Study Guide: 2025 Travers Stakes

Aug 18, 2025 J. Keeler Johnson/TwinSpires.com

Sovereignty winning the Kentucky Derby (G1) at Churchill Downs (Photo by Horsephotos.com)

Sovereignty, winner of the 2025 Kentucky Derby (G1), leads a compact five-horse field entered in Saturday’s $1.25 million Travers (G1) at Saratoga.

The 1 1/4-mile “Midsummer Derby” has been won in recent years by champion three-year-olds Arcangelo (2023), Epicenter (2022), Essential Quality (2021), West Coast (2017), and Arrogate (2016). Based on his accomplishments so far this year, Sovereignty is well on his way to joining that list.

Let’s take a horse-by-horse look at the 2025 Travers field:

Magnitude

Start(s): 8
Wins: 4
Place: 1
Show: 0

Owner: Winchell Thoroughbreds
Breeder: Ron Stolich
Trainer: Steve Asmussen
Jockey: Ben Curtis

Top Speed Rating: (105) when winning the Risen Star (G2) at Fair Grounds.
Total Earnings: $596,165

Sire: Not This Time
Dam: Rockadelic
Color: Bay

If anyone can upset Sovereignty, it’s likely Magnitude. His last two starts have yielded runaway wins in the Risen Star (G2) and Iowa Derby, for which he earned strong Brisnet Speed ratings of 105 and 104. A speedy frontrunner, Magnitude figures to set the Travers pace, and catching him could prove difficult.

Bracket Buster

Start(s): 8
Wins: 2
Place: 1
Show: 1

Owner: BBN Racing
Breeder: David Baxter
Trainer: Victoria Oliver
Jockey: Luis Saez

Top Speed Rating: (96) when winning the Pegasus S. at Monmouth Park.
Total Earnings: $286,318

Sire: Vekoma
Dam: Spring Dance
Color: Bay

Bracket Buster has early speed and figures to challenge Magnitude for early supremacy. He tired after racing close to the pace in a deep edition of the Haskell (G1) last month, finishing fourth, but a similar performance against this small Travers field could be sufficient for a top-three finish.

Strategic Focus

Start(s): 3
Wins: 1
Place: 1
Show: 1

Owner: Klaravich Stables
Breeder: Alter’s Racing Stables
Trainer: Chad Brown
Jockey: Flavien Prat

Top Speed Rating: (107) when winning a $50,000 allowance optional claimer at Saratoga.
Total Earnings: $82,200

Sire: Gun Runner
Dam: Curlin’s Mistress
Color: Chestnut

Strategic Focus ran well when making his stakes debut in the Curlin S. at Saratoga last month, finishing third by half a length after leading in midstretch. He’s adding blinkers for the Travers and is bred to relish 1 1/4 miles, so don’t count Strategic Focus out of the mix.

Sovereignty

Start(s): 8
Wins: 5
Place: 2
Show: 0

Owner: Godolphin
Breeder: Godolphin
Trainer: Bill Mott
Jockey: Junior Alvarado

Top Speed Rating: (111) when winning the Belmont (G1) at Saratoga.
Total Earnings: $5,147,800

Sire: Into Mischief
Dam: Crowned
Color: Bay

Hands-down, the horse to beat in the Travers is Sovereignty. After rallying from far behind to win the Kentucky Derby, Sovereignty showcased improved tactical speed to take the Belmont (G1) and Jim Dandy (G2) in succession. In the Belmont, contested over the same track and distance as the Travers, Sovereignty ran his final quarter-mile in a blazing :23.69 to defeat three-time Grade 1 winner Journalism by three lengths. A similar performance in the Travers should send Sovereignty back to the winner’s circle.

McAfee

Start(s): 7
Wins: 1
Place: 3
Show: 1

Owner: Black Type Thoroughbreds, Swinbank Stables, Judy B. Hicks, and Scott C. Rice
Breeder: Judy Hicks
Trainer: Rick Dutrow Jr.
Jockey: John Velazquez

Top Speed Rating: (96) when finishing fifth in the Wood Memorial (G2) at Aqueduct.
Total Earnings: $280,880

Sire: Cloud Computing
Dam: Sataves
Color: Dark bay/brown

A half-brother to 2024 Horse of the Year and Kentucky Oaks (G1) winner Thorpedo Anna, McAfee has competed well in a series of graded stakes this year, placing second in the Peter Pan (G3) and third in the Ohio Derby (G3) and West Virginia Derby (G3). But the Travers is a tougher spot, so McAfee may need improvement to secure another top-three finish.