One of the oldest horse races still run in the United States, the Travers Stakes is held each August and features many of the top three year old thoroughbreds in the nation. Horses that shine here often carry that form into the following year’s Kentucky Derby conversation. The field at the Travers Stakes typically brings together some of the best horses, trainers, jockeys, and stables in the country. The race is run over one and a quarter miles on a left handed dirt track, and only horses that are three years old and bred in the United States may compete. Winning the Travers Stakes is highly prestigious, with a purse that tops one million dollars.