*We’re sending a 2nd email today as we provided the wrong race numbers earlier and want to provide the most accurate horse racing info to ensure you win big!

Happy Saturday. It’s one of the best days in horse racing as the prestigious Travers Stakes is set to go off at Saratoga Race Track. We also had the US dominate in a FIBA World Cup Opener and we’re rounding out a beautiful Saturday with the start of college football.

Let’s jump in and explore, Nigel Thornberry style.

Travers Stakes

The Travers Stakes is one of the most significant and well-known horse racing events in the US. The midsummer derby is run on the last Saturday in August and is a 1 ¼ mile run on the dirt track. Let’s talk about the importance and then we’ll dig into some picks for the day.

Why is Travers so important?

1. Historical Significance: The Travers Stakes has a rich history dating back to 1864, making it one of the oldest stakes races in the United States. It's named after William R. Travers, one of the founders of the Saratoga Race Course. The race has seen legendary horses compete and has played a significant role in shaping horse racing history.

2. Prestigious Competition: The Travers attracts top-quality three-year-old thoroughbred horses. These are horses that are in their prime and often compete in other prestigious races such as the Kentucky Derby, Belmont Stakes, and Breeders' Cup Classic. Winning the Travers is a big deal.

3. Triple Crown Implications: The Travers Stakes is often referred to as the "Mid-Summer Derby" and is positioned after the Triple Crown races (Kentucky Derby, Preakness Stakes, and Belmont Stakes). It's an opportunity for horses that may not have competed in the Triple Crown races or performed well in them to redeem themselves or continue their success.

4. Saratoga Atmosphere: Saratoga Race Course is known for its unique and vibrant atmosphere. The Travers Stakes is a major event during the Saratoga racing season, and fans from all over gather to experience the thrill of the race and enjoy the social scene in Saratoga with golf, concerts, fine dining, and of course libations.

5. Betting and Entertainment: This is the most important as we all have a degenerate living in us somewhere, say no more, fam.

So who should you be looking to make bets on today?

Well, we checked in with handicapper Eric Bialek, and here is what he had to say.

“First off, it’s a really cool Travers as we have Forte who was the 2-year-old of the year last year. We also have a Kentucky Derby winner, Preakness Winner, and Belmont winner all in the same race. “

Eric gave us picks for the late races and we’ll pass them on to you.

Race 7 - The Forego - The track might be a bit wet today and I think today the wet track favors front runners. My pick is #2 Gunite and even though it’s hard to knock the #3 Elite Power, I prefer the longer priced, speed horse.

Race 9 - The H. Allen Jerkens - This is a great race with tons of horses with recent, impressive races. I am going to go against the 2 Baffert horses #4 Fort Bragg and #6 Arabian Lion. I’m taking the #3 Verifying because there is a lot of speed in the race and I am going to pick the horse that may sit off the pace and pounce on the tiring horses.

Race 10 - Ballerina - I love #6 Echo Zulu and I’ll play the exacta with #2 Matareya and longshot #3 Maryquitecontrary who were both wide on an inside-favoring track last time they raced

Race 11 - Sword Dancer - I like #6 Channel Maker to steal the race at an uncontested pace.

Race 12 - Travers Stakes( post time is ~6:11pm ) - I like #2 Arcangelo in a possible pace duel and he should grind away to a victory. I think #3 Tapit Trice and #6 Disarm have chances to upset Arcangelo. It’s a very hard to bet but it’s going to be a good one.

College Football

We kick off the college football season today and we’ve got some decent games to start week 1.

The Notre Dame Fighting Irish have traveled to Dublin, Ireland to take on the Navy Football team. The game is set for 2:30 p.m. ET and will be live on NBC.

We’ve got a Pac-12 game with No.6 USC hosting San Joe State at 8 p.m. ET.

It might not be much, but it is just the start we need to get ready for the fall.

FIBA World Cup

The US played an opening-round game against New Zealand today in the FIBA World Cup. The US dominated with a 99-72 win. Palo Banchero was the high scorer with 21 points but the US had 5 other double-digit scorers as everyone shared the court today.

The US will play Greece in their next game on Monday morning.

That’s all for a Saturday morning.

If you’re gambling today and don’t know what you’re doing, just gamble on the greys.

Cheers,

The Daily Breakroom