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45-513: The Jim Dandy Stakes is usually run on the first Saturday of the late July Saratoga racing season and is named in honor of the 3-year-old colt, Jim Dandy , who won the 1930 Travers Stakes at odds of 100 to 1, beating Triple Crown winner Gallant Fox . The Jim Dandy Stakes is typically used as a preparatory race for the Travers Stakes. The Jim Dandy was run for the 56th time in 2019. Speed record: Most wins by an owner: Most wins by

90-536: A jockey : Most wins by a trainer : Travers Stakes The Travers Stakes is an American Grade I Thoroughbred horse race held at Saratoga Race Course in Saratoga Springs, New York . It is nicknamed the "Midsummer Derby" and is the third-ranked race for American three-year-olds according to international classifications, behind only the Kentucky Derby and Belmont Stakes. First held in 1864, it

135-472: A " superfecta ". In 1962, Jaipur won by a nose-bob in track record time over the arguably more talented Ridan after a long, head-to-head battle over the entire mile and a quarter. Still written and talked about today, the race is listed in the 2006 book Horse Racing's Top 100 Moments written by the staff of Blood-Horse Publications . The race result determined which colt would be named the 1962 U.S. Champion 3-Year-Old Horse . In 1978, Affirmed finished

180-403: A dead heat for first place – meaning they could not be separated in the photo finish. Following the race, two canoes were put in the infield pond to commemorate the winners. It was the first official tie in the race's history and the winning owners split the $ 800,000 first-place prize money. In 1874, Attila and Acrobat dead heated but were forced to run off to break the tie. On August 29, 2015,

225-580: A deep envy of his older brother Harry, who studied to become a rabbi . Abe Rothstein believed that Arnold always craved to be the center of attention and became frustrated when he was not. As a child, Rothstein began to indulge in gambling, but no matter how often his father scolded him for shooting dice , Rothstein would not stop. In 1921, when asked how he became a gambler, Rothstein said: "I always gambled. I can't remember when I didn't. Maybe I gambled just to show my father he couldn't tell me what to do, but I don't think so. I think I gambled because I loved

270-598: A home-stretch duel wherein Deputy Commander prevailed. Adding to the drama was a thunderstorm which produced hail 24 hours before the race, and the uncertainty around whether or not McCarron would be present after the recent death of his mother. In 2001, Point Given won the Travers before a record Travers Stakes day attendance of 60,486. The total betting handle was $ 34,529,273, which was a Saratoga record at that time. On August 25, 2012, Alpha and Golden Ticket finished in

315-448: A large profit in what was called the " Black Sox Scandal ". Summoned to Chicago to testify before a grand jury investigating the incident, Rothstein said he was an innocent businessman, intent on clearing his name and his reputation. Prosecutors could find no evidence linking Rothstein to the affair, and he was never indicted. Rothstein testified: The whole thing started when Abe [Attell] and some other cheap gamblers decided to frame

360-437: A lawn jockey statue custom-painted in the silk colors of the winning owner to be displayed at the racecourse entrance for the next year. Since 1961, the colors of the Travers winner have been painted onto a canoe which sits on a pond in the infield. The canoe itself has been a fixture at the track since 1926. The 1921 Travers Stakes is known for a betting scandal. In those days, bookmaking rather than parimutuel wagering

405-420: A leading trainer, Sam Hildreth , to drive up the odds on Sporting Blood. Hildreth entered an outstanding three-year-old, Grey Lag , on the morning of the race, causing the odds on Sporting Blood to rise to 3–1. Rothstein bet $ 150,000 through bookmakers, allegedly having been informed that the second favorite, Prudery, was off her feed. Just before post time and without explanation, Hildreth scratched Grey Lag from

450-502: A new stakes record, finishing the race in 1:59:36. Arrogate's victory helped Bob Baffert to avenge his loss the previous year with American Pharoah. In 2023, Arcangelo by Arrogate won the 154th Travers trained by Jena Antonucci , the first woman to have a horse she trained win one of the three races in American horse racing's triple crown. The horse was ridden in the 2023 Belmont Stakes by jockey Javier Castellano , winner aboard Mage in

495-439: A real chance to win. Initially, the odds on the filly were 1-4, while Rothstein's colt was 5–2. On the day of the race, however, a leading three-year-old, Grey Lag , was entered by trainer Sam Hildreth . Grey Lag immediately became the favorite, with Prudery the second choice, driving the odds on Sporting Blood up to 3–1. Rothstein bet $ 150,000 on his horse. Just before post time , Grey Lag was scratched with no explanation. During

