2024 Whitney Stakes Preview

The best older dirt-route males line up on Saturday, August 3, at Saratoga Race Course for the $1 million Whitney Stakes. At stake in this 1 ⅛-mile horse race is not only that seven-figure purse, but also a trip to Del Mar in November: the winner earns an automatic berth to the Breeders’ Cup Classic.

The race’s name honors the legacy of the Whitney family, scions of horse racing in New York. Whitney-owned horses have won many of the biggest races of the American turf, and both Harry Payne Whitney and C. V. Whitney owned horses who won this race in the days when it was known as the Whitney Handicap. Other family members involved in the Sport of Kings include, most recently, Marylou Whitney, whose racing stable owned and bred 2004 Belmont Stakes winner Birdstone.

The Whitney drew an exciting field of 12 led by National Treasure, the 2023 Preakness winner who is the only older dirt horse so far who has won multiple Grade 1 races this year: the Pegasus World Cup (G1) and the Met Mile (G1). However, he will face a deep field, as befits such a major race. His major foes include Alysheba (G2) winner First Mission, 2023 Jockey Club Gold Cup (G1) winner Bright Future, and the up-and-coming Arthur’s Ride.

Whitney Stakes Information

• Race Date: Saturday, August 3
• Track: Saratoga Race Course in Saratoga Springs, NY
• Post Time: 5:42 p.m. Eastern Daylight Time
• Distance: 1 ⅛ miles
• Age/Sex: four-year-olds and upward
• Where to Watch: FanDuel Racing, Fox
• Where to Bet: FanDuel Racing

2024 Whitney Stakes Draw and Odds

This is the field for the 2024 Whitney at Saratoga Race Course, including post positions, trainers, jockeys, and morning-line odds for each runner.

Whitney Stakes Prep Race Results

The 12-horse field comes out of eight different last-out races. Three come out of the Stephen Foster (G1) at Churchill Downs on June 29. Though the top two finishers, Kingsbarns and Pyrenees, do not turn up in the Whitney, three of the next four horses across the wire do. Skippylongstocking finished third after pressing the pace, First Mission flattened out to fourth after making the early running, and Disarm was sixth after a slow start.

Two others come out of top-level company in the Met Mile (G1) on June 8 at Saratoga Race Course. (The race is typically contested at Belmont Park, but was moved because of construction, along with the entire Belmont Stakes Racing Festival.) National Treasure romped by 6 ¼ lengths in that race, while Post Time got up to take the photo for second place.

Three other runners come out of graded-stakes engagements. Bright Future, a Grade 1 winner last year, comes out of a victory in the Salvator Mile (G3) on June 15, his season opener. Crupi was last seen finishing second behind Next in the 1 ⅜-mile Brooklyn at Aqueduct on July 5. Il Miracolo has freshened up after finishing third, four lengths behind First Mission, in the Alysheba (G2) at Churchill Downs on May 3.

Two others come out of the ungraded Hanshin at the one-turn mile at Churchill Downs on June 30. Tumbarumba finished second, beaten a length by Cagliostro. Charge It will have to rebound after a flat fifth in that race.

The other two Whitney entrants come out of victories in allowance-optional claiming company. Despite early trouble, Warrior Johny rallied to win a conditioned allowance on July 11 at Saratoga over the same 1 ⅛-mile distance that the Whitney covers. Arthur’s Ride, the only horse making his stakes debut in the Whitney, won a 1 ¼-mile second-level allowance gate to wire by 12 ¾ lengths on June 7 at Saratoga.

Whitney Stakes Contenders

These are the twelve contenders entered in the 2024 Whitney Stakes, in order of post position.

