Colonel John Takes Travers Stakes

The big news in these parts was the running of the 139th edition of the Travers Stakes at Saratoga Race Course. The Travers is often referred to as the fourth leg of the triple crown.

West Coast-based colt Colonel John overcame a troubled trip that jockey Garrett Gomez called "a nightmare" and atoned for a disappointing sixth-place finish in the Kentucky Derby with a dramatic head-bob victory over Mambo in Seattle.

It all came down to the photo-finish camera in front of 40,723 sun-drenched fans.

No Triple Crown This Year

There's only four horse races a year that I actually watch — Kentucky Derby, Preakness, Belmont, Travers. You'd think I'd be more interested living so close to Saratoga and all the hoopla in August with the lead up to the Travers Stakes first held in 1864.

Maybe it goes to my #2 phobia...horses. Or that when I was little, we never went to the Saratoga Race Course to see the horses. My family went over to Pownal Vermont to watch and wager on the greyhounds. My Dad always bet on the dog that took a dump on the track as they were walked in front of the crowd for inspection before the race. He would say they were "lighter" and could "shit and git!" His philosophy, while entertaining and at least had some degree of logic, never proved to be an accurate way to pick the winner. I can still hear the stadium announcer — "Heeeeerrrreeee comes Frosty!" — Frosty being the piece of styrofoam on the control arm that the dogs thought was a rabbit.

Nonetheless, I'm still disappointed when there isn't a Triple Crown winner. This year's chances were ended by a nose in a photo finish.
*