Saturday is the 157th running of the Grade I Travers Stakes with five other graded stakes races on the Saratoga card. With this year’s Travers carrying a competitive field of ten three year olds, the older runners will set the stage with a series of seven furlong sprints in the two races prior. In race 11, the Grade I Forego will start a field of eight while the Grade I Ballerina will carry twelve fillies and mares in the following contest. Three returning Midlantic breds will tackle these sprint races, with a very familiar New Jersey bred back to defend his Forego title from a year ago.

At even money on the morning line, the Saratoga favorite Book’em Danno will break from post five in the Forego, looking to add to his already stellar five for six lifetime over this dirt course. This Derek Ryan trained gelding by Bucchero – Adorabella, by Ghostzapper went a perfect three for three here last year, culminating in a convincing win in the Forego against nine strong opponents. This year, he ran in the Grade III True North on Belmont Stakes day, and won in similar fashion to his score a year prior. Regular jockey Paco Lopez will remain in the irons for the ninth straight race, with wins in six of his last eight as Book’em Danno’s pilot. Bred by Gregory J. Kilka & Bright View Farm and owned by Atlantic Six Racing LLC, Book’em Danno enters off of a win in the Mt. Prospector Stakes at Monmouth in mid July, and appears to still be in top form in his five year old season. He does face a tough Midlantic challenger to his immediate outside however, who has also taken to the Saratoga main course with wins here in his last two efforts.

As the 7/2 second choice on the morning line, Maryland bred Senior Officer makes his stakes debut for Brad Cox after nabbing two narrow sprint victories in optional claimers at the Spa. With a similar running style to Book’em Danno, this top contender should be sitting right on his outside through the first quarter mile, and has shown a strong late kick in his recent stretch runs. With six career starts, Senior Officer has four wins and two places, showing strong consistency for his owners Qatar Racing while being bet to favorite in all of his tries. This gelding by Into Mischief – Southern Ring, by Speightstown certainly has the bloodlines to continue his success at the stakes level, with a win at this distance on Belmont Stakes day six races before Book’em Danno’s True North triumph. Senior Officer appears to be the main threat to Book’em Danno in this spot, and looks to give him everything he can handle in the stretch. Senior Officer was bred by 2500 Determined Stud and will pick up the services of Luis Saez as regular rider Irad Ortiz remains out with injury.

Following the Forego is the Grade I Ballerina for fillies and mares three years old and up. A well stocked group is headlined by Chad Brown’s Ways and Means, and should have plenty of early speed with a few who prefer to go gate to wire. One who figures to add to the speed is Pennsylvania bred Kappa Kappa who didn’t break well in the Grade II Honorable Miss last time, succumbing to her returning foe Maida who faces her here for the third time in their careers. Kappa Kappa has picked up all four of her wins as the leader after the first quarter, and bested Maida in the Grade II Raven Run at Keeneland in October when she was the one who missed the break. Entering off of a tough effort in the Honorable Miss for trainer Robert E. Reid Jr., Kappa Kappa starts well under the radar at 30/1 on the morning line and gets Paco Lopez as her rider. By Omaha Beach – Pharoah’s Princess, by Pioneerof the Nile, this filly clearly needs to get out of the gate cleanly to have any chance, and still faces an extremely tough group where many have the past performances to win. Even with this uphill battle, a strong performance here would be a big success for Midlantic bred runners for the meet, as the pair in the Forego figure to be top win contenders on the biggest race day at the Spa this summer. Bred by Stone Jug Ranch LLC, Kappa Kappa will break here from post six and is owned by LC Racing LLC and her trainer Robert E. Reid Jr.

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