2-1 favorite Alpha and 33-1 shot Golden Ticket hit the wire simultaneously in the prestigious $1,000,000 Travers Stakes (gr. I) this afternoon at Saratoga, finishing in a dead-heat for the victory with Fast Falcon right behind them in third.
With David Cohen aboard Golden Ticket and Ramon Dominguez riding Alpha, both colts showed speed from the start, but both were beaten to the lead by Speightscity and Stealcase, who set fractions of :23.51 and :48.06 with little more than a half-length separating them. Alpha was right behind them on the outside in third, followed along the rail by Golden Ticket. Neck 'n Neck was also close, followed by Nonios, Street Life, Five Sixteen, Atigun, Liaison, and Fast Falcon.
The positions up front remained pretty much unchanged down the backstretch and around the far turn, with Speightscity continuing to lead the way through three-quarters of a mile in 1:12.62. But turning into the homestretch, Golden Ticket shot through along the inside to seize command of the race, leaving Alpha to try and wear him down. The two colts put on a spectacular show in the homestretch, with Alpha gradually narrowing the gap between them. They hit the wire together with nothing between them; only the second dead heat in the long history of the Travers Stakes. The final time was 2:02.74.
Fast Falcon rallied fast on the outside to finish third, beaten just a half-length, with Atigun a close fourth and Nonios a distant fifth. Neck 'n Neck, Stealcase, Speightscity, Liaison, Five Sixteen, and Street Life completed the order of finish.
Alpha is owned by Godolphin Racing and trained by Kiaran McLaughlin. Golden Ticket is owned by Magic City Thoroughbred Partners and trained by Kenny McPeek.
-Keelerman
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