California to upstate New York this morning, trying to give Baffert his second Travers victory (Point Given in 2001).
The Travers, won last year by Arkansas-owned Will Take Charge, is scheduled for 4:46 p.m. on a 90-minute NBC telecast beginning at 3:30 p.m.
Skipping the Travers is Kentucky Derby and Preakness winner California Chrome, who has not raced since dead-heating for fourth in the Belmont. Trainer Art Sherman plans one prep race before the $5 million Breeders' Cup Classic Nov. 1 at California's Santa Anita Park.
Sports on 08/20/2014