Jaxon Traveler Adds Star De Naskra to Resume

Jaxon Traveler (3c Munnings x Listen Boy, by After Market) added a third stakes victory to his resume on Saturday with a three length victory in the Star De Naskra Stakes at Pimlico.

The six furlong dirt race saw the Steve Asmussen trainee shadow the leader throughout the first half of the race. By the time they entered midturn, Sheldon Russell sent his mount to engage in a duel and Jaxon Traveler showed his best from that point on.

The colt had the lead with over an eighth of a mile to go and pulled away from there to win by three lengths as the heavy favorite.

“I figured the horse on the inside was probably going to go to the lead and try and take it to us, so I’m glad he was able to relax. That’s all part of trying to educate them,” West Point founder and CEO Terry Finley said. “They can only go so far if they’re going this fast and as far as they can. They have to learn how to relax, so it worked out well. He’s getting bigger and stronger, so we’re in good shape with him.”

It was the fifth win in nine career starts for the West Point Thoroughbreds and Marvin Delfiner runner, who has hit the board in every start he’s made – including seven stakes races, led by a second in the Grade III Chick Lang Stakes.

Jaxon Traveler was a $140,000 2-year-old purchase by West Point Thoroughbreds last year and was bred by Dr. and Mrs. Leonard Pineau. The colt is out of stakes-placed Listen Boy, who has produced four winners from four to race and herself is a half-sister to stakes winner Monzon and stakes-placed Aleutian Harbour. The family also includes champion Nocentsinkentucky and Grade III winners Keys to the Heart and Chinandega.

Munnings sits second among all North American sires by number of winners, and number of stakes winners and is a top five sire in each of the other categories as well.