SARATOGA SPRINGS — The third leg of the Thoroughbred racing’s Triple Crown, the Belmont Stakes, will be held at Saratoga Race Course for the first time ever on June 8, 2024.
Since Sir Barton in 1919, a total of 13 horses have won the Triple Crown by sweeping the Kentucky Derby, Preakness and Belmont.
Many of them set foot on the Saratoga track before, during and/or after their respective Triple Crown seasons.
The Travers Stakes, sometimes called the fourth jewel of the Triple Crown and a natural target in late August for 3-year-olds who competed in the Triple Crown races, doesn’t show up very often on the 13 resumes. In fact, only four Triple Crown winners have also run in the Travers, and only Whirlaway won it.
But the Spa exploits of the 13 include plenty of interesting and historically significant moments.
1919 SIR BARTON
Saratoga summary: Four winless stakes starts as a 2-year-old in 1918, then won the Saratoga Handicap and Merchants and Citizens Handicap in world-record time as a 4-year-old in 1920.
Travers participation: Did not run.
Fun fact: Lost the first three of those 1918 stakes by a combined 50 1/2 lengths, then was so far back in finishing 16th of 20 horses in the Hopeful that the official past-performance line includes the note “Beaten lengths unavailable.”
1930 GALLANT FOX
Saratoga summary: Four of 17 career starts came at the Spa, with wins in the Flash as a 2-year-old and the Saratoga Cup against older horses during his 3-year-old season in 1930.
Travers participation: Finished second by eight lengths to Jim Dandy.
Fun fact: Jim Dandy won the Travers at betting odds of 100-1. They name a race after you when that happens. And a “Graveyard of Favorites” nickname gets some reinforcement.
1935 OMAHA
Saratoga summary: Was winless in four stakes races as a 2-year-old in 1929.
Travers participation: Did not run.
Fun fact: The only Triple Crown winner to be sired by a Triple Crown winner (Gallant Fox), Omaha was sent to Great Britain to run on the turf to close out his career as a 4-year-old.
1937 WAR ADMIRAL
Saratoga summary: Was 4-for-4 in a span of a month as a 4-year-old in 1938, including the Whitney.
Travers participation: Did not run.
Fun fact: Two starts after his winning tear at Saratoga, War Admiral lost a match race to Seabiscuit in the Pimlico Special. Perhaps you’ve heard of the movie they made about that. Some of the scenes were shot at Saratoga.
1941 WHIRLAWAY
Saratoga summary: Won four of six starts, including the 1941 Travers, but did not come back to the Spa in the remaining 28 of his 60 career starts.
Travers participation: Was the 1-10 betting favorite against two rivals and won easily.
Fun fact: As a 2-year-old, Whirlaway ran in four straight stakes races at Saratoga in a span of 29 days, winning the Saratoga Special and Hopeful and finishing second twice.
1943 COUNT FLEET
Saratoga summary: None. Never raced again after winning the Belmont by 25 lengths against two rivals.
Not-so-fun fact: Saratoga wasn’t really an option for Count Fleet, anyway. The track was shut down from 1943-45 because of travel and resource restrictions during World War II.
1946 ASSAULT
Saratoga summary: None of his 21 career starts, including 18 victories, came at Saratoga.
Not-so-fun fact: See Count Fleet.
1948 CITATION
Saratoga summary: None of his 45 career starts, which included 32 victories, came at Saratoga.
Fun fact: In five seasons spanning 1947-51, Citation, considered by many to be the greatest racehorse ever in the United States, only ran in the state of New York six times, all at Belmont Park.
1973 SECRETARIAT
Saratoga summary: Bolstered by a 3-for–3 record at Saratoga in 1972, Secretariat, also considered by many to be the greatest racehorse ever in the United States, won the national Horse of the Year award as a 2-year-old, a rarity. His only other start at the Spa was a second to Onion in the 1973 Whitney.
Travers participation: Did not run.
Fun fact: Onion’s big upset contributed to trainer Allen Jerkens’ reputation as “The Giant Killer.”
1977 SEATTLE SLEW
Saratoga summary: His only career start at the Spa was a win by six lengths in an allowance race in 1978.
Travers participation: None.
Fun fact: OK, it was only an allowance, but that victory made Seattle Slew one of only two Triple Crown winners, along with War Admiral, who were undefeated at the Spa.
1978 AFFIRMED
Saratoga summary: Would’ve been undefeated from four starts at Saratoga, if not for a disqualification for interference with his archrival, Alydar, on the backstretch of the 1978 Travers.
Travers participation: See above.
Fun fact: Affirmed hit the wire a length and three quarters ahead of Alydar in the Travers, which is very close to the total combined margin by which Affirmed beat Alydar in the three legs of the Triple Crown.
2015 AMERICAN PHAROAH
Saratoga summary: One start, one runner-up finish.
Travers participation: Softened up early by a hot early pace set by Frosted, American Pharoah couldn’t hold off a late charge by Keen Ice and lost by three-quarters of a length.
Fun fact: An estimated crowd of 15,000 showed up at Saratoga the morning before the Travers to watch American Pharoah on the track for a ho-hum routine jog.
2018 JUSTIFY
Saratoga summary: Never raced at Saratoga.
Travers participation: See above.
Fun fact: Entire racing career amounted to just six starts, all wins, in a span of less than four months in 2018, then was retired to stud with a minor ankle injury five days after Saratoga opening day.