Saratoga owes success to Travers Stakes/William, R. Travers
Aug 19, 2014 1:17:21 GMT -5
Post by Jon on Aug 19, 2014 1:17:21 GMT -5
Saratoga owes success to Travers Stakes
By Genaro
The Saratogian
Last year at Royal Ascot, Estimate, a horse owned by Queen Elizabeth II, won the Gold Cup in its 207th running. As the Queen traditionally presents the trophy to the winning owner, her victory presented something of a problem, solved when her son Prince Andrew stepped in to do the honors.
In August of 1864, 149 years earlier, William R. Travers may have found himself in a similar situation.
The year before, Travers, along with John Morrissey, Leonard Jerome, and John Hunter, brought the first Thoroughbred meeting to Saratoga; its success led Travers, a prominent businessman, and his partners to purchase the land on which the current track sits, building a grandstand and establishing a permanent summer racing meeting. Travers was named the first president of the Saratoga Racing Association.
Saratoga Race Course opened on Aug. 2, 1864, and the race that inaugurated the new track was the first running of the Travers Stakes. The first winning owner of the new race at the new track? None other than Travers himself, with a horse named Kentucky.
Travers is said to have presented the trophy to the first 15 winners of the race named for him. Not mentioned is how, exactly, that worked in 1864.
He owned horses on his own and in partnership with Jerome, Hunter, and August Belmont Sr. in an endeavor called Annieswood Stable. His horses twice won the Saratoga Cup, in those days an event as highly anticipated as the Travers today, and in a memorable two days in 1872, his horse Alarm set two track records within three days. On July 15, Alarm ran seven furlongs in 1:16; on July 17, he ran a mile in 1:42 3/4. Contemporary accounts barely mention it, much less marvel at it.
The son of a merchant, Travers was a Baltimore native, and his affinity for racing began at Pimlico; his New York Times obituary noted that he “seldom missed” the race meetings there. He attended Columbia College in New York, then returned to Baltimore to follow in his father’s professional footsteps. He went back to New York after suffering a financial ruin, scrupulously paying off not only his debts, but also those of his partners.
It was in New York that Travers joined forces with Leonard Jerome in both business and racing, establishing a lifelong friendship and partnership. In 1866, Jerome Park opened in the Bronx, and in addition to his role as president of the Saratoga Racing Association, Travers became a steward of his friend’s track. Both he and Jerome were instrumental in the opening of the Sheepshead Bay track in Brooklyn in 1880.
Jerome Park closed in 1894, Sheepshead Bay in 1910, but at Saratoga, Travers’ name lives on, at the race course that may not have come into being without his business sense, his social standing, and his connections. Reportedly a raconteur and a wit, Travers was called “probably the most popular man in New-York” by the New York Times
Travers is said to have presented the trophy to the first 15 winners of the race named for him. Not mentioned is how, exactly, that worked in 1864.
He owned horses on his own and in partnership with Jerome, Hunter, and August Belmont Sr. in an endeavor called Annieswood Stable. His horses twice won the Saratoga Cup, in those days an event as highly anticipated as the Travers today, and in a memorable two days in 1872, his horse Alarm set two track records within three days. On July 15, Alarm ran seven furlongs in 1:16; on July 17, he ran a mile in 1:42 3/4. Contemporary accounts barely mention it, much less marvel at it.
The son of a merchant, Travers was a Baltimore native, and his affinity for racing began at Pimlico; his New York Times obituary noted that he “seldom missed” the race meetings there. He attended Columbia College in New York, then returned to Baltimore to follow in his father’s professional footsteps. He went back to New York after suffering a financial ruin, scrupulously paying off not only his debts, but also those of his partners.
It was in New York that Travers joined forces with Leonard Jerome in both business and racing, establishing a lifelong friendship and partnership. In 1866, Jerome Park opened in the Bronx, and in addition to his role as president of the Saratoga Racing Association, Travers became a steward of his friend’s track. Both he and Jerome were instrumental in the opening of the Sheepshead Bay track in Brooklyn in 1880.
