THE two Hall of Fame trainers work as neighbours at Saratoga. Bill Mott beds down his best 30 horses one barn from where Shug McGaughey houses his best 30.

The long historic wooden barns stand guard under the trees in the far corner near the training track. They are arguably the best two barns in the Saratoga sanctuary. They’ve housed the greats. And still do.

Mott sends out favorite Tacitus for the Grade 1 Travers Stakes at Saratoga today [Saturday], while McGaughey unleashes second choice Code Of Honor in the $1.25 million stakes for three-year-olds over 10 furlongs.

Wednesday morning, Mott watched Tacitus walk back to his barn after finishing a routine trip to the paddock.

“He’s a lot of horse, isn’t he?” Mott said.

The big gray son of Tapit sauntered home like he needed to answer his boss’ rhetorical question.

Owned and bred by Juddmonte Farm, Tacitus owns three wins from seven starts and has hit the board in Kentucky Derby, Belmont Stakes and Jim Dandy. Mott adds blinkers to the long-striding colt.

“He’s handled them well, they haven’t made him rank. Right now, I don’t see a negative with them,” Mott said. “He looked like he was lined up pretty good in his breeze the other day. Before, when he was working with someone and they were in front, he would get his head up.”

Confident about Code

Tacitus will need to get his head down to ward off 11 rivals, including McGaughey’s Code Of Honor.

McGaughey walked up to the stall of the chesnut colt Wednesday morning, peered inside the stall and made a statement. If you know McGaughey, it was, indeed, a statement.

“His next outing is Saturday and I’m looking forward to it. Everything has gone really good. When you get him on the right track, he does everything you want him to do,” McGaughey said. “Nice horse, late foal. He’s just a very efficient horse, efficient mover, he doesn’t miss a beat. Always been sound. They have him to beat if he’s good enough.”

Bob Baffert has been known to plunder Saratoga with California burners. Think Arrogate, West Coast and so many others. The Hall of Famer had Game Winner locked and loaded for the Travers but decided against running him and audibled with Mucho Gusto. The chesnut hit the Saratoga track for the first time Thursday morning and will try to improve on his second-place effort in the Haskell at Monmouth last month.

Jim Dandy winner Tax drew the outside post in the field of 12. The former claimer turned back Tacitus in the Travers prep and will try to take clear the field from the wide perch.

Beyond those four, eight others with enough credentials convene for a wide-open edition of Saratoga’s most iconic stakes.

Stellar card

The Travers anchors a stellar card that stretches over 13 races, including seven stakes, six Grade 1 stakes.

Mitole tries to right the ship in the Grade 1 Forego. The four-year-old had his seven-race win streak snapped in the Vanderbilt earlier in the month. Grade 1 stakes winner Promises Fulfilled, breaking from the rail, looks like his main rival.

Carlos Martin, a relative little guy in today’s world, shortens up Come Dancing for the Grade 1 Ballerina. The five-year-old mare succumbed to Midnight Bisou in the Grade 1 Ogdent Phipps in June. Come Dancing should relish the turn back to seven furlongs.

Freak winner

Shancelot, a freakish 12-and-a-half-length winner of the Amsterdam earlier in the meet, returns for the Grade 1 Allen Jerkens. The son of Shanghai Bobby drew the rail but should handle eight foes who look like they’re in deep water.

The Ballston Spa, the only Grade 2 stakes on the card, attracts Canadian shipper Starship Jubilee, French-bred Mascha and seven others on the turf.

The Personal Ensign would be the highlight on any other card and still might be as it attracts 10-time winner Midnight Bisou, seven-time winner Elate and four other stalwarts for nine furlongs on the dirt. Trained by Steve Asmussen, Midnight Bisou rides a five-race win streak into this, while Mott-trained Elate has been flawless in her last two.

Sadler’s Joy returns for his second start of the year in the Grade 1 Sword Dancer. The six-year-old veteran, winner of this race two years ago, rallied from well back to finish sixth in the Bowling Green here earlier in the meet.

Channel Cat and Channel Maker, first and third that day, return for the $850,000 stakes.