Hofburg to miss Travers Stakes with fever

SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. – Hofburg, the dominant winner of the Curlin Stakes here on July 27, will miss Saturday’s Grade 1, $1.25 million Travers Stakes due to a temperature, trainer Bill Mott said Sunday morning.

Mott said while he expects Hofburg to be fine by Travers Day, he missed a couple of days of training – including a planned final workout Sunday morning – that will keep him out of the Mid-Summer Derby.

“He has a fever, and his bloodwork was a little out of whack,” Mott said. “I suppose he’d be over it by Travers Day, but we’re going to miss the race.”

Mott said the Grade 1, $1 million Pennsylvania Derby at Parx on Sept. 22 “is a good possibility.”

Hofburg, a son of Tapit owned by Juddmonte Farms, finished second in the Grade 1 Florida Derby in his third career start. That earned him enough qualifying points to run in the Kentucky Derby, where he finished seventh, 8 3/4 lengths behind Justify.

After skipping the Preakness, he ran a creditable third in the Belmont Stakes behind Justify.

With the Travers the target since then, Mott wanted the easiest possible prep for Hofburg, which is why he ran him in the $100,000 Curlin Stakes as opposed to the Grade 2, $600,000 Jim Dandy the following day.

Hofburg won the Curlin by five lengths, earning a 100 Beyer Speed Figure.

Hofburg’s defection leaves an expected field of 12 for the Travers: Bravazo, Catholic Boy, Good Magic, Gronkowski, King Zachary, Meistermind, Mendelssohn, Seahenge, Trigger Warning, Vino Rosso, and Wonder Gadot.