Fierceness won the Grade I Travers Stakes Saturday at Saratoga Race Course.
The 3-year-old Jim Dandy winner beat out a competitive field, breaking his streak of alternating wins. Under jockey John Velazquez, Fierceness held off a late-charigng Thorpedo Anna, who was hoping to become the first filly to win the race since 1915.
Among the competition was Dornoch, winner of the Third Leg of the Triple Crown, the Belmont Stakes, and Haskell. He finished fourth behind Sierra Leone.
Fierceness trainer Todd Pletcher said he was confident the colt would snap his streak of winning every other start.
“You know everyone was asking me, 'why does he run well every other time?' And does he give you any signs and signals that he’s not going to run well?’ And the answer has always been ‘no.’ Because the horse always trains exceptionally well. But, he doesn’t give you negative signs, but he had never given me so many positive signs leading into this race. The way he was eating, his energy level, the way he was galloping. His breezes were super,” said Pletcher.
The New York Racing Association said all-sources handle exceeded $63 million, beating the previous record of $55 million set in 2022, with more than 47,000 fans packing the track.
It’s been a long summer at Saratoga Race Course — it opened early for a June 8th running of the Belmont Stakes while its regular downstate home, Belmont Park, undergoes a half-a-billion-dollar renovation. That four-day festival was around a month before the track’s usual opening day.
The meet continues through Labor Day.