When the seven equine soldiers march out onto the track on Saturday,
August 29th, they will carry on their backs not only one jockey and
tack--they will bring onto the field 140 years of history, tradition and
some of the greatest names in Thoroughbred racing.
Every horse who has won the Travers made their own mark, either because they were already established as a star--or because they caused an upset about which fans and sportswriters would talk for generations to come.
The Shadwell Travers Stakes is now sponsored by the generous and insightful Shadwell Farm, owned by His Highness Sheikh Hamdan bin Rashid Al Maktoum, the Deputy Ruler of Dubai. His Highness breeds and races his Thoroughbreds, and has embraced the American racing community as an extension of his own racing community. As old blends with modern day, and new American traditions are created by those from around the world who give new flavor to our culture, it is very fitting that His Highness should sponsor America's oldest race for Thoroughbreds, at America's oldest track. This tapestry of tradition weaves a rich tapestry as it mixes with both cultures far older than America, while keeping one eye firmly focused on the future.
The Shadwell Travers Stakes was originally designated the Travers Stakes in 1864--named for William R. Travers, the President of the old New York Racing Association. Coincidentally, his horse, Kentucky, won the first Travers. The race has been run at four different distances during the course of its run to date:
1 3/4 miles (2.81 km):
1864 to 1889
1 1/2 miles (2.41 km):
1890 to 1892
1 1/4 miles (2.01 km):
1893, 1894, 1897 and
1904 to present
1 1/8 miles (1.81 km):
1895 and 1901 to 1903
The first several Travers had a considerably smaller field of horses than the races we see today, for the original track was a narrow oval, built for match races (two horses contesting only each other). That original track was not the large, perfectly-groomed oval on the south side of Union Avenue with which we are familiar. When the Travers was first established, the track--the historic first permanently-established racetrack in America--was the small oval that now encloses the various NYRA outbuildings on the north side of Union, at what is now the Oklahoma Training Track. The small track is rarely noticed by those who casually walk right through it, on their way to the races from the free parking at the Oklahoma--and yet this is the very spot where the first races were run at Saratoga--and where the original Travers took place, owners and trainers leaning on the brittle white wooden rail that now goes all-but-unnoticed.
Some historic notes and trivia:
• The 1962 race is often spoken of as being the greatest Travers that ever took place. Jaipur beat out the expected winner, Ridan, with a head-bob--and set a race record over that distance--after a head-to-head battle the entire way.
• The day that the massive (17.1 hands high) and massively-talented Point Given took the day, a track attendance record was broken: 60,486 fans paid admission to see the gigantic, gifted colt.
• In 1982, Runaway Groom's Travers victory made history and stunned the handicappers as he was the only horse ever to beat that year's Kentucky Derby, Preakness and Belmont winners (Gato Del Sol, Aloma's Ruler and Conquistador Cielo, respectively)--all in the same race.
• The Travers Canoe, anchored in the middle of the infield pond, is painted the colors of the owners of the previous year's winner. This year, the Canoe is painted the colors of WinStar farm, owners of Colonel John.
• In the entire history of the Travers--now, the Shadwell Travers, and all the traditions that will be spontaneously or intentionally created in the future--only ten Kentucky Derby winners have won the day.
However you bet, on whichever horses you bet, the key to a great Shadwell Travers Day is to walk into the track and realize that millions of fans before you have passed through those storied gates and appreciated that they, too, were participating in the making of history. Your role, as a fan, bettor or casual observer--counts. The Shadwell Travers is indeed the contesting of contemporary gladiators, coming into the arena to declare their supremacy. But most of all, the event is the opportunity for every being at the place, at that time, to embrace their part in the acting-out of an historic event. That may be the greatest gift that Shadwell Farm and NYRA gives the racing world, the creation of a lifelong memory.
The Shadwell Travers Stakes is now sponsored by the generous and insightful Shadwell Farm, owned by His Highness Sheikh Hamdan bin Rashid Al Maktoum, the Deputy Ruler of Dubai. His Highness breeds and races his Thoroughbreds, and has embraced the American racing community as an extension of his own racing community. As old blends with modern day, and new American traditions are created by those from around the world who give new flavor to our culture, it is very fitting that His Highness should sponsor America's oldest race for Thoroughbreds, at America's oldest track. This tapestry of tradition weaves a rich tapestry as it mixes with both cultures far older than America, while keeping one eye firmly focused on the future.
The Shadwell Travers Stakes was originally designated the Travers Stakes in 1864--named for William R. Travers, the President of the old New York Racing Association. Coincidentally, his horse, Kentucky, won the first Travers. The race has been run at four different distances during the course of its run to date:
1 3/4 miles (2.81 km):
1864 to 1889
1 1/2 miles (2.41 km):
1890 to 1892
1 1/4 miles (2.01 km):
1893, 1894, 1897 and
1904 to present
1 1/8 miles (1.81 km):
1895 and 1901 to 1903
The first several Travers had a considerably smaller field of horses than the races we see today, for the original track was a narrow oval, built for match races (two horses contesting only each other). That original track was not the large, perfectly-groomed oval on the south side of Union Avenue with which we are familiar. When the Travers was first established, the track--the historic first permanently-established racetrack in America--was the small oval that now encloses the various NYRA outbuildings on the north side of Union, at what is now the Oklahoma Training Track. The small track is rarely noticed by those who casually walk right through it, on their way to the races from the free parking at the Oklahoma--and yet this is the very spot where the first races were run at Saratoga--and where the original Travers took place, owners and trainers leaning on the brittle white wooden rail that now goes all-but-unnoticed.
Some historic notes and trivia:
• The 1962 race is often spoken of as being the greatest Travers that ever took place. Jaipur beat out the expected winner, Ridan, with a head-bob--and set a race record over that distance--after a head-to-head battle the entire way.
• The day that the massive (17.1 hands high) and massively-talented Point Given took the day, a track attendance record was broken: 60,486 fans paid admission to see the gigantic, gifted colt.
• In 1982, Runaway Groom's Travers victory made history and stunned the handicappers as he was the only horse ever to beat that year's Kentucky Derby, Preakness and Belmont winners (Gato Del Sol, Aloma's Ruler and Conquistador Cielo, respectively)--all in the same race.
• The Travers Canoe, anchored in the middle of the infield pond, is painted the colors of the owners of the previous year's winner. This year, the Canoe is painted the colors of WinStar farm, owners of Colonel John.
• In the entire history of the Travers--now, the Shadwell Travers, and all the traditions that will be spontaneously or intentionally created in the future--only ten Kentucky Derby winners have won the day.
However you bet, on whichever horses you bet, the key to a great Shadwell Travers Day is to walk into the track and realize that millions of fans before you have passed through those storied gates and appreciated that they, too, were participating in the making of history. Your role, as a fan, bettor or casual observer--counts. The Shadwell Travers is indeed the contesting of contemporary gladiators, coming into the arena to declare their supremacy. But most of all, the event is the opportunity for every being at the place, at that time, to embrace their part in the acting-out of an historic event. That may be the greatest gift that Shadwell Farm and NYRA gives the racing world, the creation of a lifelong memory.
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