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540-524: A thuggish activity by hoodlums into a big business run like a corporation", and gained notoriety as the person who first realized that Prohibition was a business opportunity, a means to enormous wealth, who "understood the truths of early 20th century capitalism (giving people what they want) and came to dominate them". His notoriety inspired several fictional characters based on his life, portrayed in contemporary and later short stories, novels, musical theater productions, television shows, and films, including

585-451: Is presented with a blanket of carnations, which is approximately 10 feet long and requires about 1,500 flowers and is draped over the withers of the winner. The blanket is red in color outlined with a fringe of white carnation and a large "T" also in white. The carnations are red and white, which are the colors of Saratoga Race Track. The blanket is prepared the night before the race by a Saratoga florist. Winning connections are also given

630-459: Is the oldest stakes race in the United States specifically for 3-year-olds, and was named for William R. Travers , the president of the old Saratoga Racing Association. His horse, Kentucky, won the first running of the Travers. The race was not run in 1896, 1898, 1899, 1900, 1911, and 1912. From 1943-5, it was run at Belmont Park instead of Saratoga due to the war. The race is the highlight of

675-633: The Queen's Plate . At the Travers that year, Runaway Groom became the second horse in racing history to beat the three winners of the Triple Crown series in the same race, defeating Kentucky Derby winner Gato Del Sol , Preakness Stakes winner Aloma's Ruler , and Belmont Stakes winner Conquistador Cielo . Sun Briar was the first to do so in the 1918 Travers Stakes. The 1997 Travers saw U.S. Racing Hall of Fame jockeys Jerry Bailey and Chris McCarron (aboard Behrens and Deputy Commander respectively) in

720-449: The 146th Travers Stakes saw Triple Crown winner American Pharoah race in front of a NYRA capped crowd of 50,000, making the event a sellout for the first time ever. In addition, the purse was raised to $ 1.6 million. The race reaffirmed Saratoga's reputation as the "graveyard of champions" when Keen Ice defeated American Pharoah. In 2016, The 147th Travers was equally notable as Arrogate rolled home to win by 13 1/2 lengths and set

765-472: The 2023 Kentucky Derby . Arcangelo was shipped to the Saratoga Race Course where he won the Travers. by one length in a time of 2:02.23 over a muddy track making Antonucci the second female to win the race in its 154-year history.The horse was ridden by jockey Javier Castellano who set a record of seven winnings in the race. In 2024, Thorpedo Anna competed in the 155th Travers looking to become

810-462: The Series and make a killing. The world knows I was asked in on the deal and my friends know how I turned it down flat. I don't doubt that Attell used my name to put it over. That's been done by smarter men than Abe. But I was not in on it, would not have gone into it under any circumstances and did not bet a cent on the Series after I found out what was under way. In another version of the story, Rothstein

855-617: The Travers ahead of rival Alydar but was disqualified for crowding Alydar off the rail. Alydar was awarded the win. It was the last of 10 times the two would race each other in one of the sport's greatest rivalries. In 1982, Runaway Groom , the Champion Canadian Three year old arrived at Saratoga after competing in the Canadian Triple Crown , having won the Prince of Wales Stakes and Breeders' Stakes , and finishing second in

900-479: The character Meyer Wolfsheim in The Great Gatsby . Rothstein refused to pay a large debt resulting from a fixed poker game and was murdered in 1928. His illegal empire was broken up and distributed among a number of other underworld organizations and led in part to the downfall of Tammany Hall and the rise of reformer Fiorello La Guardia . Ten years after his death, his brother declared Rothstein's estate

945-416: The country and had forged a large criminal empire. For a time he was the largest bootlegger in the nation, until the rise of George Remus . With a reported wealth of over $ 10 million (equivalent to $ 162 million in 2024), Rothstein was one of the wealthiest gangsters in U.S. history, and is widely considered one of the founders of organized crime in the United States. On November 4, 1928, Rothstein

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990-557: The entire late 19th-century form of political gangsterism . Rothstein's various nicknames were Mr. Big , The Fixer , The Man Uptown , The Big Bankroll , and The Brain . Rothstein frequently mediated disputes among the New York gangs and reportedly charged a hefty fee for his services. His favorite "office" was Lindy's , at Broadway and 49th Street in Manhattan. He often stood on the corner surrounded by his bodyguards and did business on

1035-493: The excitement. When I gambled, nothing else mattered." By 1910, Rothstein, at age 28, had moved to the Tenderloin section of Manhattan , where he established an important casino. He also invested in a horse racing track at Havre de Grace, Maryland , where he was reputed to have fixed many of the races that he won. Rothstein had a wide network of informants, very deep pockets from some among his father's banker associates, and

