Stay Thirsty won the $1 million Travers Stakes to move to the head of the 3-year-old class, taking charge in the stretch Saturday and beating Rattlesnake Bridge by 1-1/2 lengths.
Stay Thirsty's victory at Saratoga came a little more than 30 minutes after his stablemate Uncle Mo finished second by a nose in the King's Bishop.
Sent off as the 2-1 favorite in the field of 10, Stay Thirsty raced just off the pace set by Preakness winner Shackleford. But when the field turned for home in front of a crowd of 43,050 at Saratoga Race Course, Stay Thirsty surged to the lead under Javier Castellano and easily fended off a challenge from Rattlesnake Bridge.
Stay Thirsty and Uncle Mo are owned by Mike Repole and trained by Todd Pletcher.
Winning time for the 1-1/4 miles was 2 minutes, 3.03 seconds.
J W Blue, a 32-1 long shot, was third, and Belmont Stakes winner Ruler On Ice finished fourth.
Repole was quick to praise Stay Thirsty as well as Uncle Mo, who lost his right rear shoe just after the start of the race.
"Stay Thirsty separates himself from every other 3-year-old by far right now," Repole said after his colt added the Travers to his Jim Dandy win and runner-up finish in the Belmont. "There's nothing else this horse can do. He ran an incredible Jim Dandy. Javier rode him great. He was all out, a length and a half. There's no doubt in my mind."
As for Uncle Mo, Repole said: "The horse ran great. He came off a liver disease and to lose like that, to come back from a five-month layoff. ... He just came up short."
As expected, Shackleford broke for the lead from the outside No. 10 post. Stay Thirsty likes to run just off the pace but found himself in front early — not exactly what Pletcher had in mind.
However, Castellano was able to keep Stay Thirsty relaxed along the backstretch, and the son of 2006 Travers winner Bernardini had plenty left when he hit the final turn.
"I was more concerned with the first quarter (mile) than the last quarter," Pletcher said. "He might have been a little fresh and pulling a litter harder than we would have liked, but once they turned up the backside I felt a lot better. When we got to the top of stretch — the horse has a lot of natural stamina — I wasn't worried."
Malibu Glow was fifth, followed by Moonshine Mullin, Bowman's Causeway, Shackleford, Raison d'Etat and Haskell Invitational winner Coil.
Castellano, who won the last year's Travers with Afleet Express, becomes only the fifth rider to win back-to-back Travers.
"He ran huge today. He showed he's the best 3-year-old in the country, and I'm so happy with the way he did it," Castellano said. "He's a late-developing horse. He's a more mature horse. He's like his father (Bernardini). I am very lucky to able to ride his son. I won the Jim Dandy with both the father and son. He's huge for me and my career."
Stay Thirsty returned $6.80 on a win bet.
Pletcher, the nation's leading trainer, said the Jockey Club Gold Cup on Oct. 1 could be next for Stay Thirsty.
''We know he likes Belmont and he likes 1-1/4 miles,'' Pletcher said. ''We need a bridge between here and the Breeders' Cup, and that's the most likely one.''
In earlier races at the Spa, Hilda's Passion ($7.10) cruised to a 9-1/4-length win over Tar Heel Mom in the $250,000 Ballerina for fillies and mares, Hot Summer ($16.40) caught Maple Forest in the stretch for a half-length victory the $102,000 Victory Ride for 3-year-old fillies, and Daveron ($11) pulled away for a 1-3/4-length win over Tapitsfly in the $200,000 Ballston Spa for fillies and mares on the turf.
