The 152nd Travers Stakes, the Mid-Summer Derby, is Saturday, Aug. 28, at Saratoga Race Course. The top race of the summer for 3-year-olds is contested at 1¼ miles with a purse of $1.25 million. In the days leading up to the race, usracing.com will publish profiles of the contenders.
2021 Travers Stakes Profile: Miles D
By Richard Rosenblatt
Miles D – Photo Courtesy of NYRA
If trainer Chad Brown wins his first Travers on Saturday with Miles D, it will be considered one of the biggest upsets at a track known as the “Graveyard of Champions.”
That champion would be Essential Quality (2-year-old Eclipse Award winner), currently the nation’s top 3-year-old, and the 4-5 favorite for the Mid-Summer Derby at Saratoga.
“He’s obviously a bit of a longshot in the race, so he’s going to have to step up,” Brown said of what will be his 12th starter on the biggest day of the Saratoga meet. “I’m thankful to have a horse in the race and hopefully he runs the race of his life and will be right there.”
The lightly-raced Miles D is making the fourth start of his career. A son of two-time Horse of the Year Curlin, he ran fourth in his only race as a 2-year-old and broke his maiden at Belmont on June 12 in his 3-year-old debut.
He stepped up and ran second to Dynamic One in the 1 1/8-mile Curlin on July 30 at the Spa. Dynamic One is also entered in the seven-horse Travers field.
Can he challenge Essential Quality? We don’t think so.
2021 Travers Stakes Entries: Miles D
Post position: 5
Odds: 12-1
Trainer: Chad Brown
Jockey: Flavien Prat
Owners: Peter Brant, Robert LaPenta
Career record: 3-1-1-0
Career earnings: $77,280
Top Equibase speed figure: 100
Pedigree: Curlin-Sound the Trumpets, by Bernardini
Color: Bay
Running style: Closer
Notes: Brown is 0-for-11 in the seven Travers he’s been part of – his best finisher was Gift Box, who ran fourth in 2106 … Prat picks up the mount after a strong Triple Crown run – he won the Preakness aboard Rombauer; finished second about Hot Rod Charlie in the Belmont Stakes; and was third aboard Hot Rod Charlie in the Kentucky Derby.
2021 Travers Stakes Odds
| PP | Horse | Odds | Jockey | Trainer |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Midnight Bourbon | 9-2 | Ricardo Santa Ana Jr. | Steve Asmussen |
| 2 | Essential Quality | 4-5 | Luis Saez | Brad Cox |
| 3 | Keepmeinmind | 6-1 | Joel Rosario | Robertino Diodoro |
| 4 | Dynamic One | 6-1 | Irad Ortiz Jr | Todd Pletcher |
| 5 | Miles D | 12-1 | Flavien Prat | Chad Brown |
| 6 | Masqueparade | 8-1 | Miguel Mena | Albert M.Stall Jr |
| 7 | King Fury | 15-1 | Jose Ortiz | Kenneth McPeek |
Over the years while working at The Associated Press, Rich Rosenblatt became a familiar name to legions of the horse racing fans and industry insiders with his award-winning articles on horse racing and his stories from the backstretch.
In addition to being an astute observer of sports, Rosenblatt is the co-author of The All-American Chili Cookbook. His work has been seen in just about every publication in the world, including The New York Times, The Washington Post and Time Magazine.
