THE TRAVERS CANOE

The origin of the blue canoe, which sits in a lake in the infield of Saratoga Racecourse, has long been disputed. According to local legend, the canoe provided unlucky bettors with transportation back home to New York City via the Hudson River. However, historians do agree that the previously light-blue canoe was painted to match the jockey silks of the Travers Stakes winner in 1962, a tradition which has continued every year since. The only exception came in 2012, when for the first time ever, the Travers Stakes resulted in a dead heat requiring a second canoe to be added to the lake.