$1 Million Whitney Tops Five Stakes Races at Saratoga on Saturday

Written By Fairway Jay on August 6, 2021 - Last Updated on August 10, 2021
Whitney

There’s a big day of racing Saturday at Saratoga, as the Breeders’ Cup World Championships on Nov. 5 and 6 at Del Mar.

The 12-race card at Saratoga on Saturday, Aug. 7, features five stakes races, including three Grade 1s.

  • Race 8: $500,000 Longines Test Stakes for 3-year-old fillies at 7 furlongs
  • Race 9: $1 million Saratoga Derby Invitational for 3-year-olds at 1 3/16 miles on the turf
  • Race 10: $1 million Whitney Stakes for older horses at 1 1/8 miles

Also on the card in Race 7 and the start of the big Pick 6 is the Grade II $250,000 Glens Falls Stakes for older fillies and mares, 1 1/2 miles over the inner turf.

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Whitney Stakes Field and Odds

Race 10 and the $1 million Whitney — post time at 5:48 p.m. EST at Saratoga Race Course. You can watch all of Saturday’s races at Saratoga on TVG as part of its comprehensive daily racing coverage.

1 – By My Standards (10-1)

  • Jockey: Gabriel Saez
  • Trainer: W. Bret Calhoun

2 – Silver State (4-1)

  • Jockey: Ricardo Santana Jr.
  • Trainer: Steve Asmussen

3 – Swiss Skydiver (6-1)

  • Jockey: Irad Ortiz Jr.
  • Trainer: Ken Meek

4 – Knicks Go (6-5)

  • Jockey: Joel Rosario
  • Trainer: Brad Cox

5 – Maxfield (8-5)

  • Jockey: Jose Ortiz
  • Trainer: Brendan Walsh

Early speed has won 22 of 27 races at this distance/on this surface, with seven taking them from gate to wire, according to Horse Racing Radar.

Four horses who won the Whitney have gone on to win the Breeders’ Cup Classic in the same year. The most recent was Gun Runner in 2017.

Race Contenders and Profiles

Improbable beat the stumbling and slow-starting favorite Tom’s d’Etat (third) in last year’s Whitney, and Whitney runner-up By My Standards returns as one of the contenders again this year. By My Standards has won seven times, with five runner-up finishes in 16 starts, and earned $2.25 million on the race track. This year’s small but elite five-horse field also includes multigraded stakes winner Maxfield, who has the best pedigree for the distance and has won seven of eight career starts, with $1.26 million in track earnings.

The morning line favorite is 5-year-old Knicks Go, who has raced 21 times with seven wins and $4.6 million in track winnings. He’s really emerged since Preakness Stakes winner Swiss Skydiver, who will try to press the pace and could become the first filly since 1988 to win the Whitney.

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Fairway Jay

FairwayJay is a leading national sports and betting analyst and provides insight and information you can bet on to engage and assist the avid fan. His tee-to-green coverage and racing contributions have been provided to Churchill Downs, Twinspires, TVG, Forbes, TheLines, numberFire and PlayUSA platforms. Follow on Twitter: @FairwayJay

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