Travers Stakes Handicapping Picks
Horse racing gamblers are you looking for 2020 Travers Stakes Free Pick & Handicapping Odds…plus some predictions? Need some advice on who to take? The 2020 Travers Stakes is set for Saturday at Saratoga Race Course in Saratoga Springs, New York. Here’s a preview of our top contenders.
Travers Stakes Preview and Prediction
- Race: Travers Stakes
- Purse: $1,000,000
- Track: Saratoga Race Course
- Date: August 8
- Post Time: 6:15 PM (ET)
- Live: Travers Stakes Odds: Click Here
2020 Travers Stakes Handicapping
The oldest continuously run stakes race in the United States, the Travers is commonly known as the ‘Mid-Summer Classic’ and usually brings together for the first time many of the horses that spent the spring on the Triple Crown trail.
Of course, this year things are different, and the 2020 Travers will instead serve as a qualifying points race for September’s Kentucky Derby. Distance is a factor in the Travers, as the runners will be tasked with going 1 1/4 miles for the first time in their career.
Eight have drawn into the field to race for the Derby points and a share of the $1 million purse.
Odds listed here are provided by Bovada’s racebook.
2020 Travers Stakes Free Pick & Handicapping: Tiz The Law Race Odds: 2-3
Undefeated in three starts so far in 2020, and the winner of five-of-six lifetime, Tiz The Law also sits on top of the current Derby qualifying points standings and has already punched his ticket to the big race.
By virtue of winning the Belmont Stakes in June, he’s also the only horse with a shot at the 2020 Triple Crown, and his connections are looking at the Travers to see how he’ll handle some added distance. Prior to the Belmont he captured the (G1) Florida Derby and (G3) Holy Bull Stakes this year, and the (G1) Champagne Stakes in 2019.
He’s trained by Barclay Tagg, while Manny Franco is set to ride.
2020 Travers Stakes Free Pick & Handicapping: Uncle Chuck Race Odds: 11-4
Making just his third career start, Uncle Chuck ships in from California where he was an easy winner of his first two races at Santa Anita and Los Alamitos.
After scoring his maiden win at first asking by seven lengths racing one mile at Santa Anita, he stepped up in both distance and class to win the (G3) Los Alamitos Derby at 1 1/8 miles. He won by four lengths over Thousand Words, who last week came back to capture the Shared Belief Stakes.
Bob Baffert is the trainer, Luis Saez is tapped to ride.
2020 Travers Stakes Free Pick & Handicapping: Max Player Odds: 12-1
Third in the Belmont where he had to go seven-wide off the turn but still managed to make up some ground late, Max Player will be making only his his fifth career start and third so far in 2020.
Prior to the Belmont he was the winner of the (G3) Withers Stakes at Aqueduct in February, where he also had to overcome racing wide through much of the race. He was still able to run down the favourite in the stretch and go on to win by 3 3/4 lengths.
A Linda Rice trainee, he’ll be ridden Saturday by Joel Rosario.
2020 Travers Stakes Free Pick & Handicapping: First Line Odds: 40-1
Although he took four starts to get his maiden win, First Line made a big improvement in that effort last time out on the Saratoga dirt, overcoming a bobble at the start to get up and track just off the pace before prevailing in a tough stretch drive.
In doing so he improved 20 points on his previous career best Equibase speed figure. Now he wheels back after just 10 days between races, as the connections look to strike while the iron is hot with a horse that seems to want more distance.
He’s trained by Orlando Noda, David Cohen will be in the irons.
Here’s my 2020 Travers Stakes Free Pick.
There’s not a ton of early speed in this race, and unless someone goes out on a suicide mission, Tiz The Law should be able to sit just off a comfortable pace early before taking over in the stretch and letting his class and breeding carry him to the win.
The Belmont Stakes was a pretty good race, and despite the fact he finished behind Tiz The Law, Max Player finished ahead of some good horses in that one. To my eye he’s the best of the rest here, so I’ll use him underneath in the exacta.
Purely on a hunch that he’s found something in the Saratoga dirt that he loves, I’ll use First Line at big odds, as well as Uncle Chuck, on the bottom of a trifecta ticket.
Full Field: Travers Stakes Betting Odds
- Tiz The Law 2-3
- Uncle Chuck 11-4
- Country Grammer 10-1
- Caracaro 10-1
- Max Player 12-1
- South Bend 35-1
- First Line 40-1
- Shivaree 50-1
What do you think of our 2020 Travers Stakes Race Odds & Predictions? Weigh in below with a comment. We welcome your feedback.
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