As the northeast prepares for Hurricane Irene and all the rain water it'll bring, there was some irony at the 142nd Travers as Stay Thirsty wins the Mid-Summer Derby. Stay Thirsty was able to defeat Preakness winner Shackleford and Belmont winner Ruler on Ice.

Stay Thirsty was the morning line favorite at 5-2 ahead of Haskell winner Coil and the Preakness winner Shackleford. This race may not have had a real hot list of horses but an even field of 3-year olds trying to separate themselves from the rest as they head towards the Breeders' Cup.

The victory for Stay Thirsty solidifies his victory in the Jim Dandy Stakes, which was the traditional prep race for the Travers. Stay Thirsty won that race by a wide margin but against horses of slightly less class. Many questioned if Stay Thirsty would perform similarly in the Travers and on Saturday, Stay Thirsty proved he can certainly hang with the top competition.

Stay Thirsty is trained by Todd Pletcher and ridden by Javier Castelano.

These 3-year olds will either look forward to the Breeders' Cup Classic in the fall or to another Grade I stakes race such as the Jockey Cup Gold Cup and other such stakes races.

More From 104.5 THE TEAM