One of the summer’s biggest horse races is set for Saturday, the 2022 Travers Stakes. It’s the 153rd running of Saratoga’s Midsummer Derby and many of the top three-year old horses are in the 2022 Travers Stakes field. There are familiar names for those who followed the Triple Crown races this season. Epicenter finished second in the Preakness Stakes and Kentucky Derby and is the 7-5 favorite in the 2022 Travers Stakes odds. The connections for Cyberknife, a five-time career winner, will hope for a better run than he had in the Kentucky Derby (18th), and he’s second in the Travers Stakes 2022 odds at 7-2. Other top 2022 Travers Stakes contenders include Artorius (9-2), Zandon (5-1), Early Voting (8-1) and longshot Kentucky Derby winner Rich Strike (10-1). Post time is scheduled for 5:44 p.m. ET at Saratoga Race Course. With so much to consider while making your 2022 Travers Stakes picks, a little expert help can go a long way.
While the Triple Crown and the Breeders’ Cup remain the tentpole events in horse racing, the Travers Stakes has an important spot on the summer horse racing schedule. This Grade 1 race for three-year-olds dates back to the 1860s. It started at one mile before jumping up to 1 1/8 miles in the early 20th century. It is now run at 1 1/4 miles, the same distance as the Kentucky Derby. This is a common spot for winners from the Triple Crown season to compete. In fact, the last two Travers winners, Essential Quality and Tiz the Law, also won the Belmont Stakes in the same year. That streak won’t continue this year since Mo Donegal, the 2022 Belmont Stakes winner, isn’t in the 2022 Travers Stakes lineup.
Given all the history, there’s a method to picking which horses to focus on for exacta, trifecta and superfecta bets in a Travers Stakes like this, and SportsLine expert Bob Weir knows what it is. He can help you make the best 2022 Travers Stakes picks possible.
A Saratoga Springs-based racing insider and Beyer Speed Figure maker, Weir is a two-time qualifier for the prestigious National Horseplayers Championship in Las Vegas. He has produced multiple five-figure days at the track over the years, including a $60,000 Pick 6 at Del Mar in 2014. Last year, he was on fire. He hit the exacta in the Sam F. Davis Stakes, Tampa Bay Derby and Peter Pan Stakes, the trifecta in the Risen Star Stakes, Blue Grass Stakes and Pennsylvania Derby and the superfecta in the Belmont Stakes.
He also correctly called Essential Quality the “most likely winner” of last year’s Travers and featured the colt heavily atop his wagers before the horse won.
This year, he has been red-hot in the Triple Crown prep races, hitting the superfecta in the Blue Grass Stakes, the trifecta in the Louisiana Derby and exactas in the Fountain of Youth Stakes and Tampa Bay Derby. He also has hit the 19-1 winner of the Man o’ War Stakes, the trifecta in the Pegasus World Cup, the superfecta in the Met Mile and multiple Pick 4s, including May 14’s at Belmont for $1,851. Anyone who has followed him is up huge. Now, he’s sharing all of his 2022 Travers Stakes bets here.
Top 2022 Travers Stakes expert picks
Here’s a refresher on these types of bets from SportsLine’s Bob Weir:
Travers Stakes Exacta: Pick the first- and second-place finishers in the correct order. A $2 exacta returned $11.80 at the 2021 Travers Stakes with Essential Quality and Midnight Bourbon.
Travers Stakes Trifecta: Pick the first-, second- and third-place finishers in the correct order. A $1 trifecta returned $48.74 at the 2021 Travers Stakes with Essential Quality, Midnight Bourbon and Miles D.
Travers Stakes Superfecta: Pick the first-, second-, third- and fourth-place finishers in the correct order. A $1 superfecta returned a colossal $132.20 at the 2021 Travers Stakes with Essential Quality, Midnight Bourbon, Miles D and Keepmeinmind.
While Demling has no quibbles with the favorite status of Epicenter, he plans to hold tickets with Artorious (9-2) and a pair of horses who are flying under the radar. You can see his picks here.
How to make 2022 Travers Stakes bets
Weir has specific recommendations for exacta, trifecta and superfecta wagers so you can cover all your bases at the Travers Stakes 2022. He’s sharing them over at SportsLine.
So which horses do you take? And in what combinations? Visit SportsLine to get Weir’s picks for exacta, trifecta and superfecta bets for the 2022 Travers Stakes.
