Besides the two Grade 1 events on Travers day, there were two other graded stakes on Saturday afternoon at Saratoga Race Course. The first stakes race on the afternoon was the $200,000 Bernard Baruch Handicap (G2) for older horses going 1 1/8 miles on the Mellon turf course. Arlington Handicap winner Cosmonaut was sent off as the 8-5 favorite over 5-1 second choice Shakis, a distant fifth in the Bowling Green at Belmont Park in his last start.
Ballast was loose on the lead in the early stages through fractions of 23.10, 47.10, and 1:10.11 over the firm course, while Cosmonaut stalked him in second. Ballast led the field entering the stretch, but Shakis, who sat back in sixth early while saving ground on the hedge the whole way, found an opening inside and charged towards the front. Inside the 1/8 pole, Shakis took over the lead and held on to win by just 3/4 length over late-running 22-1 Big Prairie. Shakis completed the trip in a new course record time of 1:45.33. It was just a head back to 9-1 Drum Major in third. Ballast faded to fourth while Cosmonaut lacked any late rally and was fifth.
