RESOLVING THE LEDGER
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Leading Change, front left, with jockey Manny Franco, takes it to the competition to win the 157th Travers Stakes at Saratoga Race Course on Saturday in Saratoga Springs. (Skip Dickstein)
SARATOGA SPRINGS - In just over two minutes Saturday evening at Saratoga Race Course, the status quo of the 3-year-old division was changed, courtesy of Leading Change.
The Brad Cox-trained colt entered the 157th Travers with just two career starts on his resume, but backed up Cox's belief in his prodigious talent when he overcame Preakness winner Napoleon Solo to win the $1.25 million Midsummer Derb y by a half-length, with Kentucky Derby and Belmont Stakes winner Golden Tempo getting up for third.
The morning after the race, Cox expressed his belief that Leading Change, despite his lack of experience, was the best 3-year-old in his barn, which also includes Kentucky Derby favorite Further Ado and Grade 1 winner Commandment.
"I've always felt this was the most talented horse in the group," Cox told the New York Racing Association. "Further Ado has always been an incredibly good workhorse, and Commandment is super honest and tries hard all the time. They're different, but it's a solid group of horses. I think these three colts are as good as any colts in the country."
Travers Stakes winner Leading Change relaxes in his stall in Brad Cox's barn at the Oklahoma training track adjacent to Saratoga Race Course on Sunday in Saratoga Springs. (Skip Dickstein)
In the Travers, Leading Change was ridden brilliantly to victory by Manny Franco, who scored his second win in Saratoga's biggest race, following up his win aboard Tiz the Law in 2020.
As for what comes next, that isn't entirely certain.
Cox said that Leading Change will ship back to his home base at Churchill Downs, but a start in the Breeders' Cup Classic at Keeneland in October isn't a sure thing. Next year's Dubai World Cup – a race Cox and owners Wathnan Racing won with Hit Show in 2025 – is a major goal.
Considering Leading Change's lack of experience, Cox – who previously won the Travers with Essential Quality in 2021 – is taking a longer view of the colt's career.
"I don't want to say too much on future plans yet," he said. "I'm all about trying to develop him, and yeah, we're looking at the Breeders' Cup Classic, but it very well could be the 2027 Classic."
Meanwhile, Chad Summers, the trainer of runner-up Napoleon Solo, said that the beaten pacesetter could target either the Breeders' Cup Classic or Dirt Mile.
Englishman, with Jose Ortiz aboard, wins the Grade 1, $500,000 H. Allen Jerkens Memorial on Saturday at Saratoga Race Course. (Skip Dickstein)
Golden Tempo, Englishman set to depart
Cherie DeVaux experienced the ups and downs of Travers Day. The trainer's brilliant sprinter Englishman turned in another dominant performance in winning the H. Allen Jerkens Memorial while challenging his own track record for seven furlongs, while Golden Tempo's first race since his Belmont Stakes triumph in June ended in a disappointing third .
Both star 3-year-olds are slated to depart Saratoga on Monday and return to DeVaux's home base at Keeneland, the host site for this year's Breeders' Cup.
Englishman is a potential favorite for the Breeders' Cup Sprint, while DeVaux is planning to send Golden Tempo against older horses in the Breeders' Cup Classic.
Whether he gets in another race before the Oct. 31 Classic hasn't been determined.
"He still ran a great race, and we're pleased and proud of him," DeVaux said of Golden Tempo. "We're still going to march on to the Breeders' Cup Classic."
Music star Ciara holds her child and celebrate with her husband, retired NFL star Russell Wilson, after their horse Club Reign won the first race on the card on Travers Day at Saratoga Race Course on Saturday in Saratoga Springs. (Skip Dickstein)
Russell Wilson, Ciara make a splash as debuting owners
The opening race of Travers Day was notable not just for 2-year-old Club Reign's splashy six-length maiden victory, but for the colt's superstar connections.
Club Reign is co-owned by Three Brand Racing, the new racing enterprise of recently retired NFL quarterback Russell Wilson . Club Reign was Three Brand Racing's first-ever starter, and his win produced plenty of excitement for the Super Bowl XLVIII winner and his wife, music star Ciara, who celebrated in the clubhouse and the winner's circle.
"We were so fired up about this horse," Wilson said. "We felt like we had a tremendous athlete in this horse. (He's) our first one for me and Ciara and our team, our Three Brand Racing team, and to come out here and to win in Saratoga - and he won by a lot. He's a fast horse."
Russell Wilson got involved with ownership through his brother, Harry Wilson, who lives in Louisville, Ky. One of Harry Wilson's neighbors and friends is Whit Beckman, who trains Club Reign.
"It's a lot of fun. I'm grateful he's chosen to go down this road with us," Beckman told NYRA of his partnership with Russell Wilson. "I'm hoping we can reproduce that with many more peak moments."
Next up for Club Reign could be a start in the Grade 1 Champagne on Oct. 3 at Belmont Park, which could put the colt in consideration for the Breeders' Cup Juvenile and, if things go well, the Kentucky Derby trail.
Racing fans cheer during Travers Day at Saratoga Race Course on Saturday in Saratoga Springs. (Jim Franco/Times Union)
Travers Day does big business
The 14-race Saturday card generated nearly $61 million in wagering , the second-highest total ever for a Travers Day.
The all-sources handle of $60,863,320 announced by the New York Racing Association was a jump of more than $6 million from 2025, and only sits behind the ...
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