1080-537: The first filly to win this race since 1915. Despite a late challenge down the home stretch, Fierceness ended up winning the race, defeating her by a nose at the wire. Speed record: (at current distance of 1 + 1 ⁄ 4 miles) Most wins by a jockey : Most wins by a trainer : Most wins by an owner: Record victory margin: $ 400,000 Arnold Rothstein Arnold Rothstein (January 17, 1882 – November 6, 1928), nicknamed " The Brain ",

1125-535: The first to import illegal Scotch whisky in his own fleet of transatlantic freighters, knowing that high-end booze would be the "chic thing to have." With his banking support and high-level political connections, Rothstein soon managed to end-run Tammany Hall to the street gangs. Subsequently, his criminal organization included such underworld notables as Meyer Lansky , Jack "Legs" Diamond , Charles "Lucky" Luciano , and Dutch Schultz , whose combined gangs and double-dealing with their own respective bosses subverted

1170-532: The gangster worked both ends of the fix with Sullivan and Attell. Michael Alexander concluded that Attell fixed the Series "probably without Arnold Rothstein's approval", which "did not prevent Rothstein from betting on the Series with inside knowledge". Leo Katcher said that "all the records and minutes of the Grand Jury disappeared. So too did the signed confessions of Cicotte , Williams and Jackson .... The state, virtually all of its evidence gone, sought to get

1215-624: The killer had not been McManus, but his bag man Hyman Biller, who fled to Cuba shortly afterwards. In Kill the Dutchman! , a biography of Dutch Schultz published in 1971, the crime reporter Paul Sann suggested that Schultz murdered Rothstein. He says this was in retaliation for the murder of Schultz's friend and associate Joey Noe by Rothstein's protégé Jack "Legs" Diamond. On his deathbed, Rothstein refused to identify his shooter, answering police inquiries with "You stick to your trade. I'll stick to mine", and "Me mudder (my mother) did it." Rothstein

1260-517: The legal case against the ballplayer defendants being dismissed, all eight White Sox players named as trial defendants were permanently banned from playing or participating as coaches in Major League Baseball (MLB) by the newly named first Commissioner, Kenesaw Mountain Landis . Despite all the denials, Katcher noted that "while Rothstein won the Series, he won a small sum. He always maintained it

1305-502: The name of retired stallion Runhappy . The 155th Travers Stakes will be run on Saturday, August 24, 2024. The Travers is run at scale weights: colts and geldings carry 126 pounds (57 kg) and fillies carry 121 pounds (55 kg). The Travers has been run at four different distances: The winner's trophy, known as the Man o' War Cup , was designed by Tiffany & Co. Its namesake, Man o' War , won this race in 1920. The trophy

1350-487: The players to repeat their confession on the stand. This they refused to do, citing the Fifth Amendment ." Eventually, the judge had no choice but to dismiss the case. Katcher went on, "Thus, on the official record and on the basis of [State Attorney Maclay] Hoyne 's statement, Rothstein was never involved in the fixing of the Series. Also, on the official record, it was never proved that the Series had been fixed." Despite

1395-488: The race, Sporting Blood overtook the ailing Prudery, gaining his owner nearly half a million dollars, including wagers and the purse . Although many smelled foul play, it was never proven that Hildreth received any payoff or that there was a conspiracy between him and Rothstein. In 1941, Whirlaway became the only horse ever to win both the American Triple Crown and the Travers Stakes, sometimes referred to as

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1440-519: The starting list. Rothstein collected over $ 500,000 in bets plus the purse, but a conspiracy was never proven. With the advent of Prohibition , Rothstein saw the opportunities for bootlegging and narcotics . Liquor was smuggled along the Hudson River , as well as from Canada across the Great Lakes and into Upstate New York . Rothstein also purchased holdings in a number of speakeasies . He became

1485-421: The street. Rothstein made bets and collected debts from those who had lost the previous day. Meanwhile, he exploited his role as mediator with the city's legitimate business world and soon forced Tammany Hall to recognize him as a necessary ally in its administration of the city. Many historians credit him as the first successful modern drug dealer . By 1925, Rothstein was one of the most powerful criminals in

1530-461: The summer race meeting at Saratoga, just as the Belmont Stakes is the highlight of the spring meeting at Belmont Park . The purse was increased to $ 1,000,000 in 1999 and then to $ 1,250,000 in 2014. The purse for the 2015 renewal was increased to $ 1,600,000 due to the presence of Triple Crown winner American Pharoah . From 2018 until 2022 the Travers Stakes was sponsored by Jim McIngvale under

