TRAINER Jimmy Jerkens had the best horse in the $1.25 million Grade 1 Travers Stakes - but it was not the one everyone was betting on.

V.E. Day upset stablemate and Grade 2 Jim Dandy winner Wicked Strong, by a nose after a late surge in the nick of time, for his biggest career victory in last Saturday’s the mile and a quarter highlight of the 2014 Saratoga meeting.

“I wasn’t absolutely sure it was V.E. Day because he had so much mud on him, until they got a little closer and I saw the silks and then I knew it was him,” Jerkens remarked. “I said, ‘Man, what a feeling. I know I’m going to win the Travers; I just don’t know with who.’”

The last time a trainer ran 1-2 in the Travers was 2004, when Nick Zito saddled Birdstone and runner-up The Cliff’s Edge. Jerkens has now saddled three Travers starters in his career - 2010 victor Afleet Express, V.E. Day, and Wicked Strong.

Tonalist, winner of the Belmont Stakes and runner-up to Wicked Strong in the Jim Dandy last time out, finished third in the field of 10 under jockey Joel Rosario. Tonalist applied pressure on front-running favorite Bayern along with Wicked Strong throughout.

Bayern jumped quickly to the lead as expected to post strong early fractions. Tonalist and Wicked Strong kept close pursuit, and those three opened up six lengths on the field through the first six furlongs.

Meanwhile, V.E. Day was tracking seventh and then sixth along the rail, and was still sixth under jockey Javier Castellano as Wicked Strong took over two furlongs out. Shifted out approaching the last half furlong, V.E. Day set his sights on Wicked Strong and jockey Rajiv Maragh and just got up in a late drive.

This was the first graded stakes score but fourth victory in a row for the son of English Channel, who became that stallion’s first Grade 1 winner.