The trophy was won by Man o' War in a special match race in 1920 against Sir Barton, the 1919 American Triple Crown winner.

The wife of owner Samuel Riddle donated the trophy in 1936 as the permanent award for winning the race.

In those days, bookmaking rather than parimutuel wagering was the primary method of taking bets on horse races.

The original field was fairly light with the favorite, the filly Prudery, owned by Harry Payne Whitney, facing no serious competition.

During the race, Sporting Blood overtook the ailing Prudery, gaining his owner nearly half a million dollars, including wagers and the purse.

[7] In 1962, Jaipur won by a nose-bob in track record time over the arguably more talented Ridan after a long, head-to-head battle over the entire mile and a quarter.

Adding to the drama was a thunderstorm which produced hail 24 hours before the race, and the uncertainty around whether or not McCarron would be present after the recent death of his mother.

[14] On August 29, 2015, the 146th Travers Stakes saw Triple Crown winner American Pharoah race[15] in front of a NYRA capped crowd of 50,000, making the event a sellout for the first time ever.

The race reaffirmed Saratoga's reputation as the "graveyard of champions" when Keen Ice defeated American Pharoah.

[17] In 2016, The 147th Travers was equally notable as Arrogate rolled home to win by 13 1/2 lengths and set a new stakes record, finishing the race in 1:59:36.

Arrogate's victory helped Bob Baffert to avenge his loss the previous year with American Pharoah.

[18] The horse was ridden in the 2023 Belmont Stakes by jockey Javier Castellano, winner aboard Mage in the 2023 Kentucky Derby.

Despite a late challenge down the home stretch, Fierceness ended up winning the race, defeating her by a nose at the wire.