By Ed McNamara
They’ve been running the Grade 1 Whitney Stakes since 1928, and so many great horses have won it — War Admiral, Kelso, Dr. Fager, Alydar, Easy Goer, to name only a few. Yet it’s unlikely that any of them faced a deeper, more talented field than the one that will line up Saturday at Saratoga.
Knicks Go – Courtesy of
Coady Photography /Keeneland Racecourse
There are only five horses in it, led by 6-5 morning-line favorite Knicks Go and 8-5 second choice Maxfield, but a win by any of their opponents would be no shock.
“There’s not a throwout in the race,” said Steve Asmussen, who trains Silver State (4-1), only the third choice despite a six-race winning streak and an upset last time out in the Met Mile. In any other year he’d be favored. Superstar filly Swiss Skydiver (6-1), last year’s Preakness heroine, and multiple-stakes winner By My Standards (10-1), last year’s Whitney runner-up, complete an all-star cast.
The big question: Will Knicks Go get loose on the lead under Joel Rosario? He’s 2-for-2 at the 1 1/8-mile distance and a winner of his last five two-turn races. He ran fourth in his last two tries around one turn, the Saudi Cup and the Met Mile.
“For whatever reason, he’s just not a one-turn horse,” trainer Brad Cox said. “He’s trained well, and he looks phenomenal, so I’m optimistic he’s going to run his race, and he’ll need to.”
The main danger is Maxfield, 7-for-8 lifetime. He’s never chased a horse as quick as Knicks Go, but he can stalk and come home well, and Knicks Go has never beaten a horse as talented as Maxfield.
“It’s a tough race,” said Maxfield’s trainer, Brendan Walsh. “It’s going to be a huge test for him, and for everybody else. The horse looks great, so we can’t ask for more than that.”
Jose Ortiz rode Maxfield in his last two races, 3 1/4-length wins in the Grade 2 Alysheba and Grade 2 Stephen Foster, both at Churchill Downs. I think Ortiz will be able to stay within striking distance of Knicks Go, and it will help Maxfield if Swiss Skydiver tries to apply early pressure on the front-runner. In her best races last year, she was on or near the lead, so trainer Ken McPeek may want Irad Ortiz, Jr. to take the fight to Knicks Go and see what happens.
I think Maxfield can overtake Knicks Go. And even if he doesn’t, the Whitney should be terrific theater.
$1 million Whitney Stakes (G1), 1 1/8 miles, 4 and up
Maxfield – Courtesy of Coady Photography
Picks for Glens Falls, Test and Saratoga Derby
A pair of Pick 3s to choose from three races before the Whitney, which is the 10th race, are graded stakes that also have outstanding fields. There’s no pick 4 starting with the seventh, but there are pick 3s starting with the seventh and eighth. I’ll give you the horses I like, and you can construct your own pick 3 tickets, play doubles or just bet the Glens Falls (seventh race), Test (eighth), Saratoga Derby Invitational (ninth) and Whitney one at a time.
$250,000 Glens Falls Stakes (G2), 1 1/2 miles, turf, 4 and up fillies and mares
There’s not much pace in this marathon, but deep closer War Like Goddess (3) has won at 1 3/8 and 1 1/2 miles by overcoming slow fractions. She hasn’t run since April 23 at Keeneland when she flew home in under 23 seconds in the final quarter-mile of the Bewitch Stakes. Bill Mott has been a top layoff trainer for decades, so the long break doesn’t scare me. I’ll throw in Chad Brown’s closer My Sister Nat (5) on a pick 3 ticket but not likely pacesetter Dalika.
$500,000 Test Stakes (G1), 7 furlongs, 3-year-old fillies
The Test usually attracts the East’s and Midwest’s top 3-year-old filly sprinters, and this is a vintage renewal. Illumination and Bella Sofia should ensure a fast pace, and Always Carina also could be near the front early.
I’ll go with likely favorite Search Results (7), who has enough tactical speed to stalk quick fractions as well as a solid finishing kick. She’s 4-for-5, with her only loss by a neck to the 5-for-6 Malathaat in the Grade 1 Kentucky Oaks. Search Results is 3-for-3 around one turn, and the turnback from the mile Acorn Stakes should fit perfectly.
Others to consider for pick 3 and double plays are Obligatory (4), a powerful closer who was only a half-length behind in the Acorn, and Zaajel (3), a stalker who’s 2-for-2 at 7 furlongs and comes off an 18-1 shocker in the 1 1/16-mile, Grade 2 Mother Goose.
$1 million Saratoga Derby Invitational (G1), 1 3/16 miles, turf, 3-year-olds
Irish wizard Aidan O’Brien’s Bolshoi Ballet (6) overcame a troubled trip and surged powerfully in the final 100 yards to take the Grade 1 Belmont Derby for Ryan Moore, who crosses the ocean again to ride the heavy favorite. He’s the most logical single on Saturday’s card, and it seems unlikely he’ll have serious traffic problems this time. But at the “Graveyard of Favorites,” it might be safe to spread a little.
His most serious rival looks like Secret Protector (7), coming off a strong third-place finish in a 1 1/4-mile Group 3 at Royal Ascot. Trainer Charlie Appleby is having a terrific year for international superpower Godolphin, and he was 2-for-2 in Grade 1 grass stakes at Belmont with the filly Althiqa. I’ll put Secret Protector on my tickets along with Cadillac (4), whose regular rider, Shane Foley, comes over from Ireland for the accomplished trainer Jessica Harrington.
Ed McNamara is an award-winning journalist who has been writing about thoroughbred racing for 35 years. He has handicapped races for ESPN.com, Newsday and The Record of New Jersey. He is the author of “Cajun Racing: From the Bush Tracks to the Triple Crown” and co-author of “The Most Glorious Crown,” a chronicle of the first 12 Triple Crown champions.
