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2024 Travers Stakes predictions, horses, time, odds: Midsummer Derby picks by Kentucky Derby-winning expert
By CBS Sports Staff,
5 hours ago
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Hall of Fame trainer Shug McGaughey can tie the record for most wins by a trainer when he sends out longshot Corporate Report in the 2024 Travers Stakes on Saturday at Saratoga Race Course in Upstate New York. The 73-year-old has won the race known as the Midsummer Derby four times, most likely with Code of Honor in 2019. That's one shy of the record held by Bert Mulholland, who won the race five times between 1939 and 1963. On Saturday in the Travers Stakes, he will go for No. 5 with Corporate Power, a 15-1 longshot in the 2024 Travers Stakes odds. Meanwhile, Belmont and Haskell Stakes winner Dornoch is the 5-2 favorite among the eight 2024 Travers Stakes horses.
A former reporter and editor at Sports Illustrated, Menez covered an array of sports, including horse racing, for the magazine and its website for almost 14 years. Between 2010 and 2012, he served as SI's handicapper for the Triple Crown races and correctly predicted Super Saver to win the Kentucky Derby in 2010.
In 2015, while writing for Sports on Earth, Menez accurately gave out the Kentucky Derby superfecta (American Pharoah, Firing Line, Dortmund and Frosted), which paid $1,268.20 for $2. Then in 2017, he tweeted out his Kentucky Derby picks, including Always Dreaming to win. He also hit the Pick 4, which paid almost $6,900 on a $1 bet.
In a span of seven races last year for SportsLine, he cashed the winner of the Lecomte Stakes, the exacta in the Southwest Stakes, the winner of the Holy Bull Stakes, the winner of the Sam F. Davis Stakes, and the trifecta in the Jenny Wiley Stakes. He also nailed National Treasure's win in the Preakness. In May, he gave out 18-1 Mystik Dan as a live longshot in the Kentucky Derby. In June, he nailed Trikari to win the Belmont Derby Invitational Stakes.
One surprise: Menez is high on Corporate Power, even though he is a 15-1 longshot. A son of 2007 Preakness Stakes winner Curlin, Corporate Power didn't make his career debut until January. Since then he has won twice in five starts, including the Sir Barton Stakes on the Preakness Stakes undercard.
Menez likes that Corporate Power has gotten better as the races have gotten longer. That bodes well for Saturday when he will run his longest distance yet, 1¼ miles. "He is very capable of hitting the board and spicing up the exotics," Menez told SportsLine. Menez is using Corporate Power prominently in his exotic wagers. You can see all of Menez's 2024 Travers Stakes bets here .
How to make 2024 Travers Stakes picks
Moreover, Menez's top pick is a horse who will "come roaring down the lane late." He also is high on another double-digit longshot who is "interesting at a big price." He is including these horses in his wagers, and so should you. He's sharing what horses to back at SportsLine .
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