Travers Stakes contenders: Which horses are pointing toward Saratoga's biggest race?

2026 Kentucky Derby and Belmont Stakes winner Golden Tempo gets his exercise in this morning at the Saratoga Race Course Friday July 24, 2026 in Saratoga Springs, N.Y. (Skip Dickstein) Every summer at Saratoga Race Course builds to the crescendo of the Travers Stakes, and this year is no different.

>The 2026 Travers, the 157th edition of Saratoga's signature race, will be held on Aug. 29 and is expected to draw a field headlined by Kentucky Derby and Belmont Stakes winner Golden Tempo, as well Derby runner-up and recent Jim Dandy winner Renegade.

>The potential field for the race will evolve in the weeks heading up to race time, but here's a look at the horses most likely to target a start in the Midsummer Derby:

2026 Travers Stakes snapshotWhen:Saturday, Aug. 29 • >Where:Saratoga Race Course in Saratoga Springs, N.Y. • >Purse: $1.25 million • >Race conditions:1 ¼ miles on dirt for 3-year-olds • >TV info:Fox Trainer Mark Casse at the Saratoga Race Course Thursday July 23, 2026 in Saratoga Springs, N.Y. (Skip Dickstein) 2026 Travers Stakes contendersBaby VinoTrainer:Lindsay Schultz • >About:The 28-1 longshot winner of the $1 million Haskell last time out at Monmouth Park, Baby Vino made a bold run under jockey Jorge Vargas Jr. to take down Preakness winner Napoleon Solo. It was the first Grade 1 victory for trainer Schultz, who became the first woman to train a Haskell winner. Commandment is ready for his morning exercise in the barn area of the Oklahoma Training Center adjacent to the Saratoga Race Course Friday July 31, 2026 in Saratoga Springs, N.Y. (Skip Dickstein) CommandmentTrainer:Brad Cox • >About: The Florida Derby winner was seventh after a trouble-filled trip as one of the mild favorites in the Kentucky Derby, and was the clear best of the rest behind Golden Tempo in the Belmont at Saratoga. Commandment was second in the Jim Dandy in his most recent start, falling to a late charge down the stretch from Renegade. Trainer Chad Brown plays with Belmont Stakes entrant his Emerging Market in his barn at the Oklahoma training center adjacent to the Saratoga Race Course Wednesday June 3, 2026 in Saratoga Springs, N.Y. The Belmont Stakes which will be run Saturday June 6th at the Saratoga Race Course. Photo for the Times Union by Skip Dickstein (Skip Dickstein) Emerging MarketTrainer:Chad Brown • >About:Brown, a Mechanicville native, has never won the Travers. He could take a shot with Louisiana Derby winner Emerging Market, who was 10th in the Kentucky Derby and fifth in the Belmont Stakes. In his last race, he faced older horses in an allowance race on July 25, finishing second behind 5-year-old Wynstock. Golden Tempo with jockey Jose Ortiz, second from left leads the field to the win in the 158th running of the Belmont Stakes at the Saratoga Race Course Saturday June 6, 2026 in Saratoga Springs, N.Y. Photo for the Times Union by Skip Dickstein (Skip Dickstein) Golden TempoTrainer:Cherie DeVaux • >About:The Kentucky Derby and Belmont winner was initially supposed to make his return to racing in the Jim Dandy, but illness disrupted his training schedule and DeVaux opted to skip the race in favor of an extended layoff to train up to the Travers. Golden Tempo went last-to-first to win both the Derby and Belmont, so a field with several horses vying for the early lead would be an ideal scenario. Paco Lopez is lead to the winners circle after he rode Napoleon Solo to win the 151st running of the Preakness Stakes horse race, Saturday, May 16, 2026, at Laurel Park in Laurel, Md. (AP Photo/Julia Demaree Nikhinson) (Julia Demaree Nikhinson/Associated Press) Napoleon SoloTrainer:Chad Summers • >About:Napoleon Solo won the Preakness in a race where many of the top horses from the Kentucky Derby weren't in the field. After skipping the Belmont, his comeback in the Haskell resulted in a hard-fought second-place finish in the slop behind longshot winner Baby Vino. Napoleon Solo, who broke his maiden last summer at Saratoga, could also target the Pennsylvania Derby.OcelliTrainer:Whit Beckman • >About:Ocelli is the richest maiden in North American racing history, with more than $840,000 in career earnings despite still being winless in his 10-race career. Ocelli has been the busiest horse on the 3-year-old classic circuit this year, running seven times at seven different tracks. He was third as the longest shot on the board in the Kentucky Derby and fourth in the Preakness, but was last of seven in the Haskell. Renegade #3 with jockey Irad Ortiz Jr. comes up on the outside as the at the last minute to capture the win in the 63rd running of The Jim Dandy presented by Mohegan Sun GII at the Saratoga Race Course Saturday Aug.1, 2026 in Saratoga Springs, N.Y. (Skip Dickstein) RenegadeTrainer: Todd Pletcher • >About:For a moment in the Kentucky Derby, it appeared like the hard-charging Renegade was about to win from well off the pace, only for Golden Tempo to make a run from even deeper in the field and win by a neck. The rematch in the Belmont Stakes saw Renegade finish a well-beaten third behind Golden Tempo and Commandment. Renegade stamped his ticket as a Travers contender with an impressive rally to beat Commandment in the Jim Dandy.Sabino CanyonTrainer:Bob Baffert • >About:Baffert has won the Travers Stakes three times, with the last two - with Arrogate in 2016 and West Coast in 2017 - coming with late-developing 3-year-olds. That could be the case with Sabino Canyon, winner of the Los Alamitos Derby in California and the Petramalo Mile in Virginia his last two times out. A run in the Travers would signify a step up in competition. Sea Strike #5 with jockey Flavien Prat runs away from the field to win the 17th running of the Curlin presented by Casamigos at the Saratoga Race Course Sunday Aug.2, 2026 in Saratoga Springs, N.Y. (Skip Dickstein) Sea StrikeTrainer:Chad Brown • >About:Sea Strike hadn't raced longer than 6 ½ furlongs until entering the Curlin, where he stretched out to 1 ⅛ miles and impressively rolled to an 8 ¼-length win over a field that included Kentucky Derby and Belmont Stakes fourth-place finisher Chief Wallabee. Sea Strike's time of one minute, 48.94 seconds in the Curlin was 0.14 seconds faster than the winning time Renegade posted over the same distance in the Jim Dandy a day earlier.Silent TacticTrainer:Mark Casse • >About:After taking the path through Oaklawn Park on the Derby trail with a win in the Southwest and runner-up finishes in the Rebel and Arkansas Derby, Silent Tactic was entered for the Kentucky Derby but scratched the week of the race with a bruised foot. In his return to racing in the Jim Dandy, Silent Tactic was a solid third behind Renegade and Commandment. Casse, his trainer, also has some of the top fillies in training right now in 4-year-old star Nitrogen and Acorn/CCA Oaks winner Counting Stars.The PumaTrainer:Gustavo Delgado • >About: The winner of the Tampa Bay Derby and the runner-up in the Florida Derby, The Puma was scratched on the morning of the Kentucky Derby due to swelling in his left front leg. The colt returned in the Haskell on July 18, finishing fourth after being unable to unleash a finishing kick during the sloppy stretch run.SubscribeThere’s more to Albany with the Times Union. Subscribe today for just 25¢.This article originally published at Travers Stakes contenders: Which horses are pointing toward Saratoga's biggest race?.