Some of the greatest upsets in thoroughbred racing have taken place at Saratoga Race Course, which is why it’s been called the “Graveyard of Champions.”
Saratoga’s Most Shocking Upsets: Will History Repeat in the Travers Stakes?
Since the Spa’s first racing season in 1864, champions galore have shown up at the upstate New York track that were considered unbeatable. Of course, the race had to be run. Hence, the following stunners have occurred at Saratoga:
In 1973, weeks after Secretariat became the first Triple Crown champion in 25 years, the 1-10 favorite was upset by Onion in the Whitney Stakes.
Saratoga Race Course – US Racing Photo
In 1919, a colt appropriately named Upset did just that against the great Man o’War in the Sanford Memorial – the only loss in Man o’ War’s career. He won 20 of 21 races, including the Preakness and Belmont Stakes. His owner chose not to enter him in the Kentucky Derby.
And now for the Travers Stakes – the marquee race at the Spa on Saturday. Yes indeed, there have been shockers, topped by Jim Dandy at 100-1 odds defeating 1930 Triple Crown winner Gallant Fox.
With the 2-year-old champion (Fierceness), the Belmont winner (Dornoch) and the Kentucky Oaks winner (Thorpedo Anna) all running in the Travers (field of eight), is there another surprise waiting?
Here’s a handful of huge upsets in the Travers Stakes
2016 (Arrogate stuns Preakness, Belmont winners)
Running in a stakes race for the first time, Arrogate (11-1) blew away a field that included Preakness winner Exaggerator, Belmont winner Creator and highly acclaimed Gun Runner. The margin of victory was 13 ½ lengths (third largest in Travers history). The win for Bob Baffert came after the trainer’s Triple Crown winner American Pharoah was upset in the Travers.
2015 (Keen Ice upsets American Pharoah)
The first Triple Crown winner in 37 years showed up at the Spa to a hero’s welcome. A few days before the race, he was taken for a morning gallop around the track. On his way there, more than 15,000 fans packed the backstretch to catch a glimpse. A horse named Keen Ice, at 16-1, pulled even with 3-5 favorite American Pharoah with a sixteenth of a mile to go and won by three-quarters of a length. A disbelieving crowd capped at 50,000 went silent for a few seconds at the finish. Keen Ice won only three of 24 races – a maiden in 2014, the Travers, and the Suburban in 2017.
1982 (Runaway Groom beats three Triple Crown race winners)
Conquistador Cielo, the 1-5 favorite after winning the Belmont Stakes, and Preakness winner Aloma’s Ruler dueled from the start, but it was Canada-bred Runaway Groom at 13-1 odds, who passed them both with a sixteenth of a mile to go and won handily by three-quarters of a length. Aloma’s Ruler was second, Conquistador Cielo third, and Kentucky Derby winner Gat Del Sol was fifth.
1945 (Adonis pays $53.50 — biggest payoff of modern era)
Pavot, the Belmont Stakes winner by five lengths, was the heavy favorite but finished fourth in the Travers while Adonis pulled off the upset and returned $53.50 on a $2 win bet – the largest payoff of the modern era. Al Snider was aboard Pavot, replacing Eddie Arcaro, who had been hospitalized with appendicitis.
1930 (Jim Dandy at 100-1!)
Among the most astonishing upsets in racing history, unassuming Jim Dandy thrived over a sloppy track and shocked Triple Crown champion Gallant Fox, considered a lock to add the Travers to his string of victories. The backstory: Jim Dandy won just two races as a 2-year-old, one of them at 50-1 odds over a sloppy Saratoga track (the Grand Union Hotel Stakes) but was still 0-for-10 as a 3-year-old entering the Travers.