The Travers: Saratoga's Midsummer Derby book talk and signing with Brien Bouyea and Michael Veitch
Authors Brien Bouyea and Michael Veitch will present a selection of stories about the remarkable history of the Travers Stakes and sign copies of their book, The Travers: Saratoga’s Midsummer Derby, 1864 – 2023, on Saturday, Nov. 23 at the National Museum of Racing and Hall of Fame at 12 p.m. This comprehensive coffee table book, originally published in 2019 and updated in 2024, was described by Thoroughbred Racing Commentary’s Charles Hayward as “the best racing book since Seabiscuit.” The event is free to attend and books will be available for purchase.
The authors will discuss the origins of the Travers, its importance in the history of both Saratoga Springs and American racing, and answer questions from the audience. One of the featured tales — lining up with the upcoming holiday — will be the story of 1938 Travers winner Thanksgiving, who was trained by Mary Hirsch, the first woman licensed as a trainer in America by The Jockey Club.
About the book:
In The Travers: Saratoga’s Midsummer Derby, 1864 – 2023, racing historians Brien Bouyea and Michael Veitch take an in-depth look at each of the first 154 editions of the Midsummer Derby, as well as the one-of-a-kind history of Saratoga racing. Each race has a story that is unique and worthy of being chronicled. Here, for the first time, these remarkable events are told in a singular volume.
The Travers Stakes is an annual rite of summer in Saratoga Springs, New York. Commonly referred to as the Midsummer Derby, the Travers is the oldest race in America for 3-year-old thoroughbreds. It traditionally represents the culmination of the prestigious Saratoga racing season and garners national attention in the sporting community. The rich history of this grand event dates back to 1864, when it was the first race contested at Saratoga Race Course, arguably the sport’s most iconic venue.
From the beginning, the Travers was a prominent event on the American racing calendar. The inaugural edition was won by the great colt Kentucky, who was co-owned by William R. Travers, the race’s namesake and the first president of the Saratoga Association.
Throughout its history, the Travers has been won by some of the sport’s most accomplished and celebrated competitors, including 25 members of the Hall of Fame, and numerous other champions and standouts. Some of the immortals counted among the winners of the Midsummer Derby include Hall of Famers Man o’ War, Twenty Grand, Whirlaway, Native Dancer, Gallant Man, Sword Dancer, Buckpasser, Damascus, Holy Bull, Point Given, and Arrogate.
Along with its many great winners, the Travers has been a race of great stories. Jim Dandy’s shocking victory over Triple Crown winner Gallant Fox at odds of 100-1 in the 1930 edition … Jaipur’s breathtaking head-to-head duel with Ridan in 1962 … the final meeting of legendary rivals Affirmed and Alydar in 1978 … Birdstone’s victory in near darkness in 2004. These stories have delighted generations of racing fans.
The Travers has persevered through two World Wars, the Great Depression, a racing shutdown, a global pandemic, and ebbs and flows in the popularity of racing. Today, it is firmly entrenched as one of the most prestigious races in America.
About the authors:
Brien Bouyea is the Hall of Fame and Communications Director at the National Museum of Racing and Hall of Fame in Saratoga Springs, New York. Prior to joining the Museum in 2010, Bouyea was the executive sports editor at The Saratogian, where the paper’s sports section and its racing supplement, The Pink Sheet, earned numerous national and state honors under his direction. Bouyea earned individual writing awards from the national Associated Press Sports Editors, as well as multiple state awards from the New York State Associated Press and New York News Publishers Association. A native of Plattsburgh, New York, Bouyea graduated from The College of Saint Rose (Albany, New York). He served on the Saratoga 150 History Committee for the 2013 celebration of racing’s sesquicentennial in Saratoga Springs. Bouyea is a contributing editor and writer for Saratoga Living magazine and has also written for the New York Racing Association and a variety of other publications. His first book, Bare Knuckles and Saratoga Racing: The Remarkable Life of John Morrissey, was published in 2016 by The History Press. He lives in Saratoga Springs, New York.
Michael Veitch spent 40 years as the lead thoroughbred racing writer and columnist for The Saratogian and its award-winning racing supplement, The Pink Sheet. He has served as a trustee of the National Museum of Racing and Hall of Fame and chairs that institution’s Hall of Fame Historic Review Committee. A native and resident of Saratoga Springs, New York, Veitch is a graduate of Plattsburgh State University and the author of three books about Saratoga racing: Foundations of Fame: Nineteenth Century Thoroughbred Racing in Saratoga Springs, Summit of Champions: Thoroughbred Racing in Saratoga Springs 1901 to 1955, and Legacy of Excellence: Thoroughbred Racing in Saratoga Springs 1956 to 2008. Veitch served on the Saratoga 150 History Committee for the 2013 celebration of racing’s sesquicentennial in Saratoga Springs. He has also done work for The Racing Times, Daily Racing Form, and The Thoroughbred Record, among others. He has been recognized by the National Museum of Racing in its Joe Hirsch Media Roll of Honor and was inducted into the Saratoga Springs History Museum’s Hall of Fame.
