The field is set for the 154th running of the $1.25 million Travers S. (G1) at Saratoga on Aug. 26, and Kentucky-breds  comprise the entire field. In a rare occurrence, the winners of each of the three legs of this year’s Triple Crown and last year’s Champion 2-Year-Old Colt will clash over 10 furlongs.

Among the most prestigious races for sophomores, the Travers Stakes is carded as the 12th race on a blockbuster card that features a total of five Grade 1 events. Repole Stable and St. Elias Stable’s Forte, the 2022 Champion 2-Year-Old, headlines the Travers. The son of Violence enters the Travers off a narrow triumph in the Jim Dandy S. (G2) over a sloppy track on July 29.

“It was great to get him back in the winner’s circle here,” said trainer Todd Pletcher. “Obviously, it was a frustrating time around the Derby and going into the Belmont off a 10-week layoff, so we’re hoping to get back on track and put him in the best position to win the Travers.”

Prior to scratching from the Kentucky Derby (G1), Forte won the Florida Derby (G1) in April at Gulfstream Park over next-out Kentucky Derby winner Mage, a rival once again in the Travers. Jockey Irad Ortiz Jr. has been aboard Forte for all his starts and retains the mount from post position No. 1. Forte has been installed as the 7-5 morning-line favorite.

Pletcher will also send out Whisper Hill Farm and Gainesway Stable’s Kentucky-bred Tapit Trice. The Grade 1 winner is in search of his first win since capturing the Blue Grass S. (G1) in April at Keeneland. The son of Tapit finished seventh in the Kentucky Derby before finishing third in the Belmont S. (G1), a nose behind Forte. After finishing fifth most recently in the Haskell S. (G1), Tapit Trice will wear blinkers for the time in the Travers.

“We feel like sometimes, like some of the Tapits, he gets a little distracted by other things,” shared Pletcher. “I don’t know if it’s going to make him any quicker early, but I don’t think it can hurt. He’s kind of put himself in a compromising position a couple of times, the Haskell for one, the Derby for another. I just feel like we need to make some sort of adjustment to hopefully improve on that a little bit. He’s got the talent to win a big race, and already has in the Blue Grass, but the talent is there. We just need to keep him locked in.”

Tapit Trice was a $1.3 million Keeneland September Sale graduate.He will be ridden by Jose Ortiz and is listed at 12-1 on the morning-line.

A total of 10 Kentucky Derby winners have captured the Travers, and this year’s Derby winner Mage will attempt to join the list. He will become the first since Street Sense in 2007 to also win the Travers. The Kentucky-bred son of Good Magic ran a respectable second to Geaux Rocket Ride in the Haskell. Trainer Gustavo Delgado shipped Mage to Saratoga in early August to allow him time to acclimate.

“The difference is we have more time,” Delgado said. “The Preakness, we shipped immediately after the Derby. It was the same thing in the Haskell, we shipped in the week of the race. Right now, we can take things a little easier being here for a few weeks. He’s happy in Saratoga, everybody is happy in Saratoga.”

Mage is owned by OGMA Investments, Ramiro Restrepo, Sterling Racing and CMNWLTH. He was bought for $290,000 at the 2022 Fasig-Tipton Midlantic 2-Year-Olds in Training Sale.

Preakness S. (G1) winner National Treasure will attempt to become the ninth horse to capture the middle jewel of the Triple Crown and the Travers. The Kentucky-bred son of Quality Road went gate to wire in the Preakness. He is expected to utilize front-running tactics once again. He faded to sixth in the Belmont Stakes.

“He’s going to have to run that race (in the Preakness) and a little better,” said trainer Bob Baffert. “It’s good horses and the Travers is always tough.”

National Treasure is owned by SF Racing, Starlight Stables, Madaket Stables, Robert Masterson, Stonestreet Stables, Jay Schoenfarber, Waves Edge Capital and Catherine Donovan. He was a $500,000 acquisition from the 2021 Fasig-Tipton Saratoga Select Yearling Sale. John Velazquez is aboard and he is listed a 8-1 on the morning-line.

Trainer Jena Antonucci became the first female trainer to win the Belmont S. (G1) when she saddled Arcangelo to victory in the final leg of the Triple Crown. A win from Arcangelo in the Travers would make Antonucci the second female trainer to win the Travers, joining Mary Hirsch who saddled 1938 winner Thanksgiving 85 years ago.

Arcangelo is owned by Jon Ebbert’s Blue Rose Farm. The history-making gray will look to join 35 other horses who have won both the Belmont S. and the Travers.

“This horse has had most of his career spaced out with a lot of time,” Antonucci said. “We just found that it’s given him the breathing room he needed to mature, grow up, fill in, and fill out. So, continuing to let him come out of a big race like the Belmont and put himself where he needed to be for this race was a kind of an easy conversation.”

Arcangelo is by 2016 Travers winner Arrogate. Bred in Kentucky by Don Alberto Corporation, Arcangelo will be ridden by Javier Castellano. He is listed at 5-2 on the morning-line.

Rounding out the Travers field are Kentucky-breds Disarm and Scotland. Disarm is a Winchell Thoroughbreds Kentucky-bred son of Gun Runner. Trained by Steve Asmussen, Disarm captured the Matt Winn S. (G3) in May and most recently finished fourth in the Jim Dandy S. (G2). Scotland, a Kentucky homebred for LNJ Foxwoods, most recently won the Curlin Stakes at Saratoga for trainer Bill Mott. The son of Good Magic is a winner in three of four overall.