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Originally Posted by Pedigree Ann
Secretariat was using the Whitney as his prep for the Travers; it was run 4 days before the relatively minor Jim Dandy that year (4 August vs. 8 August). The Travers was run on 18 August so the plan would have given him two full weeks between races instead of 10 days. But he lost the Whitney and his connections decided he needed some time off before the fall campaign, leaving the Travers to be won by the immortal Annihilate 'Em.
I'm not sure that Riva Ridge ran at all in the late summer/early fall.
The Travers was a classic race long before the Preakness was. Now that the NYRA has emasculated its races for older horses (Woodward down to 9f, the Saratoga BC Cup eliminated, JCGC cut 6f, heck the Whitney even used to be 10f), the Travers is one of the few G1 races left for real racehorses.
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Riva Ridge ran once in August and twice in September, which is exactly what Secretariat did. In neither case did their connections take a "hell or high water" approach to the Travers. Obviously it is great, historical race. But it is not viewed as essential to any 3YO except by NYRA and now the shills at ESPN. For example, neither Spectacular Bid, Unbridled or Spend A Buck ran in it, and all ran elsewhere in the August of their 3YO years. And, of course, all kinds of California horses have skipped it. And I have never before seen some kind of demand that a filly has to run in it. This is all horsecrap of recent vintage (i.e. this year) because NYRA and ESPN wanted RA there, like either of them is owed anything.