Frosted and Keen Ice Head List of Gulfstream ‘Alums’ Facing American Pharoah in Travers at Saratoga

Saturday, Aug. 29 – It’s about 60  minutes to post time for today’s Travers Stakes (Grade 1) at Saratoga and time to pick a winner.

Or, you might say time to pinpoint a horse that could be the  best prospect if American Pharoah  (shown above winning Preakness) is not at his peak.

Before  that it is worthy to note that five of the nine horses that will challenge Triple Crown  champion American Pharoah in the 1 1/4 mile Travers raced at Gulfstream Park this past winter.

The top contenders among that quintet appear to be Frosted and Keen Ice.

Frosted finished second  to American Pharoah in  the Belmont on June 6. Keen Ice finished second to American Pharoah in the Haskell  at Monmouth  Park on Aug. 2. Both  were soundly beaten.  But the only  other horse that seems to  fit is  Texas Red the second  place finisher to American Pharoah in the Frontrunner Stakes last September at Santa Anita.

Texas Red later won the Breeders’  Cup Juvenile at Santa  Anita, a race  American Pharoah missed due to a minor injury. Texas Red missed all of this year’s Triple Crown races due to  an injury.

The other three Gulfstream alums are Upstart, Frammento and Mid Ocean.

Among  the horses  that did not race at Gulfstream, Tale of Verve finished second to American Pharoah in the mud in the Preakness. But Frosted, Keen Ice and Texas Red were not  in that race.

Predicted finish               ML Odds

1  American Pharoah      15:1

2  Keen  Ice                       12:1

3 Frosted                           6:1

4 Texas Red                      8:1

PP 1  Upstart                    15:1
PP 3  Mid Ocean              50:1
PP 5  Framento                30:1
PP 8  Tale of Verve          30:1
PP 9 King of New York   50:1
PP 10 Smart Transition  20:1

 

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