Travers Stakes 2026 picks and odds for Saratoga's Midsummer Derby
The Travers Stakes 2026 at Saratoga on Saturday, Aug. 29, is a Grade 1, $1.25 million Midsummer Derby over 1 1/4 miles. Golden Tempo is the 5-2 morning-line favorite in a 10-horse field, with Renegade (3-1) and Sea Strike (5-1) next on the board. Post time is 6:35 p.m. ET. Kentucky Derby and Belmont winner Golden Tempo returns after illness, while Jim Dandy victor Renegade arrives with fresh form.
Key Takeaways
- Golden Tempo (5-2) leads 2026 Travers Stakes odds but has not raced since the Belmont because of illness.
- Renegade (3-1), fresh off the Jim Dandy, is Keeneland Select's top pick and fits a trend of three Jim Dandy winners taking the Travers in the last five years.
- Sea Strike (5-1) posted a 109 Equibase Figure in the Curlin Stakes, the best speed figure in the field.
- Bloodstock agents John Kimmel and Nick Sallusto purchased Travers entrants Sea Strike and Silent Tactic.
- SportsLine handicapper Gene Menez said he will not bet Golden Tempo as the favorite given the missed prep.
Who are the favorites in the Travers Stakes 2026 field?
The Travers Stakes 2026 field of 10 three-year-olds lines up at Saratoga for the summer's signature race. Golden Tempo, trained by Cherie DeVaux, is the 5-2 morning-line favorite despite sitting idle since his Belmont win. Renegade (3-1) and Sea Strike (5-1) follow on the odds board, with Napoleon Solo (8-1) and The Puma (8-1) next, according to SportsLine.
Golden Tempo rallied from deep off the pace to win the Kentucky Derby and Belmont Stakes. Jose Ortiz has ridden him in all six starts. Renegade carries Tyler Gaffalione after Irad Ortiz Jr. was injured; Gaffalione guided him to victory in the Aug. 1 Jim Dandy.
Why is Golden Tempo vulnerable despite being the favorite?
Golden Tempo missed his Travers prep because of illness and has not raced since the Belmont. SportsLine's Gene Menez told the site he "can't bet him as the 5-2 favorite" for that reason, even though the colt remains a contender for the Belmont-Travers double.
Only Arcangelo (2023) and Essential Quality (2021) have completed that double since 2021. Renegade closed to within a neck of Golden Tempo at the eighth pole in the Belmont before finishing third, and was beaten by only a neck in the Derby. His four other 2026 starts were all graded stakes, giving him the recency edge Golden Tempo lacks.
Can Sea Strike pull off an upset in the Midsummer Derby?
Sea Strike is the upset call from multiple handicappers. In his third start, the Chad Brown trainee won the Aug. 2 Curlin Stakes by 8 1/4 lengths, earning a 109 Equibase Figure that tops the Travers field. Golden Tempo's Derby and Belmont wins rated 101; Renegade posted 100 in the Derby and Jim Dandy.
Sea Strike has only one two-turn race, but that Curlin effort came one day after the Jim Dandy. Flavien Prat rides him at 5-1. Kimmel and Sallusto recommended the colt to Sean Flanagan at the 2025 OBS March sale for $650,000, as BloodHorse reported. Their partnership also sent Silent Tactic, a Jim Dandy third-place finisher, into the same gate.
What do the expert picks say for Travers day?
Keeneland Select backs Renegade to become the fourth Jim Dandy winner of the last five Travers champions, after Epicenter, Fierceness, and Sovereignty. The selector recommends win bets on Renegade or Golden Tempo at 3-2 or higher, and Sea Strike at 7-2 or higher.
Menez is passing on the favorite and likes a horse who "should get the perfect trip" plus a longshot who "has trained up a storm," though his specific picks sit behind SportsLine's paywall. For more on summer racing's biggest stages, see our Bizarre World hub.