SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. - Trainer Todd Pletcher still believes Tapit Trice, at his best, can compete with the elite of the 3-year-old division. In his attempt to bring out the best in Tapit Trice for next Saturday’s Grade 1, $1.25 million Travers Stakes at Saratoga, Pletcher will make an equipment change for the race, adding blinkers to the striking gray colt’s equipment. On Saturday, Tapit Trice wore blinkers when he worked a half-mile in 49.42 seconds over Saratoga’s main track, accentuated by a strong gallop-out of 1:02.03 for five furlongs, 1:14.52 for six furlongs in and 1:27.35 for seven furlongs. “I’ve seen - and this morning would be an example of it, you watched him gallop out and the way he trained today - that the talent level is there, I believe that,” Pletcher said. “Things need to go his way a little bit, he needs to get a little bit of a setup, needs to put himself in a little better position, I think that’s the key.” :: Visit the Saratoga Handicapping Store for Past Performances, Clocker Reports, Picks, Betting Strategies, and more. Tapit Trice was one of four prospective Travers starters to put in workouts Saturday morning. He joined his stablemate Forte and Kentucky Derby winner Mage on the Saratoga worktab. In California, National Treasure, the Preakness winner, worked at Del Mar. Pletcher said jockey Luis Saez recommended putting blinkers on Tapit Trice, who is coming out of a fifth-place finish in the Haskell at Monmouth Park. Saez, however, is going to ride Kentucky Derby winner Mage in the Travers. Jose Ortiz will ride Tapit Trice in the Travers and was aboard for Saturday’s workout. “He thought it was perfect,” Pletcher said of Ortiz’s thoughts on the work. “He thought he was focused, but not rank, just the effect you would want.” Pletcher believes Tapit Trice, who won the Grade 1 Blue Grass in April, put himself “in a compromising position in the Kentucky Derby and Haskell” and hopes that changes with the blinkers in the Travers. “Just feel like we need to make some sort of adjustment to hopefully improve on that a little bit,” Pletcher said. “We galloped him in blinkers earlier in the week and he was pretty focused, thought the same thing today in the breeze.” Pletcher had equipped Forte with blinkers in the weeks leading up to the Jim Dandy and he wore them for the first time in the race, winning by a nose over Saudi Crown. Forte wore blinkers Saturday in his half-mile work that Daily Racing Form timed in 50.47 seconds. Forte went in company with Bright Future. “We were just looking to him as good as he is going into it,” Pletcher said. “We didn’t need anything fancy. We got a good, steady work, good, strong gallop out. He was well within himself throughout, I thought he was moving terrific, seems really happy.” Earlier in the morning, Kentucky Derby winner Mage had his third and final work over Saratoga’s main track. He went six furlongs in 1:15.56. Mage, under exercise rider J.J. Delgado, went his first three furlongs in 38.77 seconds and his final three furlongs in 36.79 seconds. He galloped out seven furlongs in 1:29.33. Delgado brought him out into the three-path for the stretch run. ”I tried to get out in the middle of the track, if I put him inside he’ll go in 1:12, 1:13 and I didn’t want to do that,” Delgado said. “He feels happy.” Trainer Gustavo Delgado said he is happy with the way Mage has come out of the Haskell and the fact the horse has had about a month in Saratoga since the race. “My advantage in this race is I have the time, no shipping,” Delgado said. “For the Preakness, for the Haskell, I ship the week of the race, I don’t like that. In this race, I have four weeks in Saratoga. He’s relaxed. Saratoga is a nice place, everybody likes it, him too.” At Del Mar on Saturday, Preakness winner National Treasure went five furlongs in 1:00.60. He is scheduled to ship here on Tuesday. “Went well, looks good,” trainer Bob Baffert messaged via text. National Treasure worked without blinkers and will not wear blinkers in the Travers, Baffert told the New York Racing Association publicity department. National Treasure was equipped with blinkers for the Preakness and he wore them again in the Belmont.  The field for the Travers will be drawn on Tuesday. This will be the first time since 2017 that winners of the Kentucky Derby (Mage), Preakness (National Treasure) and Belmont Stakes (Arcangelo) will run in the Travers. They are expected to be joined in the starting gate by Disarm, Forte and Scotland. :: Want to learn more about handicapping and wagering? Check out DRF's Handicapping 101 and Wagering 101 pages.