Leading horses in the older male dirt division move to Saratoga for the Grade 1, $1 million Whitney. A full field of 12, led by the top-ranked Thoroughbred in the country, National Treasure, was drawn for Saturday’s 1 1/8-mile test, which is also a win-and-you’re-in qualifier for the Breeders’ Cup Classic at Del Mar on Nov. 2.
Recent winners of the Whitney went on to division championships and Breeders’ Cup victories. Since 2017, White Abarrio, Knicks Go and Gun Runner won the Breeders’ Cup Classic. Knicks Go and Gun Runner were named horse of the year. Life Is Good won the Breeders’ Cup Dirt Mile in 2022, and Improbable was the champion of the older dirt male division in 2020.
Here is a full-field analysis for the Whitney with morning-line odds by the Horse Racing Nation staff. The Whitney is set as race 11 of 13 with post time scheduled for 5:42 p.m EDT.
1. Post Time, 12-1. Frosted – Brittany Russell / Sheldon Russell – 11: 8-2-1 – $817,910. Post Time was second in his last two starts in the Westchester (G3) and the Met Mile (G1) at New York tracks after winning eight of his nine prior starts, mostly in Maryland. His record is impeccable, but now he will stretch out to nine furlongs for the first time although he does have one victory around two turns. Use underneath.
2. Disarm, 10-1. Gun Runner – Steve Asmussen / Joel Rosario – 11: 3-3-2 – $1,086,790. Disarm won the Matt Winn (G3) last year and went on to run fourth in the Jim Dandy (G2) and second in the Travers (G1). He made two starts this year at Churchill Downs, winning an allowance on the front end and then finishing sixth in the Stephen Foster (G1). Steve Asmussen won the Whitney in 2017 with Gun Runner, and the former horse of the year is also the sire of Il Miracolo in this year’s field. Toss.
3. National Treasure, 8-5. Quality Road – Bob Baffert / Flavien Prat – 13: 4-2-2 – $5,372,000. National Treasure is the top-ranked Thoroughbred in the weekly NTRA top thoroughbred poll based on his victories in the Met Mile at Saratoga in June and the Pegasus World Cup (G1) in January at Gulfstream. Between those wins, he was fourth in the Saudi Cup (G1). National Treasure is the leading money winner in the Whitney field and one of only two Grade 1 winners in this race. Bob Baffert won the Whitney twice recently with Improbable and McKinzie. Win contender.
4. Warrior Johny, 20-1. Cairo Prince – Philip Bauer / Tyler Gaffalione – 19: 4-3-5 – $434,488. Warrior Johny won an allowance on opening day at Saratoga with one of the best performances of his career. He ran in stakes three times, with a third in a listed race at Ellis Park a year ago. He showed brief speed in the Jockey Club Gold Cup (G1) at Saratoga last year but weakened while running seventh. Toss.
5. First Mission, 5-1. Street Sense – Brad Cox / Florent Geroux – 9: 5-2-0 – $1,321,670. Last time out, First Mission uncharacteristically went to the lead in the Stephen Foster (G1), set the pace for six furlongs and faded down the stretch to finish fourth as an odds-on favorite. First Mission is seeking his first Grade 1 victory, although he is the winner of the Alysheba (G2) and the Essex Handicap (G3) this year. Brad Cox had a Whitney victory in 2021 with Knicks Go. Win contender.
6. Il Miracolo, 20-1. Gun Runner – Antonio Sano / Manny Franco – 20: 4-5-4 – $726,635. The well-travelled veteran of stakes racing across the country has a pair of Grade 3 victories in his career. In 2023 as a 3-year-old he won the Smarty Jones at Parx Racing and then in March of 2024 he took down the Ghostzapper at Gulfstream Park, which is his home base for most of the year. Il Miracolo has been off since running third in the Alysheba (G2) on Kentucky Derby weekend. Toss.
7. Crupi, 30-1. Curlin – Todd Pletcher / Irad Ortiz Jr. – 16: 5-3-4 – $891,750. Crupi changed from a young horse who needed several tries to break his maiden to a competitive stakes winner of the Suburban (G2) in June. In January, he was third in the Pegasus World Cup (G1). Pletcher won the Whitney four times from 2002 to 2022. Use underneath.
8. Tumbarumba, 20-1. Oscar Performance – Brian Lynch / Luis Saez – 15: 5-5-2 – $538,190. Tumbarumba ships to Saratoga from Kentucky after three consecutive second-place finishes in the Hanshin at Churchill Downs and the Ghostzapper (G3) and Gulfstream Park Mile (G2) at the Florida track. In January, the Louisiana-bred won the Fred Hooper (G3) at Gulfstream. The Whitney will be his first try in a Grade 1. Use underneath.
9. Bright Future, 8-1. Curlin – Todd Pletcher / Javier Castellano – 9: 5-0-2 – $926,940. Bright Future is one of the Grade 1 winners in this field, with a victory in the Jockey Club Gold Cup last year at Saratoga as a 4-year-old. He moved from there to run sixth in the Breeders’ Cup Classic. Bright Future made his 2024 debut in the Salvator Mile (G3) at Monmouth Park when he closed from a stalking position to win by almost two lengths. He won three of his last four starts with triple-digit Beyer Speed Figures from Daily Racing Form in three of them. Top choice.
10. Skippylongstocking, 8-1. Exaggerator – Saffie Joseph Jr. / Jose Ortiz – 24: 8-2-5 – $2,388,985. As a 5-year-old, Skippylongstocking leads this field with eight victories in his career, including six graded stakes. Like most of the horses in this race, he will be trying for his first Grade 1 victory. Last time out in the Stephen Foster, he stalked the pace in his usual position in second but could not do better than third. This year Skippy won the Oaklawn Handicap (G2) and the Challenger (G3). Win contender.
11. Arthur’s Ride, 8-1. Tapit – Bill Mott / Junior Alvarado – 6: 3-2-0 – $214,955. Arthur’s Ride is the most lightly raced horse in the field, with only six starts. He needed three tries to break his maiden, which he did in his only start as a 3-year-old in February at Gulfstream. Then he was away from the races for 13 months before making his first start of 2024 at the Florida track, where he won an allowance by more than seven lengths with a fast speed figure. On a sloppy track, Arthur’s Ride did very little running at Churchill in May. But at the June Saratoga meeting, he crushed an allowance field of nine by almost 13 lengths going 10 furlongs and earned the top speed figure for any horse in the Whitney field. Now Arthur’s Ride will make his first start in a stakes race in this Grade 1. Live long shot.
12. Charge It, 30-1. Tapit – Todd Pletcher / John Velazquez – 15: 4-3-1 – $881,270. Charge It last found the winner’s circle a year ago in the Suburban. After that he tried four graded stakes with a streak of three fourth-place finishes and a third in the Westchester in May. Most recently, he was fifth at Churchill Downs in a listed stakes. Toss.
Summary: National Treasure has the credentials to be considered the horse to beat in the Whitney. His Met Mile victory at Saratoga was a powerful performance to go with his Pegasus World Cup win at the 1 1/8-mile distance.
When Bright Future won the Jockey Club Gold Cup last year, he became a horse to be reckoned with in the older male division and now is one of the few Grade 1 winners in the Whitney. He began his 2024 campaign with a victory in the Salvator Mile, which got him ready for a career best race. Likely to be third choice in the betting, Bright Future gets the nod as top choice.
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Publish date : 2024-07-31 16:38:36
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