Jaxon Traveler has racked up the miles showing his versatility and grit this year but Saturday brought him back home to his native Maryland and the dirt, and he responded with a sharp victory in the Star de Naskra Stakes at Pimlico.
The 3-year-old colt ran to his 1-to-2 odds in a field that scratched down to just two rivals, pulling away in the stretch to win by 3 lengths under jockey Sheldon Russell.
Trained by Steve Asmussen, Jaxon Traveler was Maryland’s champion 2-year-old male of 2020, going 3-for-3 and capturing the Maryland Juvenile Futurity.
As a 3-year-old, he owns a stakes victory in the Bachelor at Oaklawn and placings in the Grade 3 Chick Lang Stakes (Pimlico) and Gazebo Stakes (Oaklawn), Woodstock Stakes (Woodbine) on a synthetic track, and the Grade 3 Quick Call (Saratoga) on the turf. In nine races, he has never been worse than third, compiling five wins, three seconds and a third.
The son of Munnings has earned $390,210. West Point and Marvin Delfiner bought him as a 2-year-old at the 2020 OBS April sale.
