Whitney Day Updates, Live From Saratoga Race Course:

Welcome to my Whitney day blog live from Saratoga Race Course for an especially strong edition of the $1 million Whitney Stakes (G1).

I'll provide updates on the 1 1/8-mile Whitney, today's other three grade 1 races, and the entire 14-race card while also pointing you to all of the coverage BH is providing today from senior correspondent Bob Ehalt, assistant news editor Sean Collins, and features editor Karen Johnson.

Update 14: Oscar Scores, Denies Pletcher

And the Runner Is , who was close to the even-money favorite in race 8, was scratched about one minute before post time. 

That left Oscar as the 2-1 favorite and he lived up to that billing, rallying along the hedge to seize the lead in early stretch and then holding off a late charge from the Todd Pletcher-trained Bold Leadership  to edge that one by a nose. First-time starter Oscar completed the 1 1/16-mile turf test in: 1:43.37 under Tyler Gaffalione. The son of Oscar Performance   is campaigned by Elements Racing and trained by Miguel Clement.

The victory means Pletcher will have to wait a bit longer to celebrate career win 6,000.

For horizontal wagers of four or more legs, backers of And the Runner Is saw their money shift to the winning favorite. (That worked out for yours truly as our partnership is now live to Movie Night🔥 , Goodall🔥 , and Explora  to close out a Pick 4.)

Well aware that the front-end is not the place to be today in turf races today, riders have been putting up slow early fractions but horses are still rallying late. Although those winners are staying a bit closer to the slow pace. Oscar broke on top but Gaffalione was able to have him rate in a pressing position.

Update 13: Forged Steel Scratched From Whitney

Longshot Forged Steel , who would have supplied additional early speed in the Whitney Stakes (G1), has been scratched. That leaves a field of seven in the 1 1/8 mile stakes.

Check other late scratches at Equibase.

Update 12: Shooting Starlet

First-time starter Sumnmer Starlet provided the biggest "wow" moment of the day with a wide rally to surge to a decisive victory in the sixth race, a maiden special weight race for juvenile fillies.

The daughter of City of Light   is owned by BC Stables, Wattswood Stables, Bob Albritton, Jay Graham, and David Baggett. She was bred in Kentucky by Newstead Corp. The winner is trained by Steve Asmussen, who secured his second win of the day; and guided to victory by Jose Ortiz, who landed win No. 3 on the card. (see Update 9)

The winner rallied from the back half of the field. I thought the main track was played fair yesterday, but early runners seem to be up against it today. (see Update 11)

Update 11: Surface Play

In three of the first four main-track races, winning horses have rallied from fifth or further back (including both dead-heat winners in the . No horse has won on the front end although the first-race winner, Gaudreau , raced in second and just off the pace early.

In fairness, Admiralty  rallied from fifth to win the second race but was within two lengths of the leader at first call—a pressing type run. Still, it's worth keeping an eye on. At the very least, it's safe to say that horses can rally on this track.

In the one turf race today, conducted on the Mellon Course, dead-heat winner Hand Over Heart  rallied from last of eight and Sail With the Wind  from sixth. That running style matches what we were seeing yesterday on both courses.

We await race 6, where there's a lot of buzz that Red Poppy will provide trainer Todd Pletcher with his milestone win.

Update 10: A Filly in the Whitney

What do we think about the chances of top filly Nitrogen  in today's Whitney Stakes? She already owns a win over this track this year—the Ogden Phipps Stakes (G1)—her third win in as many starts on the Spa main track. 

Congrats to the sportsmanship of Nitrogen's connections as her entry certainly has added a lot of intrigue to this year's eight-horse field. Read Bob Ehalt's feature on trainer Mark Casse, the trainer of Nitrogen, and his thinking going into today's 1 1/8 mile test. Comments are open below.

Update 9: Tagermeen Prevails

Despite a slow start, Tagermeen🔥  rallied to win race 5, an allowance race at seven furlongs on the main track. The son of Into Mischief   held off Fact  late in the race completed in 1:23.46.

It's the second straight win for Tagermeen, who earned a maiden special weight victory June 27 at Churchill Downs.

Jockey Ricardo Santana Jr., on Pretty Boy Miah, who finished off the board, lodged an objection against the winner but the stewards found no foul.

With that decision, jockey Jose Ortiz secured his second win of the day and trainer Steve Asmussen landed his first. (I suspect more are on the way, we'll see.)

Update 8: Dead-Heat Excites Crowd

A big roar went up from the steadily growing crowd at Saratoga when the result of the fourth race was posted as Hand Over Heart  and Sail With the Wind  finished in a dead-heat for the win in the 1 1/16-mile allowance test on the turf.

Watching the race live and then glancing at one replay, I thought Sail With the Wind prevailed. Fortunately no one offered a "close-finish" wager to me.

That makes jockeys Dylan Davis and Junior Alvarado winners as well as trainers Chad Brown and Jeremiah Englehart. Brown has two wins on the day. 

Just after the race the sun made its best showing of the day. Overcast skies have given way to sun and white clouds.

Update 7: Sad News Away From Spa

Had to pause a bit from this live blog to write up some sad news. The young stallion Girvin  , who has been on the upswing, died suddenly today at Airdrie Stud near Midway, Ky. Airdrie's Bret Jones called him an "absolute gift."

