Triple Crown race winners all set for Travers Stakes at Saratoga

Kentucky Derby winner Always Dreaming, Preakness Stakes winner Cloud Computing and Belmont Stakes winner Tapwrit will compete in the $1.25 million Travers Stakes on Saturday at Saratoga Race Course in Saratoga Springs, N.Y.

It’s the first time since 1982 that all of the year’s Triple Crown winners will compete in the Travers, and this could be the race of the year for 3-year-olds.

Tapwrit, the Todd Pletcher horse ridden by Jose Ortiz, is the 7-2 favorite among a dozen 3-year-olds. This will be Tapwrit’s first race since winning the Belmont. Always Dreaming, who hasn’t won since the Kentucky Derby, is currently at 6-1, and Cloud Computing is at 8-1. Others to watch are West Coast (4-1) Good Samaritan (the Jim Dandy winner, at 5-1) and Girvin (10-1).

Always Dreaming and Cloud Computing have faded down the stretch and will look to make a statement in the Travers.

Arrogate set the track record in winning last year’s Travers by 13 ½ lengths, covering the 1 ¼ miles in 1:59.36.

Expect this year’s race, with a strong and wide-open field, to be much closer.

Here’s the field for Saturday’s race, with post position, horse, odds and jockey.

1. Cloud Computing, 8-1, Javier Castellano
2. Giuseppe the Great, 20-1, Tyler Gaffalione
3. West Coast, 4-1, Mike Smith
4. Tapwrit, 7-2, Jose Ortiz
5. Good Samaritan, 5-1, Joel Roasrio
6. Girvin, 10-1, Robby Albarado
7. Always Dreaming, 6-1, John Velazquez
8. Lookin at Lee, 30-1, Ricardo Santana, Jr.
9. McCracken, 12-1, Brian Hernandez, Jr.
10. Irap, 8-1, Mario Gutierrez
11. Gunnevera, 20-1, Edgard Zayas
12. Fayeq, 30-1, Luis Saez