Travers Stakes
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The Travers Stakes, held at Saratoga Race Course near Saratoga Springs, New York, is the oldest major thoroughbred horse race in the United States.
First held in 1864, it was named for William Travers, the New York Racing Association president at the time whose horse Kentucky won the first running of the Stakes. Aside from 1896, 1898, 1899, 1900, 1911, and 1912, it has been held every year since; the 2004 Travers Stakes, won by Birdstone, was the 135th.
A Grade 1 Stakes race, the field is limited to three-year-olds, Colts and geldings carry 126 pounds (57 kg) and fillies carry 121 pounds (55 kg), and since 1999 the first prize has been $600,000. The race is the highlight of the summer race meeting at Saratoga, just as the Belmont Stakes is the highlight of the spring meeting at Belmont Park.
The Travers has been run at four different distances:
- 1 3/4 miles (2.81 km) -- 1863 to 1889
- 1 1/2 miles (2.41 km) -- 1890 to 1892
- 1 1/4 miles (2.01 km) -- 1893, 1894, 1897 and 1904 to present
- 1 1/8 miles (1.81 km) -- 1895 and 1901 to 1903
External link
- NYRA Travers History Page (http://www.nyra.com/saratoga/travers2004/history.asp)