Jerome Park closed in 1894, Sheepshead Bay in 1910, but at Saratoga, Travers’ name lives on, at the race course that may not have come into being without his business sense, his social standing, and his connections. Reportedly a raconteur and a wit, Travers was called “probably the most popular man in New-York” by the New York Times
He died in Bermuda in 1887 after a long illness, and it was his long-time friend Leonard Jerome that brought his body back to the United States.
Though this summer marks the 150th anniversary of the Travers, this Saturday will not mark its 150th running. No racing was conducted at Saratoga in 1911 or 1912 because of anti-gambling laws, or in 1896, when Gottfried Walbaum was nearly running Saratoga Race Course out of business. Under his mismanagement, the Travers wasn’t run from 1898 to 1900.
So Saturday will see only the 145th edition of the Travers Stakes. The race is neither the oldest stakes race in the country (that distinction belongs to the Phoenix) nor the longest continually run (that’s the Kentucky Derby), but it pre-dates all three Triple Crown races, and unlike many of the stakes races that used to be run here, it has survived.
William R. Travers, said the Times, “had much to do with the success” of Saratoga. One hundred fifty years later, he still does.
He died in Bermuda in 1887 after a long illness, and it was his long-time friend Leonard Jerome that brought his body back to the United States.
Though this summer marks the 150th anniversary of the Travers, this Saturday will not mark its 150th running. No racing was conducted at Saratoga in 1911 or 1912 because of anti-gambling laws, or in 1896, when Gottfried Walbaum was nearly running Saratoga Race Course out of business. Under his mismanagement, the Travers wasn’t run from 1898 to 1900.
So Saturday will see only the 145th edition of the Travers Stakes. The race is neither the oldest stakes race in the country (that distinction belongs to the Phoenix) nor the longest continually run (that’s the Kentucky Derby), but it pre-dates all three Triple Crown races, and unlike many of the stakes races that used to be run here, it has survived.
William R. Travers, said the Times, “had much to do with the success” of Saratoga. One hundred fifty years later, he still does.
By Genaro
The Saratogian
Last year at Royal Ascot, Estimate, a horse owned by Queen Elizabeth II, won the Gold Cup in its 207th running. As the Queen traditionally presents the trophy to the winning owner, her victory presented something of a problem, solved when her son Prince Andrew stepped in to do the honors.
In August of 1864, 149 years earlier, William R. Travers may have found himself in a similar situation.
The year before, Travers, along with John Morrissey, Leonard Jerome, and John Hunter, brought the first Thoroughbred meeting to Saratoga; its success led Travers, a prominent businessman, and his partners to purchase the land on which the current track sits, building a grandstand and establishing a permanent summer racing meeting. Travers was named the first president of the Saratoga Racing Association.
Saratoga Race Course opened on Aug. 2, 1864, and the race that inaugurated the new track was the first running of the Travers Stakes. The first winning owner of the new race at the new track? None other than Travers himself, with a horse named Kentucky.
Travers is said to have presented the trophy to the first 15 winners of the race named for him. Not mentioned is how, exactly, that worked in 1864.
He owned horses on his own and in partnership with Jerome, Hunter, and August Belmont Sr. in an endeavor called Annieswood Stable. His horses twice won the Saratoga Cup, in those days an event as highly anticipated as the Travers today, and in a memorable two days in 1872, his horse Alarm set two track records within three days. On July 15, Alarm ran seven furlongs in 1:16; on July 17, he ran a mile in 1:42 3/4. Contemporary accounts barely mention it, much less marvel at it.
The son of a merchant, Travers was a Baltimore native, and his affinity for racing began at Pimlico; his New York Times obituary noted that he “seldom missed” the race meetings there. He attended Columbia College in New York, then returned to Baltimore to follow in his father’s professional footsteps. He went back to New York after suffering a financial ruin, scrupulously paying off not only his debts, but also those of his partners.
