Horses race on the backstretch at Saratoga Race Course earlier this year. The upstate New York venue will host on Saturday the $1 million Whitney Stakes. (Eclipse Sportswire)
The $1 million Whitney Stakes, a Breeders’ Cup “Win and You’re In” Challenge Series race for the Longines Classic, drew a star-studded field of eight with $32,792,424 in combined lifetime earnings. Six of the eight entrants are Grade 1 winners, including Magnitude, White Abarrio, and Sovereignty, a trio in the top 100 all-time by purse earnings among horses with at least one start in North America. There have been seven Whitney winners who went on to win the Breeders’ Cup Classic, including White Abarrio in 2023. The 99th edition of the Whitney Saturday at Saratoga Race Course shapes up to be one of the most competitive races of the year.
weekend Television schedule
Friday, Aug. 7: 1-4:30 p.m. and 5:30-7 p.m. on FS2; post time varies on FanDuel TV
Saturday, Aug. 8: 11:30 a.m.-5 p.m. and 7-8 p.m. on FS2; 5-7 p.m. on FOX; post time varies on FanDuel TV
Sunday, Aug. 9: 1-3 p.m.on FS2; 3-7 p.m. on FS1; post time varies on FanDuel TV
Here’s a look at the field from the rail out:
Magnitude, a 4-year-old Not This Time colt with more than $9.6 million in career earnings, has four consecutive graded stakes wins going into this race, including the Group 1 Dubai World Cup March 28 and Grade 1 Stephen Foster Stakes last time out. Jose Ortiz, who has been aboard for all four victories in the streak, opts to stay aboard for trainer Steve Asmussen. Nitrogen, a 4-year-old Medaglia d’Oro filly, will try and become the first filly to win the Whitney since Personal Ensign in 1988. Nitrogen most recently dominated the Grade 1 Ogden Phipps Stakes Presented by Ford at Saratoga by 12 ¾ lengths, covering 1 1/8 miles in 1:46.93, just 0.29 seconds off the main track record set by Lawyer Ron in the 2007 Whitney. Hall of Fame jockey John Velazquez replaces Jose Ortiz for trainer Mark Casse. Antiquarian, a 5-year-old by Preservationist who won the 2025 Jockey Club Gold Cup at Saratoga, enters off back-to-back fourth-place finishes in the Hill ‘n’ Dale Metropolitan Handicap and Suburban Stakes Presented by Subourbon Life at Saratoga. Manny Franco replaces regular rider Velazquez for trainer Todd Pletcher. Forged Steel, one of trainer Saffie Joseph Jr.’s two entrants, won the Grade 2 Hollywood Gold Cup Stakes by 9 ½ lengths at Santa Anita Park in May but finished a distant fifth in the Suburban July 4 at Saratoga. Micah Husbands will be aboard for the first time. White Abarrio, the second Joseph Jr. entrant, is a four-time Grade 1 winner with more than $8.5 million in lifetime earnings and will be making his 24th start in a graded/group race. Regular jockey Irad Ortiz Jr. will ride the 7-year-old by Race Day. Reigning Horse of the Year Sovereigntyreturns to Saratoga for the first time since winning the Grade 1 DraftKings Travers Stakes by 10 lengths last August. The Godolphin homebred Into Mischief colt seeks the first win of his 4-year-old campaign for trainer Bill Mott and jockey Junior Alvarado. He enters off a third-place finish in the Stephen Foster June 27 behind Magnitude and Baeza. Tiztastic, Asmussen’s second entrant, carries the highest odds on the morning line at 30-1. The 4-year-old Tiz the Law colt finished third in the Suburban last time out and has a win in his lone try at this 1 1/8-mile distance on dirt. Tyler Gaffalione will be reunited with Tiztastic for the first time since a career debut win at Saratoga in July 2024. Baeza, Mott’s second entrant, enters the Whitney off a runner-up effort to Magnitude after a slow start in the Stephen Foster. The McKinzie colt, who previously was trained by the late John Shirreffs, has three seconds and a win at this 1 1/8-mile distance and will be making his seventh Grade 1 appearance. Flavien Prat, who was aboard in the Stephen Foster, retains the mount.
