It would be kind to say that outside of Blind Luck and Havre de Grace, the older horse division is lackluster; but as much can be expected when all of the best 3-year-olds as well as the best older horses from the previous year are retired. What we have left is a large number of second-tier horses scrapping for their first Grade Is, as is largely the case with this Saturday’s Whitney Handicap at Saratoga. While last year’s edition could be called one of the most exciting bouts of 2010, when two champions slugged it out in the stretch for the division title, this year the Whitney is anyone’s race. That being said, one of Saratoga’s most historic races should be a good one for bettors.
The horses in this field are basically a gang of old friends. They have battled it out and beaten each other time and time again, making the Whitney all the more interesting. There are four Grade I winners in the field (Giant Oak, Morning Line, Rail Trip, and Tizway), but as Grade Is go, a win in the Whitney would be the crowning gem of their career. Giant Oak is the lone horse with more than one Grade I under his belt, having broken a losing streak to take the Clark Handicap via disqualification, and then go on to win the Donn Handicap at Gulfstream in his next start. Giant Oak has not won since then, losing to Mission Impazible in the Grade II New Orleans Handicap, and finishing fifth in his most recent start, the Stephen Foster at Churchill. A horse as consistent as a roulette wheel, Giant Oak likes to run classic distances, but Saratoga will put him to the test with this field of worthy contenders.
Morning Line is usually consistently in the money, but ran the worst race of his career last time out in the Grade III Salvator Mile at Monmouth, where he finished fifth behind Kensei. Perhaps the long layoff staled him; before that, the 4-year-old son of Tiznow won the Grade I Carter Handicap in April. If he runs to form, Morning Line should be a major player in the Whitney; Morning Line won the Pennsylvania Derby at the 1 1/8th-mile distance last September.
Rail Trip hasn’t been the same since switching over to the hands of trainer Rick Dutrow after finishing second in the 2010 Hollywood Gold Cup. Whether it’s the trainer change, or perhaps the switch from running on synthetics to dirt, Rail Trip has not shown the dominance he once displayed in California, when he would consistently win or place in Graded stakes. He took a long layoff after finishing fifth in the 2010 Jockey Club Gold Cup, and came back after some foot issues to finish a game second to Friend or Foe in the $60,000 Easy Goer Stakes this past June at Belmont. This most recent start shows that Rail Trip is at least on the improve, but he’s going to have to run at his 2010 vintage to win the Whitney. Rail Trip’s last victory came in June 2010 in the Grade II Californian, run over the same distance as this test will be; it would be a sweet victory for this gelding to return to form on one of Saratoga’s biggest days.
Tizway has a lot to boast about as the winner of the Grade I Met Mile in his most recent start, but it’s the distance of the Whitney that puts his chances here into question. Though Tizway has one 1 1/8th-mile victory to his record, that race came over the synthetic track at Woodbine in a maiden special weight. Tizway has never won a stakes race over 1 mile in distance, though he has tried and has come in the money. He ran third behind Duke of Mischief in the Grade III Charles Town Classic going this distance, and fourth in the 2009 edition of the Whitney.
Depending on where you were sitting during the Grade I Stephen Foster, Mission Impazible looked like the winner. It’s thanks to the late-charging Pool Play that the gray Todd Pletcher trainee is still looking for his first Grade I victory; half a length away from achieving this goal in the Foster, the 2010 Louisiana Derby winner will try again with the Whitney, and he stands a good chance to finally earn this elusive status. Mission Impazible has already beaten two of the contenders in this race—Giant Oak and Apart.
Apart, Duke of Mischief, Friend or Foe, Headache, Rodman, and Flat Out round out the field for the Grade I Whitney Handicap. Any number of these contenders could take the famous trophy home and add their name to an impressive list of winners. As the older horse division is still looking for a leader, a victory here by any of the four Grade I winners will give him an edge come Eclipse time. Whitney day is one of Saratoga’s most glorious days, so don’t miss out on a great day of racing at the Spa, which also includes the Grade I Test Stakes on the undercard.
Coverage of Saratoga’s Grade I races will begin at 5:00pm ET on Versus.