Forty Niner Can Give Woody Stephens His First Victory in Travers Stakes

Woody Stephens, a trainer who has won just about everything thoroughbred racing has to offer, shoots for his first Travers Stakes victory today at the Saratoga Race Course.

Stephens will send out Forty Niner against five other 3-year-olds in the 119th running of the 1-mile Travers Stakes. If all six start, the Travers will have a purse of $1,088,500, with $653,100 going to the winner.

Challenging Claiborne Farm’s Forty Niner and jockey Chris McCarron will be early favorite Brian’s Time and Angel Cordero Jr., Evening Kris and Jerry Bailey, Kingpost and Jacinto Vasquez, Seeking the Gold and Pat Day, and Dynaformer, with no rider named yet.

All will carry 126 pounds.

Stevens has won more than 200 stakes races, including two Kentucky Derbys and five straight Belmont Stakes from 1982-86.

Three of Stephens’ horses have finished second in the Travers--Traffic Judge in 1955, Smarten in 1979 and Danzig Connection in 1986.

McCarron, who rode Danzig Connection to a win in the Belmont two years ago, was brought in from California to ride Forty Niner after Laffit Pincay was injured during a race at Del Mar.