It was in New York that Travers joined forces with Leonard Jerome in both business and racing, establishing a lifelong friendship and partnership. In 1866, Jerome Park opened in the Bronx, and in addition to his role as president of the Saratoga Racing Association, Travers became a steward of his friend’s track. Both he and Jerome were instrumental in the opening of the Sheepshead Bay track in Brooklyn in 1880.
Jerome Park closed in 1894, Sheepshead Bay in 1910, but at Saratoga, Travers’ name lives on, at the race course that may not have come into being without his business sense, his social standing, and his connections. Reportedly a raconteur and a wit, Travers was called “probably the most popular man in New-York” by the New York Times
Travers is said to have presented the trophy to the first 15 winners of the race named for him. Not mentioned is how, exactly, that worked in 1864.
He owned horses on his own and in partnership with Jerome, Hunter, and August Belmont Sr. in an endeavor called Annieswood Stable. His horses twice won the Saratoga Cup, in those days an event as highly anticipated as the Travers today, and in a memorable two days in 1872, his horse Alarm set two track records within three days. On July 15, Alarm ran seven furlongs in 1:16; on July 17, he ran a mile in 1:42 3/4. Contemporary accounts barely mention it, much less marvel at it.
The son of a merchant, Travers was a Baltimore native, and his affinity for racing began at Pimlico; his New York Times obituary noted that he “seldom missed” the race meetings there. He attended Columbia College in New York, then returned to Baltimore to follow in his father’s professional footsteps. He went back to New York after suffering a financial ruin, scrupulously paying off not only his debts, but also those of his partners.
It was in New York that Travers joined forces with Leonard Jerome in both business and racing, establishing a lifelong friendship and partnership. In 1866, Jerome Park opened in the Bronx, and in addition to his role as president of the Saratoga Racing Association, Travers became a steward of his friend’s track. Both he and Jerome were instrumental in the opening of the Sheepshead Bay track in Brooklyn in 1880.
Jerome Park closed in 1894, Sheepshead Bay in 1910, but at Saratoga, Travers’ name lives on, at the race course that may not have come into being without his business sense, his social standing, and his connections. Reportedly a raconteur and a wit, Travers was called “probably the most popular man in New-York” by the New York Times
He died in Bermuda in 1887 after a long illness, and it was his long-time friend Leonard Jerome that brought his body back to the United States.
Though this summer marks the 150th anniversary of the Travers, this Saturday will not mark its 150th running. No racing was conducted at Saratoga in 1911 or 1912 because of anti-gambling laws, or in 1896, when Gottfried Walbaum was nearly running Saratoga Race Course out of business. Under his mismanagement, the Travers wasn’t run from 1898 to 1900.
So Saturday will see only the 145th edition of the Travers Stakes. The race is neither the oldest stakes race in the country (that distinction belongs to the Phoenix) nor the longest continually run (that’s the Kentucky Derby), but it pre-dates all three Triple Crown races, and unlike many of the stakes races that used to be run here, it has survived.
William R. Travers, said the Times, “had much to do with the success” of Saratoga. One hundred fifty years later, he still does.
He died in Bermuda in 1887 after a long illness, and it was his long-time friend Leonard Jerome that brought his body back to the United States.
Though this summer marks the 150th anniversary of the Travers, this Saturday will not mark its 150th running. No racing was conducted at Saratoga in 1911 or 1912 because of anti-gambling laws, or in 1896, when Gottfried Walbaum was nearly running Saratoga Race Course out of business. Under his mismanagement, the Travers wasn’t run from 1898 to 1900.
So Saturday will see only the 145th edition of the Travers Stakes. The race is neither the oldest stakes race in the country (that distinction belongs to the Phoenix) nor the longest continually run (that’s the Kentucky Derby), but it pre-dates all three Triple Crown races, and unlike many of the stakes races that used to be run here, it has survived.
William R. Travers, said the Times, “had much to do with the success” of Saratoga. One hundred fifty years later, he still does.