Point Given to Face Eight

A winner at seven different tracks in his 12-race career, Point Given will try to add Saratoga to his list when he starts as the prohibitive favorite in the $1 million Travers today in upstate New York.

Successful at Del Mar, Turfway Park, Hollywood Park, Santa Anita - the only place where he has won twice - Pimlico, Belmont Park and Monmouth Park, Point Given will have eight opponents in the 132nd Travers, a Grade I at 1 1/4 miles.

Owned by Prince Ahmed Salman’s Thoroughbred Corp. and trained by Bob Baffert, the 3-year-old Thunder Gulch colt and Preakness and Belmont Stakes winner can move a step closer to Horse of the Year honors with his ninth victory.

The 3-10 favorite 20 days ago in the Haskell Handicap at Monmouth, Point Given was nearly upset in his first start since his 12 1/4-length romp in the Belmont.

In fact, he looked beaten at the top of the stretch, but, despite lugging in under jockey Gary Stevens, he was able to get the job done, winning by a half-length over Touch Tone.

There was an exchange of words in the immediate aftermath between Baffert and Stevens because the jockey was unhappy with the last-minute instructions he received from the trainer.

All is apparently fine now between them.

Worse than second only once - his mysterious fifth-place finish in the Kentucky Derby - Point Given has flourished since the Haskell. That’s why the decision was made to send him east again for the Travers.

“I expect him to run so much better this time,” said Baffert, who saw Point Given work five furlongs in 59 1/5 at Del Mar on Monday before he left for Saratoga Springs.

Perhaps, the 3-year-old with the best chance of pulling the upset is E Dubai.

A $1.35 million yearling purchase, the son of Mr. Prospector has won three of four this year for Godolphin and trainer Saeed bin Suroor.

After starting 2000 with a nine-length win in the United Arab Emirates, E Dubai was a 12-1/2 length winner of an allowance race at Belmont, finished second to Hero’s Tribute in the Peter Pan, turned the tables on Hero’s Tribute in the Dwyer, winning by nearly six lengths.

Completing the field, from the inside out, are A P Valentine, a disappointing fourth in the Jim Dandy earlier in the month after finishing second in both the Preakness and Belmont Stakes; Volponi, an easy winner against softer at Saratoga on July 30; Free Of Love, the runner-up at nearly 29-1 in the Jim Dandy; Harrisand, who will be making his first start on dirt for red-hot trainer Bobby Frankel; Scorpion, the upset winner of the Jim Dandy; the overrated Dollar Bill; and longshot Hadrian’s Wall.