A win at the Travers Stakes is not easy.
It’s a premier horse racing event that sees a strong field of Triple Crown contenders competing against each other one more time when anything can and does happen (just look at all those champions who have fallen over the years).
For that matter, a 13.5-length win at the Travers is virtually unheard of. Yet, with unmatched speed, Arrogate accomplished this feat in 2016.
Not only that, the stallion set a new track record at the Saratoga Race Course while running the Travers. Clocking in at 1:59.36, Arrogate broke the previous record of 2:00 for the 1 ¼ miles track that General Assembly set 37 years prior.
In doing so, Arrogate crushed his rivals Exaggerator and Creator, winners of the Preakness Stakes and the Belmont Stakes, respectively.
What also makes Arrogate’s achievement so unique is the fact that Arrogate was an 11-1 long shot contesting his first ever Grade I stakes race.
But coming down the homestretch of the Travers, Arrogate took command and never let go.
With blazing speed, Arrogate wrapped up 2016 by winning the Breeders’ Cup Classic and was named the American Champion Three-Year-Old Male Horse and World’s Best Racehorse of 2016.
Will this year’s Travers see Arrogate’s record fall, or will it stand for another year?
Who knows, but at least we won’t have to wait long to know the answer as the race will be contested on Saturday, Aug. 8 – three weeks ahead of when it normally runs. Due to COVID-19, this year’s race will be used as a qualifier for the Kentucky Derby, which was postponed until Sept. 5.
