Travers Race Card
Biggest stakes: The Travers Stakes, Whitney, Woodward and Alabama. The 2019 Saratoga meet opens on Thursday, July 11. The opening day stakes races are the $150,000 Schuylerville Stakes for two-year-old fillies and the $100,000 Quick Call turf sprint for three-year-olds. Opening Day entries will be drawn on Saturday, July 6! TRAVERS STAKES PREVIEW AUGUST 6.2020 1/ST BET STUDIO. Jeff Siegel and Eddie Olczyk take a closer look at the many factors in play for this apparent East vs. West Coast showdown between Uncle Chuck and Tiz the Law and who could pose an upset threat in the G1 Runhappy Travers on Saturday.
Editor's Note (2/19/21): The New York Racing Association (NYRA) has announced that the 2021 summer meet at Saratoga Race Course will take place from July 15 through September 6. The information below reflects 2019, but we will update it with 2021 details as soon as they are released by NYRA and New York State.
For the 2019 racing meet at Saratoga, fans can purchase a reserved table flex plan to guarantee themselves a reserved table in the Fourstardave Sports Bar or Miller Lite Picnic Paddock on seven days of their choice, including Travers Day, Saturday, August 24, 2019. Reserved table flex plans are available for purchase by calling the NYRA Box Office at 844-NYRA-TIX and are subject to availability.
Additionally, there will once again be a drawing this year for members of the general public who are interested in purchasing a reserved table for Travers Day.
The Drawing Process:
Fans who wish to reserve a table in one of two designated hospitality areas on Travers Day may enter the drawing from 10 a.m. on Monday, March 25 until Friday, April 12, 2019 at 11:59 p.m. via www.nyra.com/traverstables.
There is a limit of one submission per person.
Winners will be notified via email on April 15, 2019 and given a special one-time use offer code. They will then have 48 hours to purchase their table on Ticketmaster.com using the code. Winners who fail to complete their purchase within 48 hours will forfeit their entry and NYRA will draw replacement winners from the pool of entries. Those who enter the drawing, but are not selected as winners will not be contacted.
Reserved tables are available in the following two areas:
Fourstardave Sports Bar
The Fourstardave Sports Bar in the lower Carousel includes more than 80 tables in various configurations for two, four, and six people that can be secured by paid reservation.
2019 Travers Day Reservation Fees (includes cost of admission):
- $90 for two-person tables
- $168 for four-person tables
- $240 for six-person tables
Personal coolers and outside food and beverage are not permitted in the Fourstardave Sports Bar.
Miller Lite Picnic Paddock (Reserved Picnic Area)
The Miller Lite Picnic Paddock (Reserved Picnic Area) is located adjacent to the paddock and offers a premier view of horses being saddled before a race. It features over 100 picnic tables, each of which can seat up to six guests.
2019 Travers Day Reservation Fee (includes cost of admission):
- $198 per table
Personal coolers are allowed in the Reserved Picnic Area and may contain plastic bottles or cans. Coolers are subject to search by NYRA security. Additional chairs, tents, and umbrellas are prohibited.
Heading to the Saratoga Race Course for the 150th running of the Grade 1, $1.25 million Runhappy Travers? Read on to plan your day, check out the lineup of events, and see who’s competing in the Travers Stakes.
Know Before You Go
If you want to purchase your Travers Day tickets ahead of time, you’ll end up saving some money. Grandstand tickets are $10 now, but will increase to $15 at the gate on Saturday. There won’t be any Clubhouse upgrades on the big day.
Gates open at 7 am, and you’ll want to give yourself plenty of time to get through security. You can reserve no more than one picnic table per person on Travers Day, and with the early start to the day, there won’t be a Clubhouse Breakfast or tram tours of the backstretch.
Want to “Toast the Runhappy Travers” along with the crowd at 1:50 pm? $20 miniature-sized bottles of Moet & Chandon champagne will be available for purchase at the track.
Special Performances
The National Anthem will be sung by Sergeant Emily McAleesejergins from the United States Military Academy at West Point. She’ll also return after the fifth race to perform God Bless America.
Travers Race Card 2020
Doc Severinsen (of The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson fame) will play the jazz trumpet in the winner’s circle after the fourth race.
After the ninth race (around 4:24 pm), catch a precision freefall demonstration by cadets from the United States Military Academy. The cadets will parachute from a helicopter onto the outer turf course while streaming their jump live on the video boards.
Travers Window Decorating Contest Winners
Leading up to Travers, the Saratoga County Chamber of Commerce and the Saratoga Springs Downtown Business District teamed up to host a racing-themed window decorating contest between local businesses. Caroline and Main took first place, followed by G. Willikers, with Adirondack Trust Company and Saratoga Dance, Etc tying for third. The winners were awarded Travers Day hospitality packages.
The Graded Stakes
The Travers isn’t the only graded stakes race taking place on Saturday. There are five other Grade 1 Stakes, and one Grade 2:
- Grade 1, $850,000 Sword Dancer
- Grade 1, $700,000 Personal Ensign presented by Lia Infiniti
- Grade 1, $500,000 Ketel One Ballerina
- Grade 1, $600,000 Forego presented by Encore Boston Harbor
- Grade 1, $500,000 H. Allen Jerkens Memorial presented by Runhappy
- Grade 2, $400,000 Woodford Reserve Ballston Spa
NYRA Bets customers who hit the Late Pick 5 can take part in the $1 Million Single-Ticket Bonus. Everyone can also participate in the ongoing Empire 6, in which fans can bet on the first-place winners of the last six races of the day.
Travers Race Card Games
The 150th Travers Stakes
There are twelve horses running in this year’s Travers Stakes. Competitors include multiple-graded stakes winners Owendale, Code of Honor, and Mucho Gusto, as well as Saratoga trainer Chad Brown’s Highest Honors and Looking at Bikinis. Tacitus and Tax will also be competing, marking the fifth time they have competed against each other this year. Rounding out the lineup are Laughing Fox, Everfast, Chess Chief, Scars Are Cool, and Endorsed.
Travers Race Card Entries
The winner of the 15oth Travers will be cloaked in the traditional blanket of red and white carnations, and the canoe in the infield pond will be painted in the winning colors.
Travers Race Card 2019
“The Runhappy Travers is much more than just the highlight of our summer racing calendar,” Dave O’Rourke, NYRA President and CEO, said in a statement. “It has also long been one of the most significant races for 3-year-olds in the country, producing such memorable moments as Man o’ War’s thrilling run in 1920… to more recent years when Arrogate delivered an exhilarating, record-smashing performance in 2016. We expect another outstanding rendition as we celebrate the 150th running of the Runhappy Travers and encourage fans to be a part of history by joining us at Saratoga.”