1. CMYK
Travers Stakes
T H E P O S T - S T A R◆ ◆
The137th
SUNDAY
August 27, 2006
PAGE D1
Travers Breakdown 3. The Backstretch
Under a relaxed hold,
Bernardini loped along on
the lead with Bluegrass Cat
in close attendance. High
Cotton and Hesanoldsalt
were in next flight, well in
range with all seemingly
content with their posi-
tions.
4. The Final Turn
Bluegrass Cat began to
turn up the pressure just a
bit, although Castellano
remained silent aboard
Bernardini. High Cotton
and Hesanoldsalt were put
to drives to keep pace with
the leaders.
2. The First Turn
Bernardini went on to
assume control with
Bluegrass Cat glued to his
flank on the outside. High
Cotton was taken back off
the pace, with the two
Ward runners — Minister’s
Bid and Dr. Pleasure — at
the back of the pack.
6. The Finish
Bernardini crossed the
wire a much-the-best win-
ner of the Travers, 7 1/2
lengths clear of Bluegrass
Cat, who safely held the
place. Dr. Pleasure man-
aged to pass Hesanoldsalt
late for third.
5. The Stretch Run
With Velazquez futilely
scrubbing on Bluegrass
Cat, Castellano gave
Bernardini a single whack
at the eighth pole, and
Bernardini immediately
responded, drawing clear
to win by as much as
wanted.
Attendance: 40,785.
Feature races winners: Bernardini won
the Travers, paying $2.70; Henny
Hughes won the King’s Bishop, paying
$3.50; Ashkal Way won the Bernard
Baruch, paying $3.40; and My Typhoon
won the Ballston Spa, paying $8.10.
Favorite of the day: Bernardini won the Travers, paying $2.70.
Long shot of the day: Classic Campaign won the fourth, paying
$13.40.
Coming today: The Grade I, $250,000 Ballerina for fillies and mares 3
years and upward.
Bernardini breaks away
WARREN
ALBER
C O M M E N T A R Y
S A R AT O G A R E C A P
Win Place Show
Bernardini $2.70 $2.10 $2.10
Bluegrass Cat $2.50 $2.60
Dr. Pleasure $4.70
1 3 7 T H T R AV E R S S TA K E STravers Stakes never in doubt as colt cruises
DEREK PRUITT—DPRUITT@POSTSTAR.COM
Jockey Javier Castellano gestures aboard Bernardini at the finish line of the 137th Travers Stakes on Saturday at Saratoga Race Course.
1. The Start
All six starters came away
well, with High Cotton,
Bernardini and Bluegrass
Cat finding themselves in
front after the opening fur-
long. Both Bernardini and
Bluegrass Cat remained
side-by-side well out in the
track.
By WARREN ALBER
alber@poststar.com
SARATOGA SPRINGS ◆
Named after a man who drove
Ford Escorts, Bernardini rides
like he’s a finely tuned, high-
class German automobile.
And the racy, dark-brown colt
who effortlessly won the Jim
Dandy never even got to fifth
gear in winning the 137th
Travers Stakes on Saturday at
Saratoga Race Course, pulling
away from Bluegrass Cat at the
quarter pole of the 1 1/4-mile
race and leaving jockey Javier
Castellano alternately waving
his index finger in the air and
patting Bernardini on the shoul-
der over the final eighth of a
mile.
“It felt like I have a super
horse, nice and smooth, like you
are not hitting the ground,”
Castellano said. “Riding him
you feel like you are driving a
Mercedes — he’s a special
horse.”
Bernardini, named for race-
car driver Patrick Bernardini,
who drove a Ford Escort RS
Cosworth in winning the 1996
Rally Monte Carlo, came into
the $1 million Travers as the 2-5
favorite of the 40,785 fans on
track.
Breaking from post five in
the six-horse field, Castellano
let Bernardini place himself in
the race, and the colt zipped into
the lead heading into the club-
house turn, with jockey John
Velazquez placing Haskell
Invitational winner Bluegrass
Cat just off Bernardini’s shoul-
der as they turned onto the
backstretch.
Able to control the pace,
Castellano knew the race was
for second place with three-
quarters of a mile to run.
“I got a good position at the
break and they let me go the
first quarter nice and easy,”
Castellano said. “The second
was 48 seconds and I knew
Johnny was right next to me,
and he can’t keep up.”
Bluegrass Cat took a run at
Bernardini heading into the far
turn, trying to put pressure on
him, but Bernardini surged, got
some separation from
Bluegrass Cat and the only
question was by how much he
would win.
“When he got to the quarter
pole, I looked around and I
couldn’t see Johnny, he couldn’t
keep up with me,” Castellano
said. “The race is over.”
Castellano, who lost his bal-
ance and fell off Bernardini in
the post parade, started his cel-
ebration at about the same spot
— at the eighth pole. He waved
his whip left-handed at
Bernardini, and each time he
Please see TRAVERS, Back Page
SARATOGA SPRINGS
ne win in six starts is not
the kind of resume that
screams championship
contender, but that’s just
what Bluegrass Cat is, putting
himself in contention for 3-
year-old honors with another
solid, yet ultimately unsuccess-
ful attempt in the season’s
biggest races.
Bluegrass Cat chased
Kentucky Derby winner
Barbaro, finishing second, 4 1/2
lengths behind.
Bluegrass Cat chased
Belmont Stake sinner Jazil, fin-
ishing second, 1 1/4 lengths
behind.
And on Saturday, an ever-
improving Bluegrass Cat
chased Travers Stakes winner
Bernardini, finishing second,
7 1/2 lengths behind.
In remembering Bernardini
won the Preakness Stakes, too,
that the leaves Bluegrass Cat
the runner-up to the winner of
each leg of the Triple Crown in
addition to the Mid-Summer
Derby.
That’s four seconds just
about each and every fan of the
40,785 at the racetrack on
Saturday would trade for in a
flash.
Almost everyone, except
trainer Todd Pletcher, jockey
John Velazquez and owner
WinStar Farm. Bluegrass Cat is
this wonderfully-bred colt that
has competed with the stars of
his class, has run with them,
but has been unable to beat
them.
Compile the list —
Bernardini, Barbaro and Jazil.
Then comes Bluegrass Cat.
Pretty heady company, but
what are we to make of the son
of Storm Cat who has earned
$1.537 million this year, yet has
only one graded stakes win?
Bernardini might have just
wrestled championship honors
from Barbaro with his
Preakness-Jim Dandy-Travers
Stakes triple — each win com-
ing more authoritatively than
the previous.
Bluegrass Cat deserves cred-
it for making the Triple Crown
Running
second to
everyone
O
Please see ALBER, Back Page