In this historic summer at Saratoga Race Course, as the town of Saratoga Springs celebrates the sesquicentennial of Thoroughbred racing, the Travers Stakes—run for the 144th time this year—is living up to its billing as the Mid-Summer Derby.

Though tomorrow’s $1 million race will not, as anticipated earlier this summer, feature a match-up of the winners of the Kentucky Derby, Preakness, and Belmont, two of the three will enter the gate, joined by Haskell winner and Kentucky Derby favorite Verrazano.

Kentucky Derby winner Orb comes to the race off a freshening since his third-place finish in the Belmont Stakes. Preakness winner Oxbow came out of his fourth-place finish in the Haskell at Monmouth Park with an injury and will likely be sidelined for the rest of the year. Belmont winner Palace Malice won the Jim Dandy at Saratoga last month and is the second choice, behind Verrazano, at 5-2 on the morning line.

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