Jaxon Traveler Leads Coolmore-Sired Exacta in G3 Whitmore

It came down to two Coolmore-sired runners at the end of Saturday’s Grade III Whitmore Stakes, but in the end Jaxon Traveler (6h Munnings x Listen Boy, by After Market) edged out Tejano Twist (5g Practical Joke x Haley’s Lolipop, by Cuvee) at the line.

Lining up in the six-furlong Oaklawn Park race, Jaxon Traveler broke quickly and briefly joined a duel for the lead. It took less than a furlong before he conceded to two other runners and settled just over a length behind them.

In the turn, Jaxon Traveler made another run at them as he raced up the outside and entered the stretch even with the top two.

At the final furlong, he’d finally made headway toward getting a solid win but even farther outside, Tejano Twist was flying down the center of the track. The line came just in time for Jaxon Traveler with just a nose separating the two.

It was the ninth career victory for the Steve Asmussen trainee, who is quickly approaching the $1 million mark with earnings of $891,849 after this win.

Purchased by racing owner West Point Thoroughbreds for $140,000 as a 2-year-old, Jaxon Traveler has finished on the board in 21 of his 28 career starts with seven stakes victories to his name.

Jaxon Traveler is one of six winners from six to race out of the stakes-placed Listen Boy, a half-sister to Thunder Gulch’s stakes winning Monzon. There are stakes winners under all three dams on Jaxon Traveler’ s page with his third dam Gold Shadow’s six stakes performers led by Grade III winner Keys to the Heart.

This is the second stakes victory of the year for Jaxon Traveler, who is one of two stakes winners and five stakes performers for Munnings in 2024.