Spot plays for 2026 Travers Day at Saratoga

Outside of Triple Crown and Breeders’ Cup weekends, few cards during the course of the season get as much attention from bettors as does Travers Day at Saratoga. In addition to all the major stakes action, I’ll be eyeing a couple of the two-year-old maiden races as well as a couple of turf offerings during the course of the eight-hour program.

RELATED: LIVE Travers Stakes 2026 odds, picks, entries, post time, and results

Race 1: Maiden, 11:05 a.m. ET

#6 Beau Valor (4-1) is an interesting first-timer. One thing that jumps off the page is that he sold for $525,000, not bad considering his sire, the precocious Beau Liam, had a stud fee of a mere $7,500. The market value, anyway, given Airdrie stands Beau Liam.

Beau Valor’s half-sister, Kale’s Angel, could handle any surface and was a stakes winner on both dirt and synthetic. If he is any bit as good as she was, he can contend for the potent trainer/jockey combo of George Weaver and John Velazquez.

Race 6: Maiden, 2:09 p.m. ET

#6 Saytara (10-1) is a Shadwell homebred daughter of Constitution, a 15% debut sire, and is out of Zaajel, who blew hot and cold to the extreme during her nine-race career. She did manage, however, to win her debut decisively, the Forward Gal (G3), and the Mother Goose (G2), all around one turn.

Trainer Todd Pletcher trained both the sire and dam and has had a long history of success when Velazquez climbs aboard his promising two-year-olds. She might prove one, and she could be intriguing at a price if Foxiest takes a lot of money.

Race 7: Allowance, 2:44 p.m. ET

#9 Counterintuitive (4-1) is the least exposed member of this field of nine. Although she hasn’t run since October, when she broke her maiden by two lengths at Keeneland in her second start, the form of that race has been recently enhanced by third-place finisher Kentucky Belle, who upset the Saratoga Oaks (G2) at 10-1 earlier this month.

Counterintuitive drew widest here but has the tactical foot to be involved from the start and hopefully will remain in contention all the way for Chad Brown.

Race 10: Lake Placid (G2), 4:33 p.m. ET

I’ll go to Chad Brown again here, landing on #4 Deep Learning (4-1). The daughter of Cairo Prince won a four-way photo for second in the Aug. 1 Lake George (G3), a race she likely needed, having been out of action since her win in the Chelsey Flower S. at Aqueduct last November.

With newly acquired stablemate Naomis and Group 3 winner Queen of Hawaii likely to attract significant action, a square price on Deep Learning might be available.