2022 Travers Stakes predictions, best bets: Expert picks for win, place, show, exacta, trifecta, superfecta

Epicenter, Early Voting and Rich Strike are among the 2022 Travers Stakes favorites, but does our expert think they can win?

The oldest stakes race in the country for three-year-olds will have its 153rd running on Saturday when the 2022 Travers Stakes will take place at Saratoga Race Course. First held in 1864, this 1 1/4 miles race is nicknamed the Midsummer Derby and offers a $1.25 million prize to the winner. The 2022 Travers Stakes field is stacked with multiple horses who competed in Triple Crown races this year, including Rich Strike and Early Voting. They won the year's first two Triple Crown races, but Early Voting bypassed the Belmont, making the Travers Stakes 2022 the first race the two will meet. Epicenter is the 7-5 favorite in the 2022 Travers Stakes odds after finishing second in both Triple Crown starts. Cyberknife (7-2) is the second-favorite in the latest Travers Stakes odds 2022. Post time is scheduled for 5:44 p.m. ET at Saratoga Race Course. With so much to consider while making your 2022 Travers Stakes picks, a little expert help can go a long way.

The Travers 2022 will mark the 119th edition of the race contested at 1 1/4 miles. Over the previous 118 editions, just one horse has managed to break two minutes, Arrogate in 2016. With Bob Baffert training him, Arrogate overcame drawing the rail to blaze the track at 1:59.36. That broke the Travers record of 2:00 set by General Assembly (1979) that had stood for 37 years. Making that performance even more remarkable was that the 2016 Travers was Arrogate's first-ever stakes appearance. The horse also won that year's Breeders Cup Classic en route to being named the 2016 American Champion Three-Year-Old Male Horse.  

Given all the history, there's a method to picking which horses to focus on for exacta, trifecta and superfecta bets in a Travers Stakes like this, and SportsLine expert Bob Weir knows what it is. He can help you make the best 2022 Travers Stakes picks possible.

A Saratoga Springs-based racing insider and Beyer Speed Figure maker, Weir is a two-time qualifier for the prestigious National Horseplayers Championship in Las Vegas. He has produced multiple five-figure days at the track over the years, including a $60,000 Pick 6 at Del Mar in 2014. Last year, he was on fire. He hit the exacta in the Sam F. Davis Stakes, Tampa Bay Derby and Peter Pan Stakes, the trifecta in the Risen Star Stakes, Blue Grass Stakes and Pennsylvania Derby and the superfecta in the Belmont Stakes.

He also correctly called Essential Quality the "most likely winner" of last year's Travers and featured the colt heavily atop his wagers before the horse won.

This year, he has been red-hot in the Triple Crown prep races, hitting the superfecta in the Blue Grass Stakes, the trifecta in the Louisiana Derby and exactas in the Fountain of Youth Stakes and Tampa Bay Derby. He also has hit the 19-1 winner of the Man o' War Stakes, the trifecta in the Pegasus World Cup, the superfecta in the Met Mile and multiple Pick 4s, including May 14's at Belmont for $1,851. Anyone who has followed him is up huge. Now, he's sharing all of his 2022 Travers Stakes bets here.

Top 2022 Travers Stakes expert picks

Here's a refresher on these types of bets from SportsLine's Bob Weir:

Travers Stakes Exacta: Pick the first- and second-place finishers in the correct order. A $2 exacta returned $11.80 at the 2021 Travers Stakes with Essential Quality and Midnight Bourbon.

Travers Stakes Trifecta: Pick the first-, second- and third-place finishers in the correct order. A $1 trifecta returned $48.74 at the 2021 Travers Stakes with Essential Quality, Midnight Bourbon and Miles D.

Travers Stakes Superfecta: Pick the first-, second-, third- and fourth-place finishers in the correct order. A $1 superfecta returned a colossal $132.20 at the 2021 Travers Stakes with Essential Quality, Midnight Bourbon, Miles D and Keepmeinmind.

While Demling has no quibbles with the favorite status of Epicenter, he plans to hold tickets with Artorious (9-2) and a pair of horses who are flying under the radar. You can see his picks here.

How to make 2022 Travers Stakes bets

Weir has specific recommendations for exacta, trifecta and superfecta wagers so you can cover all your bases at the Travers Stakes 2022. He's sharing them over at SportsLine.

So which horses do you take? And in what combinations? Visit SportsLine to get Weir's picks for exacta, trifecta and superfecta bets for the 2022 Travers Stakes.

2022 Travers Stakes odds, field, contenders

Horse	Odds	Projection
Epicenter	7-5	SEE PICKS
Cyberknife	7-2	SEE PICKS
Artorius	9-2	SEE PICKS
Zandon	5-1	SEE PICKS
Early Voting	8-1	SEE PICKS
Rich Strike	10-1	SEE PICKS
Ain't Life Grand	20-1	SEE PICKS
Gilded Age	30-1	SEE PICKS