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USATSI

A filly has not won the Travers Stakes in more than a century, a drought Thorpedo Anna will try to end on Saturday at Saratoga Race Course in the 2024 Travers Stakes. Thorpedo Anna won three straight Grade 1 races against fillies, proving herself as a worthy contender in the 2024 Travers Stakes field. She is one of four 2024 Travers Stakes horses in the eight-horse field who are coming off wins in their last race, joining Unmatched Wisdom, Dornoch and Fierceness. Dornoch is the 5-2 favorite in the 2024 Travers Stakes odds, followed by Fierceness (3-1) and Thorpedo Anna (3-1).

Sierra Leone is next on the horse racing odds board at 7-2, while Unmatched Wisdom is 8-1. The other three horses in the 2024 Travers Stakes lineups have double-digit odds for Saturday's race, which is set to begin at 6:10 p.m. ET. With several accomplished horses set to enter the starting gate on Saturday, you'll want to see what Santa Anita Park-based racing reporter and analyst Michelle Yu has to say before making any 2024 Travers Stakes picks.

Few people in racing are as well-connected as Yu. An on-air host and reporter who has provided racing analysis for TVG, HRTV and the Breeders' Cup, Yu has spent a lifetime in racing. Prior to her television career, she worked for trainers Steve Asmussen and Ron Moquett. She also is married to Santa Anita-based trainer Ryan Hanson.

Yu also has tremendous handicapping chops. In a wide-open Kentucky Derby in 2021, she gave out Medina Spirit, who crossed the finish line first, as the winner at 12-1. In Pool 5 of the Kentucky Derby Future Wager two years ago, she suggested a play on All Other 3-Year-Olds, which cashed at a whopping 18-1 when Rich Strike won the Derby.

She enters the Travers Stakes on a roll. She correctly called National Treasure to win the Pegasus World Cup, predicted Stronghold's upset win in the Santa Anita Derby, en route to a $219.50 payday, and smashed the exacta in the Apple Blossom Handicap as part of a $410 score. On the Belmont Stakes undercard, she nailed National Treasure's win in the Met Mile ($235) and had both the winner and exacta in the Woody Stephens Stakes. Anyone who has followed her is way up.

For the 2024 Travers Stakes, Yu has handicapped the field, made her picks and constructed her best bets. You can head to SportsLine now to see them.

Top 2024 Travers Stakes predictions

One surprise: Yu is completely fading Fierceness, even though he's one of the favorites at 3-1. Fierceness established himself as the top horse in his class when he won the 2023 Breeders' Cup Juvenile last November, and he backed it up with a win in the Grade 1 Florida Derby in March. However, he was unable to get the job done in the Kentucky Derby, finishing 15th after entering as the morning-line favorite.

The 1.25-mile distance proved to be an issue for him in that race, which is the same distance this race will be staged at. This is also going to be a quick turnaround for him following his win in the Grade 2 Jim Dandy last month, especially since he had nearly three months off before that race. Yu does not see any value on Fierceness at 3-1, as he has not been able to consistently meet expectations. You can see all of Yu's 2024 Travers Stakes bets here.

How to make 2024 Travers Stakes picks

Moreover, Yu's top pick is a horse who has still has plenty of naysayers, but Yu isn't deterred. She is including this horse in her 2024 Travers bets, and so should you. She's sharing which 2024 Travers Stakes horses to back only at SportsLine.

So who wins the 2024 Travers Stakes, and how has Yu constructed her wagers? Visit SportsLine to see Yu's picks for the Travers Stakes 2024, all from the Santa Anita-based racing insider who has been red-hot all year, and find out. 

2024 Travers Stakes odds, contenders

Prg #HorseOddsProjection
1Thorpedo Anna3-1SEE PICKS
2Sierra Leone7-2SEE PICKS
3Unmatched Wisdom8-1SEE PICKS
4Corporate Power15-1SEE PICKS
5Batten Down20-1SEE PICKS
6Honor Marie20-1SEE PICKS
7Dornoch5-2SEE PICKS
8Fierceness3-1SEE PICKS