'Absolute Gift' Girvin Dies Suddenly at Airdrie Stud

Update 6: Gadreau Delivers

In the stretch Gadreau, my top pick, dug in to hold off Coach Pope and U. S. S. Valor to win on debut. (Hopefully that's not the high point of my handicapping today!)

Bred in Louisiana by Coteau Grove Farm, Gaudreau  is a son of Kentucky Derby (G1) winner Nyquist and is out of stakes-placed Free Cover, by Congrats.

Update 5: late scratch

Coach's Pals  has been scratched from the first race. He was on his way to the gate when scratched.

Update 4: Handicapping Thoughts

Today's win bets are Vibe  in race 3, And the Runner Is  in race 12, Lagynos  in race 10 (the Fourstardave), Remember Mamba  in race 11 (Saratoga Derby), and Magnitude  in race 12 (Whitney).

How to read this short-hand.

Horses are listed in order of preference.

A slash differentiates A picks and B picks. "A picks" are horses I need to include in horizontal wagers. "B picks" are horses I would like to include. When there is only one selection listed, or a single selection before the slash, that will be a win bet for me.

Update 3: Setting the Stage

Looking for a hot jockey today? Manny Franco tied the Saratoga single-day wins record when he guided six horses to victory yesterday, capping his big day with a victory on Bottas  in the National Museum of Racing Hall of Fame Stakes (G2T).

Besides that accomplishment, Bottas' victory put trainer Miguel Clement in the winner's circle on the same day that his late father, Christophe, was inducted into the Racing Hall of Fame.



In Friday's other stakes race at Saratoga, Kentucky Belle  delivered a scintillating late run to capture the Saratoga Oaks (G2T).

Analysis: Upon watching yesterday's races and reviewing the results, both turf courses were playing toward horses off the pace. I did not find any bias on the main track.

Update 2: Milestone Watch

Besides today's very strong edition of the Whitney Stakes (G1), and the day's three other grade 1 tests, trainer Todd Pletcher will be aiming for a milestone.

The Racing Hall of Fame conditioner enters the day with 5,999 wins. Pletcher, who leads all North American trainers in career purse earnings at $525,978,783, will try to become just the sixth trainer to reach 6,000 career wins.

He has 10 horses entered today, all at Saratoga Race Course: Race 1, With Luck Forward; race 2, Live; race 3 Classicist and Vibe; race 4, Lovely Cristina; race 6, Red Poppy; Race 8, Bold Leadership and Djokovic; race 12, Antiquarian  (Whitney Stakes); race 14, Versailles Road.

My thought: Pletcher lands the milestone win with Vibe  in race 3, as he bounces back from a poor effort in the Metropolitan Handicap (G1).

Update 1: Today's scratches, as of 9:54 a.m.

Race 3

#2       Bramito

Race 4    

#1       Consumer Sentiment  

#10       Hidden Rose

#11       Fast and Frisky

#12       Soundbite

Race 5

#3       Agoo

#5       Princip

Race 6

#1       Violet the Ultra  

#5       Norah Begorrah

Race 7

#11       Noble Factor

#13       Castle Chaos

Race 8

#7       Revenue Stream  

#8       Surety    

Race 10

#4       Classic Q 

Race 11

#5       Pacific Avenue 

#9       Bottas

Race 13

#6       Miss Elle 

Race 14

#1       Rothschild  

#3       Presider

#12       Mutaawid

#14       Sagamore Mischief

Weather

Overcast skies are greeting early arrivers today at the Spa. That has contributed to cooler temperatures than yesterday with the current temperature at 76 degrees with an expected high of 85 around 3-4 p.m.

There's only a slight chance of rain today, peaking at 35% around 5 p.m.

To start the day, the main track is fast and the turf courses are firm.

Race day

The Whitney Stakes will be contested as Race 12 on today's card with an expected post time of 6:33 p.m.

The $500,000 Test Stakes (Race 9, 4:36 p.m.) for 3-year-old fillies going seven furlongs begins a stretch of four straight grade 1 races. It will be followed by the $750,000 Fourstardave Stakes (Race 10, 5:14 p.m.) for 3-year-olds and older going a mile on the inner turf, the $750,000 Saratoga Derby Stakes (Race 11, 5:52) for 3-year-olds going 1 3/16 miles on the turf, and then the Whitney.

The 14-race card is scheduled to begin at 11:45 a.m. ET with a maiden special weight race for 2-year-olds. The day's final race is scheduled for 7:39 p.m., an allowance-optional claiming race on the inner turf.

The $1 Pick 6 begins with the Test, includes all four grade 1 races plus the day's final two races. Oddly, there is no Pick 5 that includes all four of the grade 1 stakes. The Pick 5 begins with the Fourstardave, as does the Grand Slam (a personal favorite wager).

Television

FOX Sports will be the home of today's races with the main FOX channel presenting the four grade 1 stakes from 5-7 p.m. FS2 will cover the other races on the card from 11:30 a.m.-5 p.m. and then after the FOX broadcast from 7 p.m.-8 p.m. for the day's final two races.

So watch on TV and keep check this live blog for news updates, my thoughts, a bit of handicapping, and pushes to all of our stories.

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