2021 Travers Stakes Entries, Odds and Contenders: Keepmeinmind

By Margaret Ransom

The 152nd Travers Stakes, the Mid-Summer Derby, is Saturday, Aug. 28, at Saratoga Race Course. The top race of the summer for 3-year-olds is contested at 1¼ miles with a purse of $1.25 million. In the days leading up to the race, usracing.com will publish profiles of the contenders. Profiles will be updated with post position, odds, and jockey following the draw now set for Wednesday, Aug. 25.

2021 Travers Stakes Profile: Keepmeinmind

By Margaret Ransom

Keepmeinmind had a tremendous juvenile season, breaking his maiden in the Kentucky Jockey Club Stakes (G2) at Churchill Downs after a second in the Breeders’ Futurity (G1) and third in the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile (G1).

Keepmeinmind and Churchill Downs – Photo Courtesy of Coady Photography

It has taken the son of Laoban a little bit to get rolling this year, but his last race – a troubled performance to finish second behind champion Essential Quality in the Jim Dandy (G2) – was impressive and could be good enough here to claim a win.

He was bred in Kentucky by his late sire Laoban’s owner/breeder Southern Equine Stables and was purchased privately by his current connections. Keepmeinmind is a large horse with no early speed, which is why he does his best running late.

Keepmeinmind has been training exceptionally well over Saratoga’s main track all meet including a half-mile in 47.55 seconds Saturday morning (Aug. 21) under exercise rider Dennis Means.

“He went very good,” trainer Robertino Diodoro said. “He was doing it nice and easy all on his own and with a strong gallop out once again. Touch wood, everything is on schedule. This was easy as could be and I thought Dennis did a good job because he’s not an easy horse to slow down.”

“He needs to have his game face on for game day and be ready to run the race of his life.”

2021 Travers Stakes Entries: Keepmeinmind

Post position: TBD

Odds: TBD

Trainer: Robertino Diodoro

Jockey: Joel Rosario

Owner: Cypress Creek Equine (Kevin Moody), Arnold Bennewith &

Spendthrift Farm

Career record: 10-1-3-2

Career earnings: $654,987

Top Equibase speed figure: 106

Pedigree: Laoban-Inclination, by Victory Gallop

Color: Bay

Running style: Closer

Notes: Keepmeinmind was named after a song by the Zac Brown Band … Diodoro, a 47-year-old native of Calgary, Alberta, Canada, has about 2,750 victories since hanging his shingle in 1995, including nine in graded stakes … Keepmeinmind was Diodoro’s first Kentucky Derby runner and will be his first Travers starter… The ownership group for this colt – Moody, Bennewith and the late B. Wayne Hughes’ Spendthrift Farm – have yet to be represented by a Travers Stakes winner… Laoban, who died at age 8 at WinStar Farm in May, raced nine times with a single win coming in the 2016 Jim Dandy at Saratoga.

2021 Travers Stakes Odds

PP Horse Odds Jockey Trainer
1 Midnight Bourbon 9-2 Ricardo Santa Ana Jr. Steve Asmussen
2 Essential Quality 4-5 Luis Saez Brad Cox
3 Keepmeinmind 6-1 Joel Rosario Robertino Diodoro
4 Dynamic One 6-1 Irad Ortiz Jr Todd Pletcher
5 Miles D 12-1 Flavien Prat Chad Brown
6 Masqueparade 8-1 Miguel Mena Albert M.Stall Jr
7 King Fury 15-1 Jose Ortiz Kenneth McPeek