Travers Stakes: Sovereignty can stay atop the division

Rowan Ward
By , Updated on: Aug 21, 2025 12:00 AM
Travers Stakes Sovereignty can stay atop division

The richest and most exciting race of the summer at Saratoga Race Course happens Saturday, August 23: the Grade 1, $1.25 million Travers Stakes! Since 1864, many of the best horses have shown up to Saratoga to try the Travers…and, with so many notorious upsets in the race, it is always one of the most fascinating horse racing betting opportunities of the year.

The history of the Travers is a highlight reel of the greatest horses and the greatest moments. From the thrilling duel of Fierceness and Thorpedo Anna last year, to Keen Ice shocking American Pharoah, to the disqualification of Affirmed behind Alydar, to Jim Dandy’s shocking defeat of Triple Crown winner Gallant Fox…this has always been one of the best races of the year!

The leader of the 2025 Travers field is the best and most proven horse of his class: dual Classic winner Sovereignty. He has already come back from his Belmont triumph to win the Jim Dandy (G2), the local prep for the Travers. But, the task won’t be easy – Magnitude, dizzyingly impressive in his last two outings, lines up next to Sovereignty for their first-ever clash.

Keep reading to find out the best bets for the 2025 Travers Stakes, as well as the best places to bet horse racing online!

Travers Stakes Field

This is the official field for the 2025 Travers Stakes including post positions, trainers, jockeys, and morning lines:

  1. Magnitude (Steve Asmussen/Ben Curtis) - 2/1
  2. Bracket Buster (Victoria Oliver/Luis Saez) - 20/1
  3. Strategic Focus (Chad Brown/Flavien Prat) - 6/1
  4. Sovereignty (Bill Mott/Junior Alvarado) - 2/5
  5. McAfee (Rick Dutrow/John Velazquez) - 20/1

Before picking your horse, it’s important to pick the best online sportsbook for betting the Travers. Betting online is your best option for several reasons. It is more convenient than going to a track, OTB, or sportsbook since you can play from anywhere with an internet connection.

And, unlike the racetrack, online sportsbooks offer fixed-odds wagering on the most important horse races. That means, instead of waiting for on-track odds to be final at post time, you can lock in the best odds just by placing a bet when you see an overlay. Then, just watch the race and be confident in what you’ll get when your horse wins!

These are the top online sportsbooks for betting on the Travers Stakes:

BovadaBetOnlineBetUS
Sovereignty-250-275-250
Magnitude+200+325+200
Strategic Focus+600+800+600
McAfee+2000+2500+2000
Bracket Buster+2000+2800+2000

Travers Stakes Online Betting

Choosing the best online sportsbook for the Travers Stakes – and  horse racing and sports all year long – can seem like a tough choice at first just because there are so many online sportsbooks to pick from. However, our online betting experts are here to help make your decision easy and profitable.

All of our recommended sites have the foundations of a great betting experience: trusted payouts, market-leading odds, great user interfaces, and the convenience of betting from anywhere. Every site also offers its own structure of bonuses like sign-up and deposit bonuses, referral benefits, and horse racing rebates that pay you real money for every wager you make.

Taking a few minutes now to choose the best bonuses and incentives for the way you like to bet can help you boost your bankroll by hundreds or even thousands of dollars. So, take a few minutes now to read our expert reviews, find the most profitable place for you to bet, and then you’re ready to play!

Travers Stakes Handicapping

You’ve made your decision on where to bet, so now it’s time to answer the next question: who to bet! Here are the best bets for the 2025 Travers Stakes:

Travers Stakes Top Choice

Though he will be the favorite, Sovereignty also should be the goods in the Travers. He is proven at the distance, with 1 ¼-mile wins in the Kentucky Derby and the Belmont. He held his form nicely after the Triple Crown as well, winning the Jim Dandy (G2) as a prep.

Sovereignty To win the Travers Stakes
Bovada
-250

The field of only five would be a worry if Sovereignty were the horse he was after the Kentucky  Derby, just known to be a closer. But, in both the Belmont and the Jim Dandy, he showed a good new tactical gear, proving he can adapt to a less contested pace scenario and still have plenty in the tank to win the race. Anyone will need to significantly move forward to threaten the division leader.

Travers Stakes Exotics Picks

Magnitude is the most likely spoiler in the race. He is still an unproven quantity to some extent – we know his impressive Risen Star (G2) was no fluke because he ran basically the same race to win the Iowa Derby next out. If he can run back to that he’ll at least give Sovereignty a threat, but the question is whether he can do that with a somewhat different pace scenario.

Magnitude had a clear lead in each of his last two, but Bracket Buster knows no way to go but to the lead, and even the newly blinkers-on Strategic Focus may be more forward. But, if he can show a stalking gear or just the most early gas, he could be in the driver’s seat, and the horse Sovereignty has to catch in the lane.

Magnitude To win the Travers Stakes
BetOnline
+325

Among the rest, Strategic Focus is the one most likely to stay 1 ¼ miles. Both Bracket Buster and outside-drawn McAfee have found 1 ⅛ miles too much for them, and now they add another furlong. Strategic Focus was caught last out in the Curlin, but that was only his third start and he moved so forward in his second that he may have regressed. Being by Gun Runner out of a Curlin mare and being trained by Chad Brown, he should be ready to move forward once more.

Free Travers Stakes Picks

You’ve met the horses, and you know where you plan to bet horse racing and sports online. Now all that’s left is the most fun part of all: placing your bets for the 2025 Travers Stakes!

Here are the expert best bets for the race:

  • $20 to win - #4 Sovereignty
  • $1 exacta - #4 Sovereignty over #1 Magnitude
  • $0.50 trifecta key - #4 Sovereignty over #1 Magnitude, #3 Strategic Focus

Meet the author

Rowan Ward

Rowan has been a regular at the Chicago tracks for over a decade and has also been to some of the biggest racing events including the Breeders' Cup, Kentucky Derby, and Woodbine Mile. Since then their writing has appeared in their own blog and across the horse racing in...

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