In The Money Telegraph
Saturday, August 29, 2026 · By ITM Staff
Travers Day: Golden Tempo and Renegade Settle It
It’s here — the centerpiece of the Saratoga summer. The 157th Travers goes as Race 13 at 6:35 p.m. ET on FOX, worth $1.25 million at a mile and a quarter, and it sets up as the rubber match the division has been waiting for. Golden Tempo, the 5-2 favorite, has already beaten Renegade twice this year, in the Kentucky Derby and again in the Belmont. Renegade, the 3-1 second choice, chased him home both times before rebounding to take the Jim Dandy, and today he gets a fresh look with Tyler Gaffalione picking up the mount while Irad Ortiz Jr. remains sidelined by injury.
They headline a genuinely deep ten — Preakness winner Napoleon Solo, Chad Brown’s pair Sea Strike and Emerging Market as he chases a first Travers at his hometown track, plus Baby Vino, The Puma, Silent Tactic, and the unbeaten Leading Change. PTF has a full horse-by-horse guide to the race at At The Races. Read PTF’s Travers guide →
For a different lens, PTF sat down with Adam Mills of Total Performance Data for a stride-and-sectionals look at the field. Mills makes the data case for Golden Tempo — the long stride, the late speed, and the lung infection that cost him a Jim Dandy prep — even as PTF leans elsewhere. It’s a terrific, wonky counterpoint. Watch below.
Five More Graded Stakes at the Spa
The Travers tops a card stacked with graded racing. Three of the day’s Grade 1s are Breeders’ Cup Challenge qualifiers, each sending its winner on to Keeneland with an automatic berth: the Personal Ensign (Race 9), the Forego (Race 11), and the Ballerina (Race 12). The Grade 1 H. Allen Jerkens Memorial and the Grade 2 Lake Placid round out a deep afternoon.
PTF has horse-by-horse guides to two of them at At The Races — the Ballerina and the Lake Placid.
More Across the Country
Kentucky Downs. America’s richest meet opens today, headlined by the Grade 1 Ladies’ Turf Sprint, where Ag Bullet looks to defend her title and stay unbeaten at the track. The big story is the revamped wagering menu — a $5 minimum on win, place, and show, notable at a meet where the average $2 win mutuel ran around $17 last year. PTF and JK went through the opener, and Ray Cotolo has spot plays for the all-turf card.
Colonial. One of the busiest Saturdays of the year continues in Virginia. Michael Domabyl has the card. Domabyl’s card →
Monmouth. The $100,000 Sorority Stakes for two-year-old fillies headlines, with first post at 12:50 p.m. ET. Eric Solomon has it. Solomon’s card →
Del Mar. Dean Keppler makes Stanford Dropout his best bet in Race 8, on a card that closes with graded turf action. Keppler’s card →
UK & Europe. Steven Bonnick previews a quieter European weekend, with Goodwood’s Celebration Mile his race of the weekend. Bonnick’s preview →
ITM Plus
Travers Day Coverage, Start to Finish
The biggest day of the Saratoga summer is here. ITM Plus members get the members’ bet share, Nick Tammaro’s daily Saratoga notebook, PTF’s Grade 1 write-ups, exclusive shows, and full coverage through Travers Day and on to the Breeders’ Cup.
More all weekend at inthemoneypodcast.com and on the ITM YouTube channel, with premium coverage on ITM Plus.
