Can American Pharoah match Whirlaway’s feat?

American Pharoah keeps joining exclusive clubs. The colt became the eighth juvenile champion since the advent of the modern Eclipse Awards – and just the second since 1979 – to win the following year’s Kentucky Derby. Five weeks later, he completed his historic Triple Crown sweep, becoming just the 12th to accomplish the feat and the first in 37 years.

Now, American Pharoah will add another note to racing lore, one way or another, in Saturday’s Travers Stakes at Saratoga Race Course. A victory would place him alongside 1941 Triple Crown winner Whirlaway as the only members of their elite fraternity to add the Travers to their résumés. Or, he could join another club – the Triple Crown winners who met defeat at Saratoga, helping to earn the upstate New York track the moniker “Graveyard of Champions.” That history doesn’t daunt owner Ahmed Zayat.

“Saratoga is Saratoga,” Zayat said. “It’s the premier race meet in the country. The Travers is the Midsummer Derby. We’ve always wanted a horse who was good enough to compete for us. This was always something that was desirable. I’m hoping we can commence his legacy. I was told the last horse who won the Triple Crown and the Travers was 74 years ago. Now they are upping the ante for us to win such a prestigious race in the hearts of fans, this will hopefully be a dream that comes true.”

Only three other Triple Crown winners have contested the Travers – Gallant Fox (1930), Whirlaway (1941), and Affirmed (1978). Whirlaway and Gallant Fox were part of three-horse fields, while Affirmed was part of a four-horse field. American Pharoah could face up to nine challengers on Saturday.

The most recent Triple Crown winner to contest the Travers was, of course, Affirmed, who arrived at the Midsummer Derby off a victory in the local prep, the Jim Dandy. He then squared off with arch rival Alydar 11 days later, crossing the finish a head in front, but was disqualified to second for interference. The result proved to be the final meeting between the bitter rivals. Officially, the tally favored Affirmed, 7-3.

So, one must go back to Whirlaway in 1941 to find a Triple Crown winner who returned to take the Travers. “Mr. Longtail” had shown an affinity for Saratoga the prior year, winning the Hopeful and Saratoga Special and finishing second in the U.S. Hotel and Grand Union Hotel Stakes. He returned to the Spa as a 3-year-old to win the Saranac Stakes by a nose and later won the Travers by 3 3/4 lengths over Fairymant. Whirlaway carried 130 pounds in both those victories, just one marker of the differences in campaigning Thoroughbreds more than half a century ago. The Travers was Whirlaway’s fifth start following his Triple Crown wins, which came by a combined margin of 16 lengths. In fact, he made 11 starts from April 24 to Aug. 16, the span between the Blue Grass Stakes and the Travers. Whirlaway compiled a career record of 60-32-15-9 while racing until age 5.

Triple Crown winner Gallant Fox caught a heavy, wet track in the 1930 Travers Stakes and finished second by eight lengths to 100-1 shot Jim Dandy. The latter is the namesake of the local prep for the Travers – and an inspiration to some of the trainers taking on American Pharoah.

“All I can say is, ‘Jim Dandy,’ ” said John Shirreffs, who will saddle Smart Transition. “Gallant Fox, right? He came here as a Triple Crown winner, and there was a horse named Jim Dandy that beat him. [Saturday is] going to be a great day for Saratoga.”

Gallant Fox bounced back from his defeat to win the Saratoga Cup two weeks later.

Secretariat made five of his six starts following his virtuoso performance in the Belmont Stakes against older horses. His Saratoga appearance came in the Whitney Handicap against foes including Onion, trained by Allen Jerkens, the “Giant Killer.” Secretariat, harboring a viral infection, was caught in deeper going on the rail by a cagey ride from Jacinto Vasquez on Onion, with the latter pulling off one of Saratoga’s signature upsets.

Among the other seven Triple Crown winners, only War Admiral (1937) competed with distinction at Saratoga. Given the summer off after winning the Belmont Stakes, he arrived at the Spa as a 4-year-old to sweep the Wilson Stakes, Saratoga Handicap, Whitney Handicap, and Saratoga Cup.

Seattle Slew (1977) made his only other start as a 3-year-old in California, where he finished fourth in the Swaps Stakes in his first defeat. The great Citation didn’t visit Saratoga while continuing on his 16-race win streak that included the 1948 Triple Crown series. Assault (1946) competed in New York the rest of the season without visiting Saratoga; Omaha (1935) also competed elsewhere before racing in England as a 4-year-old. Sir Barton (1919), the first Triple Crown winner, spent the majority of his 3-year-old campaign running on the Mid-Atlantic circuit.

Count Fleet was injured while completing his Triple Crown in the 1943 Belmont Stakes and never raced again.