1. Post Time: A prodigious winner on the mid-Atlantic circuit, Post Time made good account when stepping up to Grade 1 company for the first time in the Met Mile, chasing on for a game second behind National Treasure. This is a tough ask: it is a larger and deeper field, he has to break from the rail in a big field, and he has mostly been an extended one-turn kind of horse. But, his consistency is a plus, and his best speed figures fit, meaning perhaps he could round out a superfecta—especially since there is rain in the forecast and he is a perfect two-for-two on a wet track.
2. Disarm: It looked like his four-year-old season was going to be a sharp one after a strong allowance win at Churchill in his first race of the year, but after a slow break, he was never a real factor in the Foster. He has some upside third off the layoff: he is a winner at 1 ⅛ miles, and he has a maiden win and a second in the Travers among his three starts on dirt at the Spa. Plus, with rain in the forecast, that close second in a muddy Travers (G1) last year is good to see.
3. National Treasure: He is a deserving morning-line favorite: in three starts this year, he has two Grade 1 wins and a defeat by only 1 ½ lengths in the Saudi Cup. He has tactical speed and front-end grit. It’s a positive that he ran so well at Saratoga last out in the Met Mile, too. However, at such a short price, it’s worth considering the weather conditions: there is wet weather in the forecast, and despite his solid mud breeding, he has underperformed in both tries over a wet track.
4. Warrior Johny: He waded into graded-stakes company last year, but was well beaten in the Jockey Club Gold Cup, going a furlong longer than this. A return to allowance company followed. It took him a while to round into good enough form to knock off his third-level condition, but he did it in style over this course and distance on July 11: overcoming a rough trip to draw off and win by four lengths. The worry is that he is going to bounce off of an anomalous career best. However, on the other hand, he is two-for-four at 1 ⅛ miles and two-for-three at Saratoga. Especially under high-percentage rider Gaffalione, there is an argument to include him in exotics.
5. First Mission: He was bet down to odds-on in the Stephen Foster after romping scores in the Alysheba and the Essex (G3) earlier this year, but flattened out late for fourth. First Mission has been an inconsistent horse, a baffling one: on his best he can absolutely win this, on his best he loves the slop, and on his best he is excellent at 1 ⅛ miles. However, he always gets bet heavily, and the question is whether the price will be too short to be forced to gamble on what version of First Mission shows up in the Whitney.
6. Il Miracolo: He doesn’t always win, but he usually shows up. His only off-the-board finish in nine starts was in the Pegasus World Cup … which, to be fair, is a serious concern since he opposes so many of these foes again here. However, he hit the board in his only Saratoga Race Course try last year, has hit the board in two of his three off-track starts, and has been in the money in four of seven tries at 1 ⅛ miles. Perhaps he is better going a little shorter than this, but if he shows up and some of his foes misfire, he might hang on to round out an exacta or trifecta.
7. Crupi: The name of the game for Crupi is pace: particularly against good horses, this son of Curlin needs to rally from well off the pace to get up. But, he has never missed the board in four starts at Saratoga and has three victories in eight tries at 1 ⅛ miles. He also has a third-place finish in the Pegasus World Cup to his credit—nothing to suggest he can keep pace with National Treasure if that one is on song, but a good enough effort to make him a solid choice for those underneath slots.
8. Tumbarumba: Class is the serious concern for Tumbarumba. He has run well over and over and over lately: in his last seven starts he has only won twice, but he hasn’t been off the board in that time and missed by no more than 1 ¼ lengths in any of those outings. That includes a couple of stakes placings at 1 ⅛ miles. He also has the speed to be a good match with Luis Saez, who has ridden him in three of his last four starts. However, the depth of this field makes it most likely that he will be a pace factor and not a win contender.
9. Bright Future: With nine starts, he is lightly raced for a five-year-old. However, at his best, his future still looks bright: he won the Jockey Club Gold Cup by a nose last year in his Grade 1 debut, and he rallied to win the Salvator Mile in his first start of 2024. He has won both of his outings at the Spa as well as his only start at this distance, and even though he has yet to try an off track, he is bred brilliantly for it. Watch the board on this one: at something near his morning line, he has the class and tactical speed to be worth a play. But, his comparative lack of experience makes too short a price unappealing.
10. Skippylongstocking: He pulled up four back in the Pegasus World Cup but has been in better form for his last three, winning a pair of graded races in the spring and running third in the Stephen Foster last out. He has hit the board in seven of 10 tries at 1 ⅛ miles, though he always seems to find some foes too good at this level. He has been solid with high-percentage rider Jose Ortiz in his last two, though, and he has won both off-track starts. In short, put him in the mix if it rains, though if it’s dry, he interests more as a pace factor who finds some too good once again.
11. Arthur’s Ride: He is the wild card here: he has raced just six times and never in stakes company, after all. He has never run worse than second in three starts at Saratoga, including the easiest win in a second-level allowance at Saratoga Race Course on Belmont weekend, meaning this may well be his favorite place to run. What he will need to do, more than anything, is prove that he can win from somewhere other than the front end from start to finish: he is mired outside with some major speed like National Treasure and Skippylongstocking to contend with. But, if he can work a clear outside-stalking trip, he may be the breakout star.
12. Charge It: As much as he is bred to run at this level, his on-the-track performance suggests that he isn’t quite a Grade 1 horse. His last win came over a year ago in the 2023 Suburban (G2), and last out, he was beaten five lengths in the ungraded Hanshin. Perhaps the rain moves him up, as he did win his only off-track start, but that came against allowance company, and he faces some true Grade 1 horses who like the mud here. In short, he would be a surprise.

Whitney Stakes FAQ

Q: When is the Whitney Stakes?

A: The Whitney takes place Saturday, August 3, 2024, at 5:42 p.m. Eastern Daylight Time. The race is carded as the 11th of 13 on the Saturday card.

Q: Where is the Whitney Stakes?

A: The Whitney takes place at Saratoga Race Course in Saratoga Springs, NY.

Q: Which trainer has the most wins in the Whitney Stakes?

A: John M. Gaver. Sr. won the Whitney five times between 1942 and 1958, including with stars like Tom Fool and Devil Diver. Among trainers entered in the 2024 edition, Todd Pletcher leads with four victories between 2002 and 2022. He can tie Gaver’s record if Bright Future, Charge It, or Crupi wins in 2024.

Q: Who is the favorite for the Whitney Stakes?

A: National Treasure is the 9-5 morning-line favorite. He should hold as the chalk all the way to post time, given Bob Baffert’s historic strength with shippers, as well as his dazzling victory over this same course in the Met Mile last out.

Q: Who is the best Whitney Stakes jockey?

A: Pat Day and Jerry Bailey, both retired, lead all jockeys with five wins in the Whitney. Among jockeys in this year’s race, John Velazquez and Irad Ortiz, Jr. lead all riders in the 2024 edition with four victories each. Velazquez can tie the record if Charge It wins, while Ortiz can do so if Crupi wins.

Q: Who won the Whitney Stakes in 2023?

A: White Abarrio won the 2023 Whitney for trainer Rick Dutrow and jockey Irad Ortiz, Jr. Dutrow does not have an entrant in 2024; Ortiz rides Crupi for Todd Pletcher.

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