The 155th running of the Travers Stakes is set to get underway in just a few days. The eight-horse field is loaded with the best 3-year-olds in the country once again.

But for several of the trainers, they’re still looking for their first win in the Midsummer Derby. That includes Whit Beckman, who got into the business just a few years ago.

“It's a labor of love. You definitely got to put in the time,” said Beckman, who became a trainer three years ago. “Day in, day out, it's not like your days don't necessarily equal hard work, but just the consistency and the continuity, it wears on you for a while.”

For years, the Louisville native worked for trainers like Chad Brown and Todd Pletcher before venturing out on his own in 2021. Since then, Beckman has amassed 31 wins with earnings nearing $3 million.

“We’ve been doing it for so long with the others I was with, kind of came naturally and easy and just getting the horses to fall in the program,” he said. “Just the nuances of running a business, that's been the biggest challenge.”

Last year, Beckman won his first graded stakes in the Kentucky Jockey Club, thanks to a then 2-year-old named Honor Marie. The colt would later get saddled for the Kentucky Derby, which was a dream come true for Beckman.

“Being able to go and participate in like what is ultimately our biggest event, it was awesome. It brought family and friends,” he said. “We ran how we ran. It was a tough trip for the horse. But it was a really incredible day.”

Honor Marie would finish eighth in the Derby and then fourth in the Belmont Stakes. Now, Beckman is preparing the 3-year-old for the Travers Stakes at Saratoga, and hoping this will be the one for their first Grade 1 victory.

“Our whole thing is just kind of get out of the gate cleanly and hopefully just get a nice run into the first turn,” said Beckman, with Honor Marie starting from the sixth position. “It looks like a lot of speed on paper. So hopefully, he’ll come out with his speed and the pace, hopefully set something up for him.”

Beckman knows they’ll have their work cut out for them, especially going up against his former bosses in the Midsummer Derby. Brown has Sierra Leone and Unmatched Wisdom, while Pletcher will saddle Fierceness.

But everything Beckman has learned and worked for over the years has prepared him to take this next step in his career.

“That's why we're here. We're enjoying the fruits of life,” he said. “We're all enjoying what, the rewards you reap when you put a lot of time into things and passionate about something.”