SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. – Naturally, Tiz the Law and Uncle Chuck will command the bulk of the attention – and wagering money – in the Grade 1, $1 million Runhappy Travers Stakes at Saratoga. However, the recent failures by short-priced horses in the Travers – favorites have won just two of the last 12 runnings – could sway bettors to look beyond the top two choices in Saturday’s 151st running of the race. The Travers drew a field of eight when entries closed and post positions were drawn Wednesday. Tiz the Law, the Belmont Stakes and Florida Derby winner trained by Barclay Tagg, drew post 6 and was installed as the even-money favorite by New York Racing Association linemaker David Aragona. Uncle Chuck, the Los Alamitos Derby winner trained by three-time Travers winner Bob Baffert, drew post 3 and was made the 5-2 second choice. One of the intriguing longshots is Caracaro, a lightly raced son of Uncle Mo who drew post 7 and was made the fifth choice at 10-1. Gustavo Delgado, the trainer of Caracaro, has had some horses run big races at huge odds. In 2019, Bodexpress was 71-1 when he finished second to Maximum Security in the Grade 1 Florida Derby. Likewise, in the 2016 Florida Derby, Majesto was second to Nyquist at odds of 21-1. Bodexpress and Majesto were nonfactors in the Kentucky Derby. Caracaro “is way more talented than [those] two,” said Gustavo Delgado Jr., who is the assistant trainer to his father. Caracaro finished second in his debut last December at Gulfstream Park. Five weeks later, he came back to win a one-turn mile maiden race at Gulfstream by six lengths, earning a 92 Beyer Speed Figure. That performance piqued the interest of some well-heeled owners and a deal was in the works for Caracaro to be sold. During the veterinarian exam for the sale, Caracaro was found to have bone bruising in a hind leg. That not only scuttled the deal, but it seemed to end any chance Caracaro would make the Kentucky Derby. While Caracaro was taken out of training for three months, the COVID-19 pandemic hit, ultimately forcing Churchill Downs officials to postpone the Kentucky Derby until Sept. 5. :: Play Saratoga with DRF! Visit our Saratoga shop for DRF PPs, Picks, Betting Strategies, and Clocker Reports Caracaro resumed training in May and had six breezes at Gulfstream Park West before shipping to Saratoga, where he had a three-furlong blowout July 12. Four days later, Caracaro ran in the Grade 3 Peter Pan, his first start in 187 days. He finished second, beaten a neck by Country Grammer, who was coming off a six-week layoff. “He ran a hell of a race,” Delgado Jr. said. The Peter Pan was at 1 1/8 miles. The Travers is run at 1 1/4 miles. Both Delgados believe Caracaro is the type of horse who will relish the added distance. “Ten furlongs is even better for our horse, he’s a galloper,” the younger Delgado said. “You can tell the way his stride is, he goes easy and he covers a lot of ground. So, we think he can go even better at the 10 furlongs than he can the mile and an eighth.” During what was supposed to be just an open gallop Wednesday morning, Caracaro was actually timed going a half-mile in 51.26 seconds. Both Delgados expressed concern about running back just 23 days after making his first start off a lengthy layoff. “Normally, we would like to have more time between races after a long layoff, but right now we don’t have any more options,” the younger Delgado said. Caracaro is a type of tree that is prevalent on the Venezuelan farm of Pablo Celis, whose Global Thoroughbred stable owns the horse with Lucas Noriega’s Top Racing. Perhaps another reason to take a second look at Caracaro is his jockey. Javier Castellano has won the Travers a record six times, including aboard longshots V. E. Day ($41) in 2014 and Keen Ice ($34) in 2015. “We have the right rider for the race,” Delgado said. One of the reasons to run Caracaro back in the Travers is to try and earn enough qualifying points to make the Kentucky Derby field in the event the race overfills. Carcaro’s third in the Peter Pan earned him 20 points, which puts him on the bubble. The top four finishers in the Travers earn qualifying points (100-40-20-10) toward the Derby. The Travers field, from the rail out with riders and odds, is First Line (David Cohen, 30-1), Country Grammer (Irad Ortiz Jr., 6-1), Uncle Chuck (Luis Saez, 5-2), Max Player (Joel Rosario, 6-1), Shivaree (Junior Alvarado, 30-1), Tiz the Law (Manny Franco, even money), Caracaro (10-1, Castellano), and South Bend (Jose Ortiz, 15-1). The Travers will go as race 11 on a 12-race card that begins at 12:05 p.m. – additional reporting by Mike Welsch