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. Profiles will be updated with post position, odds, and jockey following the draw now set for Wednesday, Aug. 25.
2021 Travers Stakes Profile: King Fury
By Margaret Ransom
King Fury wins the Street Sense Overnight Stakes at Churchill Down – Coady Photography
King Fury has had a bit of a rocky road in his eight-race career. After an eye-popping, off-the-pace victory at Churchill Downs in his debut a year ago, he has had mixed success in stakes company, winning the Lexington Stakes (G2) and another listed stakes.
He narrowly made the field for the Kentucky Derby (G1) only to be scratched after spiking a fever the day before and has not won a race in two starts since, though he did finish a decent second in the Ohio Derby (G3). In his last start, though, he clearly declared that a turf career was not in his future by beating just one in the Saratoga Derby Invitational (G1) three weeks ago.
Tossing that effort out, the son of Curlin returns to the main track, though maybe not a softer spot.
King Fury, under Jose Ortiz, worked 5 furlongs in 1:01.13 on Saturday (Aug. 21) in his final pre-race drill for the Travers.
“It was a solid breeze,” trainer Kenny McPeek said. “We caught him in a minute. It was a nice solid maintenance breeze. The horse can run all day. He’s coming into the race great. I think a mile and a quarter will be right up his alley.”
“He’s a horse that won’t have any trouble with the distance. He fits fine. The horses that ran in the Jim Dandy, he’d actually beaten the horse that ran second [Keepmeinmind] in the Ohio Derby and he had a troubled trip when he did that. If he jumps to another level, I think we’re good. The turf race was probably a bad idea in hindsight.”
2021 Travers Stakes Entries: King Fury
Post position: TBD
Odds: TBD
Trainer: Kenny McPeek
Owners: Three Chimneys Farm (Goncalo Torrealba) and Fern Circle Stables (Paul Fireman)
Career record: 8-3-1-0
Career earnings: $362,769
Top Equibase speed figure: 99
Pedigree: Curlin-Taris, by Flatter
Color: Chestnut
Running style: Frontrunner/stalker
Notes: McPeek has sent out seven Travers starters, his Golden Ticket dead-heated for the victory with Alpha in 2012 … Colt is named for heavyweight champion boxer Tyson Fury … McPeek paid $950,000 for King Fury as a Fasig-Tipton Saratoga Select yearling two years ago … Heider Family Stable, who bought the colt’s dam, Taris, privately after she retired … trainer Simon Callaghan previously purchased Taris for $2.35 million as a racing prospect at Keeneland in 2014 for his longtime clients, Michael Tabor, Derrick Smith and Mrs. John Magnier of Coolmore … Jockey Jose Ortiz has ridden seven Travers starters without a winner.
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 |
California native and lifelong horsewoman Margaret Ransom is a graduate of the University of Arizona’s Race Track Industry Program. She got her start in racing working in the publicity departments at Calder Race Course and Hialeah Park, as well as in the racing office at Gulfstream Park in South Florida. She then spent six years in Lexington, KY, at BRISnet.com, where she helped create and develop the company’s popular newsletters: Handicapper’s Edge and Bloodstock Journal.After returning to California, she served six years as the Southern California news correspondent for BloodHorse, assisted in the publicity department at Santa Anita Park and was a contributor to many other racing publications, including HorsePlayer Magazine and Trainer Magazine. She then spent seven years at HRTV and HRTV.com in various roles as researcher, programming assistant, producer and social media and marketing manager.
She has also walked hots and groomed runners, worked the elite sales in Kentucky for top-class consignors and volunteers for several racehorse retirement organizations, including CARMA.In 2016, Margaret was the recipient of the prestigious Stanley Bergstein Writing Award, sponsored by Team Valor, and was an Eclipse Award honorable mention for her story, “The Shocking Untold Story of Maria Borell,” which appeared on USRacing.com. The article and subsequent stories helped save 43 abandoned and neglected Thoroughbreds in Kentucky and also helped create a new animal welfare law in Kentucky known as the “Borell Law.”Margaret’s very first Breeders’ Cup was at Hollywood Park in 1984 and she has attended more than half of the Breeders’ Cups since. She counts Holy Bull and Arrogate as her favorite horses of all time.She lives in Robinson, Texas, with her longtime beau, Tony. She is the executive director of the 501(c)(3) non-profit horse rescue, The Bridge Sanctuary.