Knicks Go Favored in Star-Studded Whitney Stakes

There may be understandable uncertainty about who will win the $1 million Whitney Stakes (G1).

But, barring a mishap, it's pretty clear which of the five starters will be in front Aug. 7 on the backstretch.

Hello, Knicks Go .

In a roller coaster year contained within a roller coaster career, Korea Racing Authority's Knicks Go heads into the 94th Whitney at Saratoga Race Course as the 6-5 morning line favorite and the speedster everyone figures to be chasing in the Breeders' Cup Challenge event that will award the victor a free spot in the Nov. 6 Longines Breeders' Cup Classic (G1).

"I don't think anyone wants to go with him. He's very fast. Horses try to go with him, but he gets clear," trainer Brad Cox said. "I think he's one of the fastest dirt horses around two turns. He has devastating speed. He's showed that several times. If he brings his 'A' game he will be tough to beat, and he seems to be doing really well. (Jockey Joel Rosario) does a great job on him. He gets him away and gets him involved. When this horse gets into that high cruising speed, he can be tough to reel in."

Reeling in Knicks Go will indeed be the challenge for the four classy rivals lined up to face him, which includes three fellow grade 1 winners and one multiple grade 2-winning, grade 1-placed foe. Though that does not promise to be a simple task for them based on his recent front-running scores in the Prairie Meadows Cornhusker Handicap (G3), Pegasus World Cup Invitational Stakes (G1), and Big Ass Fans Breeders' Cup Dirt Mile (G1).

With such a small field, it removes the possibility of an upstart pushing the Maryland-bred son of Paynter   through some ridiculous fractions.

"Speed is always good but speed seems to be even better in a short field," said Cox, whose 5-year-old will break from post four Saturday. "There's not as many horses trying to get the lead. We know these horses and if all goes well, he'll be on the lead and hopefully carving out a pace that's comfortable."

Though Knicks Go figures to be in front early, staying there throughout the nine furlongs will not be easy against a stellar collection of rivals.

The opponents include Godolphin's Maxfield  (post 5, 8-5 odds), who has won seven of eight starts, Winchell Thoroughbreds and Willis Horton Racing's Silver State  (2, 4-1) winner of his last six starts capped by the Hill 'N' Dale Metropolitan Handicap (G1), Allied Racing Stable and Spendthrift Farm's By My Standards  (1, 10-1), who was second in the Met Mile, and last but far from least, Peter Callahan's 4-year-old filly Swiss Skydiver  (3, 6-1) who won the Preakness Stakes (G1) and is attempting to become the first filly or mare to win the Whitney since 1988.

It's basically the kind of field anyone would expect for a race with the storied history and importance of the Whitney.

"I have nothing but respect for this field," said Steve Asmussen, who trains Silver State. "There's not a throwout in the race and whoever wins it will have to have things go their way or have to show their best."

Both Silver State and By My Standards finished in front of Knicks Go in the Met Mile, when the son of the Outflanker mare Kosmo's Buddy set the pace but faded to fourth in the one-turn test.

The key words there for Cox are one turn. In Knicks Go's seven starts since moving to Cox's barn in 2020, his lone losses were in one turn races: The Saudi Cup (G1) and Met Mile, where he finished fourth in back-to-back starts. Needless to say, Cox has scratched one turn races from Knicks Go's to-do list, especially after watching him rebound from those two losses with a monstrous 10 1/4-length win in the 1 1/8-mile Cornhusker.

"The Cornhusker restored our confidence," Cox said of the $4.8 million earner. "He was training as well for the Met Mile as he was for any race, so to see him run that way it tells me we can't do a one-turn race with him. It's not his thing. He's a different animal around two turns and is doing really good right now."

Maxfield, a homebred son of Street Sense  , seeks his first grade 1 win since he captured the Claiborne Farms' Breeders' Futurity (G1) as a 2-year-old. He won the Stephen Foster Stakes (G2) and Alysheba Stakes Presented by Sentient Jet (G2) in his last two starts and has finally been racing and training on a steady basis for trainer Brendan Walsh, a departure from earlier in his career when he missed the Breeders' Cup twice and the 2020 Triple Crown.

"He's running in the race that we circled on the map as one of the major objectives of the year," said Jimmy Bell, president of Godolphin USA, "and we're happy to be here in the good form we're in."

Silver State has not lost since he was seventh in the 2020 Twinspires.com Louisiana Derby (G2). After winning the Oaklawn Handicap (G2) for a fifth straight win, the son of Hard Spun   was an impressive length winner in the Met Mile, taking charge at the eighth pole and drawing clear.

"The surprise for us was when he didn't have the success that we were expecting as a 3-year-old," Asmussen said. "We're obviously very proud of what he's gotten done. We love the opportunity to run at Saratoga, knowing what that means. (Assistant trainer Scott Blasi) mentioned the other day the only one more confident than us is (Silver State) so we're feeling good about his chances."

A 4-year-old bred by Stonestreet Thoroughbred Holdings, Silver State has won 7 of his 11 career starts.

For a variety of reasons, Swiss Skydiver will be making her first start since finishing third April 17 in the Apple Blossom Handicap (G1).

After a fever knocked her out of the Ogden Phipps Stakes (G1) and a 21-day Equine Herpesvirus-1 quarantine prevented her from running last month in the Shuvee Stakes (G3), she will be facing the boys for the third time in her career, having won the Preakness and finished second in the Toyota Blue Grass (G2) last year. 

"With the way the ball has bounced the last month we really wanted to get her back in the game," trainer Ken McPeek said about a filly who won the Alabama Stakes (G1) at Saratoga a year ago. "She's doing super. We're taking on older colts for the first time and this is a talented and established group, but we're excited. She's doing super and she's won here before. It's going to be a fun weekend."

Swiss Skydiver, a daughter of Daredevil   bred by WinStar Farm, is usually close to the pace and should flash some early speed off the layoff, but McPeek does not envision her running head-and-head with Knicks Go as the field turns into the backstretch.

"She wants to go around there and keep a nice rhythm," McPeek said. "You can't make her go too early or it takes a little juice out of her finish," McPeek said. "We're not going to force any pacesetters. We're not going to try to change the pace of the race. We're just going to let her run her race."

By My Standards, a 5-year-old son of Goldencents   bred by Don Ladd and trained by Bret Calhoun, may be the outsider according to the morning line, but he has won seven of 16 starts with five seconds and earnings of more than $2.2 million and was second to Improbable in last year's Whitney.

Entries: Whitney S. (G1)

Saratoga Race Course, Saturday, August 07, 2021, Race 10

• Grade I
• 1 1/8m
• Dirt
• $1,000,000
• 4 yo's & up
• 5:48 PM (local)

PP	Horse	Jockey	Wgt	Trainer	M/L
1	1By My Standards (KY)	Gabriel Saez	120	W. Bret Calhoun	10/1
2	2Silver State (KY)	Ricardo Santana, Jr.	124	Steven M. Asmussen	4/1
3	3Swiss Skydiver (KY)	Irad Ortiz, Jr.	119	Kenneth G. McPeek	6/1
4	4Knicks Go (MD)	Joel Rosario	124	Brad H. Cox	6/5
5	5Maxfield (KY)	Jose L. Ortiz	122	Brendan P. Walsh	8/5