Analysis and Main Contenders:
Magnitude wins Stephen Foster (Eclipse Sportswire)
While one could argue that Magnitudewas unchallenged for an easy lead in both of his wins in the Dubai World Cup and Stephen Foster and faces a different pace scenario in the Whitney with the presence of Forged Steel and Nitrogen, there is little doubt about the talent of this colt. Magnitude has been at the top of his game since the end of his 3-year-old campaign and has proved capable of beating the best dirt horses in the world for owner Winchell Thoroughbreds. As a 3-year-old, Magnitude was a dominant Grade 2 winner on the Kentucky Derby trail, missed the Triple Crown races due to injury, and returned last July to win the Iowa Derby by 9 ¼ lengths. The last time Magnitude ran at Saratoga, he finished a distant third to Sovereignty and Baeza in last year’s Travers. He subsequently ran second to Baeza in the Pennsylvania Derby in September. Magnitude really came into his own in November, winning the Clark Stakes Presented by Norton Healthcare at Churchill by a half-length. As a 4-year-old, Magnitude started the year with a win in the Razorback Handicap at Oaklawn Park before shipping to Meydan to win the Dubai World Cup over Japanese superstar Forever Young, last year’s Breeders’ Cup Classic winner and the richest horse in the world with at least one start in North America. Magnitude put to rest any doubt how he would return from Dubai by leading from start to finish on a sloppy Churchill track in the Stephen Foster, winning by 1 ¼ lengths over Baeza while earning a 116 Equibase Speed Figure. Along with his four consecutive graded stakes victories, Magnitude has been training well at Saratoga and has posted back-to-back five-furlong bullet workouts going into this race. This 1 1/8-mile distance is the sweet spot for Magnitude as well and has three wins and a second when going 1 1/8 miles. Another notable positive is Jose Ortiz opting to stay aboard as he seemingly had the choice between Magnitude and 2025 champion 3-year-old filly Nitrogen, having been aboard for her last 14 starts. Magnitude does not present a lot of value at 9-5 morning-line odds, however he profiles as the most likely winner given his elite connections, ability at this distance, and impeccable form. While Magnitude does face more early speed than in his last two starts, the inside post offers him an opportunity to take command early and save ground around the first turn.
With the potential for a hot pace scenario, the Whitney sets up well for deep-closer Baeza. Despite just one graded stakes win as a 3-year-old, Baeza is a horse who has always performed consistently well in tough circumstances. Baeza posted top-three finishes behind Sovereignty in the Kentucky Derby, Belmont Stakes, and Jim Dandy last year before going on to win the Pennsylvania Derby in September without the presence of either Journalism or Sovereignty. Baeza finished sixth, beaten by 9 ½ lengths, in last year’s Breeders’ Cup Classic to close out an eight-race 3-year-old campaign. He returned as a 4-year-old in May off a six-month layoff and finished third by three-quarters of a length in the Alysheba Stakes Presented by U.S. Army after a horrendous start out of the gate. While he did not win, this was a tremendous effort from Baeza who made up a lot of ground to narrowly miss despite the early trouble. Baeza again got away to a slow start and was up against a speed bias on a sloppy Churchill track in the June 27 Stephen Foster but finished well for second and was able to turn the tables on his rival Sovereignty in third. If Baeza can get off to an improved start, he certainly has a tremendous chance of finding the winner’s circle in this spot and should finish in the top three if he can replicate his usual late rally, especially considering he is ranked second by late pace with a 120.5. Baeza has never finished out of the exacta when going 1 1/8 miles, posting three seconds and a win from four starts, all at the graded level. He is a tough colt with a lot of talent, despite his 2-for-11 record, and will be closing powerfully late.
Nitrogen wins Ogden Phipps (Eclipse Sportswire)
Becoming the first filly in 38 years to win the Whitney is no easy ask, but Nitrogencould be the one to accomplish the feat. Despite competing against older males, Nitrogen ranks first in this race by late pace with a massive 128.0 rating and has the highest last out Equibase Speed Figure of any horse in the field, posting a 117 for her dominating effort in the Ogden Phipps June 5. Nitrogen led from start to finish in the 1 1/8-mile Phipps and finished 12 ¾ lengths ahead of Bless the Broken and Fully Subscribed, with the latter going on to win the Grade 2 Shuvee Stakes in her next start. Nitrogen is 3-for-3 on the Saratoga main track by a combined winning margin of 31 ½ lengths. While two of her wins on the Saratoga dirt have come when setting the pace, she is also able to press the lead and win, which could be a big advantage in this race with the presence of Magnitude and Forged Steel. While it is not the best sign that Jose Ortiz opted to stay aboard Magnitude, Nitrogen gets a strong replacement in Velazquez, who is the all-time leading rider at Saratoga. Nitrogen also has been training forwardly since the Phipps, including a bullet four-furlong workout in :47.60 on a Saratoga surface rated good on July 19. She is a formidable contender to beat the boys, especially at a track she has a clear affinity for.
The rest of the field (with best Equibase Speed Figure in a similar race): Antiquarian (113), Forged Steel (107), White Abarrio (122), Sovereignty (116), and Tiztastic (105).