1575-574: The willingness to pay a premium for good information, regardless of the source. His successes made him a millionaire by age 30. There is a great deal of evidence both for and against Rothstein being involved in the 1919 World Series fix. In 1919, Rothstein's agents allegedly paid members of the Chicago White Sox to throw the World Series to the Cincinnati Reds . He bet against them and made

1620-551: Was an American racketeer , crime boss, businessman, and gambler who became a kingpin of the Jewish Mob in New York City . Rothstein was widely reputed to have organized corruption in professional athletics, including conspiring to fix the 1919 World Series . He was also a mentor of future crime bosses Lucky Luciano , Meyer Lansky , Frank Costello , Bugsy Siegel , and numerous others. Rothstein "transformed organized crime from

1665-491: Was buried at Ridgewood 's Union Field Cemetery. At the time of Rothstein's death, Prohibition was in full swing, various street gangs were battling for control of the liquor distribution and the carefully constructed political boss structure of the late 19th century had collapsed. Frank Erickson , Meyer Lansky, Bugsy Siegel , and other former associates split up Rothstein's criminal enterprises after his death. The already-weakened Tammany Hall had relied on Rothstein to control

1710-488: Was first approached by Joseph "Sport" Sullivan , a gambler, who suggested Rothstein help fix the World Series. Rothstein supposedly refused Sullivan's proposal but when he received Attell's offer, Rothstein reconsidered Sullivan's first offer. He figured that the competition to fix the game made it worth the risk to get involved and still be able to conceal his involvement. David Pietrusza's biography of Rothstein suggests that

1755-557: Was fixed and refused to pay, provoking his murder. Gambler George "Hump" McManus was arrested for homicide, but later acquitted for lack of evidence. According to Kevin Cook, author of Titanic Thompson , the poker game was fixed by gambler Titanic Thompson (born Alvin Clarence Thomas) and his associate, Nate Raymond. Due to some complicated side bets, by the end Rothstein owed $ 319,000 to Raymond (much of which Raymond, by secret agreement,

1800-463: Was insolvent. Arnold Rothstein was born into a comfortable life in Manhattan, the son of an affluent Ashkenazi Jewish businessman, Abraham Rothstein, and his wife, Esther. His father was a man of upright character, who had acquired the nickname "Abe the Just". Arnold was highly skilled at mathematics, but was otherwise uninterested in school. Rothstein was known to be a difficult child, and he harbored

1845-449: Was less than $ 100,000. It actually was about $ 350,000. It could have been much – very much – more. It wasn't because Rothstein chickened out. A World Series fix was too good to be true – even if it was true." Under the pseudonym "Redstone Stable", Rothstein owned a racehorse named Sporting Blood, a very popular race horse in the early 20's, which won the 1921 Travers Stakes under suspicious circumstances. Rothstein allegedly conspired with

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1890-519: Was shot and wounded during a business meeting at Manhattan 's Park Central Hotel at Seventh Avenue near 55th Street. He died two days later at the New York Polyclinic Hospital in Manhattan. The shooting was reportedly linked to debts owed from a three-day-long, high-stakes poker game in October, for which Rothstein owed $ 320,000 (equivalent to $ 5.7 million in 2023). He claimed the game

1935-403: Was the primary method of taking bets on horse races. The original field was fairly light with the favorite, the filly Prudery , owned by Harry Payne Whitney , facing no serious competition. Then Arnold Rothstein entered his colt, Sporting Blood , ostensibly to pick up second place. A few days before the race, however, Rothstein had learned that Prudery was off her feed. He knew he might have

1980-556: Was to pass on to Thompson); $ 30,000 to Thompson; and about $ 200,000 to the other gamblers present. McManus owed Rothstein $ 51,000. Rothstein stalled for time, saying that he would not be able to pay until after the elections of November 1928 , when he expected to win $ 550,000 for successfully backing Herbert Hoover for president and Franklin D. Roosevelt for governor. Thompson testified at McManus' trial, describing him as "a swell loser" who would never have shot Rothstein. According to Cook, Thompson later told some of his acquaintances that

2025-494: Was won by Man o' War in a special match race in 1920 against Sir Barton , the 1919 American Triple Crown winner. The wife of owner Samuel Riddle donated the trophy in 1936 as the permanent award for winning the race. Each year, the name of the winner is inscribed on the Cup. A gold-plated replica is presented to the winner each year by a member of the Riddle family. The winner of the race

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