Probably the most stunning facet of the Travers Stakes (G1) includes Invoice Mott.
Twenty-seven years in the past, the then-45-year-old Mott grew to become the youngest coach inducted into the game’s Corridor of Fame.Â
If there have been a Mount Rushmore for New York trainers, Mott could be a logical alternative for inclusion.
Regardless of a wealth of main wins on the three New York Racing Affiliation tracks, Mott has but to win the Travers. He is a baffling 0-for-13  in it, with a trio of second-place finishes, largely just lately with Tacitus  in 2019.
“It’s a kind of issues. When you’ve got a bucket listing, it is a bucket listing merchandise,” Mott mentioned. “Successful the Travers would imply extra to me than the horse. It is a particular race to me.”Join BloodHorse Day by day
Photograph: Skip DicksteinExercise rider Neil Poznansky, aboard Sovereignty, and coach Invoice Mott focus on the colt’s closing breeze forward of the Travers Stakes at Saratoga’s Oklahoma Coaching Observe
Come Aug. 23 at Saratoga Race Course, one in every of Mott’s few goose eggs may disappear when he sends out the overwhelming 2-5 favourite, twin basic winner Sovereignty , within the 156th version of the mile-and-a-quarter, $1.25 million Travers.
“He is the perfect 3-year-old colt I’ve ever had,” mentioned Mott, who has a pair of wins in each the Kentucky Derby and Belmont Stakes.
Solely 4 different 3-year-olds turned out to problem Godolphin’s homebred Kentucky Derby (G1) and Belmont Stakes (G1) winner, with none of them grade 1 winners. However true to his nature, Mott is taking nothing with no consideration as he goals to maintain Sovereignty on prime in a heated battle for the 3-year-old championship with three-time grade 1 winner Journalism , who’s staying on the West Coast.
“If he fires again to his previous races, he’ll be very aggressive within the Travers,” Mott mentioned concerning the son of Into Mischief,  who may develop into the primary horse—and presumably the final—to win each the Belmont Stakes and Travers on the Spa. “I am cautiously optimistic.”
These previous begins embrace his most up-to-date effort, a July 26 one-length victory over Kentucky Derby and Belmont Stakes third-place finisher Baeza within the Jim Dandy Stakes (G2) on the Spa. That lifted Sovereignty’s profession document to 5 wins and two seconds from eight begins for the colt out of Topped, a daughter of Godolphin’s 2006 Travers winner Bernardini.
Although there is a discipline of 5, on paper the Travers looms a two-horse race between the closing kick of Sovereignty and the pure pace of Winchell Thoroughbreds’ Magnitude (2-1 second alternative).
A Not This Time  colt, the Steve Asmussen-trained Magnitude will likely be examined for sophistication within the Travers in hopes of including an exclamation level to an injury-marred stretch of two dynamic stakes wins.
After a maiden and allowance optionally available claiming win in 5 begins at 2, the $450,000 Keeneland September Yearling Sale purchase began 2025 with a lackluster sixth within the Jan. 18 Lecomte Stakes (G3).Â
A month later, he was despatched off at 43-1 odds within the Risen Star Stakes (G2) and responded with a surprising 9 3/4-length gate-to-wire win within the dazzling time of 1:48.85 for 1 1/8 miles.
Bred by Ron Stolich out of the Bernardini mare Rockadelic, he instantly grew to become the Kentucky Derby favourite in some corners, solely to have bone chips knock him off the Triple Crown path. He returned July 5 with an electrifying 9 1/4-length front-running triumph within the Iowa Derby that has his connections desirous to make up for misplaced time.
“He missed the Kentucky Derby, so that is type of his Derby,” mentioned David Fiske, racing supervisor for Winchell Thoroughbreds, concerning the race referred to as the Midsummer Derby. “We have at all times thought he was a horse with numerous expertise, which he exhibited within the Risen Star in February after which backed up within the Iowa Derby. It simply appeared just like the pace figures and sheet numbers he was working put him within the combine with the highest horses within the division.”
As small as the sphere could also be, Magnitude is not going to be the lone pace within the Travers. BBN Racing’s Bracket Buster (20-1) must also be a part of the early tempo.
A son of Vekoma  educated by Victoria Oliver, Bracket Buster led after the opening quarter-mile within the Haskell Stakes (G1) however light to fourth within the mile-and-an-eighth check. He had received the ungraded Pegasus Stakes by seven lengths earlier than that and was second in April within the Lexington Stakes (G3).
Klaravich Stables’ Strategic Focus (6-1) will likely be making simply his fourth profession begin within the Travers. Educated by Chad Brown, who can also be on the lookout for his first Travers win, the Gun Runner  colt was a 3-5 favourite within the July 24 Curlin Stakes on the Spa, however drained within the closing eighth and completed third by a half-length.
“He seems to be good, and it is clearly a tall order right here. We will attempt. He appeared to be profitable the Curlin on the flip simple, after which he simply packed it in when he made the lead. He scoped good. I will must assume it is psychological as a result of the horse can positively get the gap,” mentioned Brown, who will equip Strategic Focus with blinkers on Saturday.
Black Sort Thoroughbreds, Swinbank Stables, Judy Hicks, and Scott Rice’s McAfee (20-1) is coming off a 3rd within the West Virginia Derby (G3), the third time he has positioned in a grade 3 stakes.
The son of Cloud Computing , out of the Uncle Mo mare Sataves, making him a half brother to 2024 Horse of the Yr Thorpedo Anna, was additionally second within the Peter Pan Stakes (G3) at Aqueduct Racetrack. He’s educated by Rick Dutrow.
Entries: DraftKings Travers S. (G1)Saratoga Race Course, Saturday, August 23, 2025, Race 13Grade I1 1/4mDirt $1,250,0003 yo6:14 PM (native)
