The Whitney (Grade 1) (BC)- $1,000.000 Purse
SAR- For Four Year Olds and Upward
One Mile and One Eighth on the Dirt
August 3, 2024

There are many big races going on this weekend, but none are bigger than the Grade 1 Whitney, taking place at SAR on Saturday. The race offers a ticket to the BC Classic with a cool $1,000.000 purse to be split amongst its top finishers. It’s one of those races that we all look forward to every year, and it has been won in the past by some truly great virtual horses. Barbarino, Atomic Twister, Splash Mountain, and Tactical are just some of the past winners, and these last two have been great ones as well. Charleys Latte got the win in 2022, and last year it was Lets Celebrate for Riggins Racing. It was a great summer for Lets Celebrate and even though he never really sustained that later in the year, it shouldn’t detract from his accomplishment. Nine have been entered into this race, let’s look at those taking part:

1- Wahpekute Sioux (Mb Stables, ridden by J R Velazquez)- Looking to follow the lead of Lets Celebrate from last year by winning the Whitney after winning the Grade 1 Foster right before it. He would seem to stand a good chance, as while everyone in this field is accomplished, Wahpekute Sioux’s career earnings are more than triple that of the second highest earner in the field, and his 2024 earnings are greater than the lifetime earnings of anyone here. He’s won his last two, also including the Grade 3 PIM Special, so he is hot right now. There’s not a thing wrong with this one coming into this race, and he should be the favorite.

2- Eight West Party (TwinTowersRacing, ridden by S X Bridgmohan)- Made it to the BC Classic last year and finished tenth, a year that also included an eighth place run in the Whitney. So far in 2024, he has run six times without a win but has been able to hit the board in three of them, including his last two. Ran third here in the Suburban during the BEL racing festival and was then second in the Grade 2 Brooklyn. A low SRF there does get your attention, though. For some reason, he always goes off at double digit odds, so give him a little more respect when considering him.

3- Senor Vinagre Y Agua (YME Stable, ridden by F Pennington)- After winning three in a row in late 2023, Senor Vinagre Y Agua made his stake debut in the Grade 3 Mineshaft Stakes at FG in February, and made a late move to get up for fourth. He’s been quiet since then, though, not getting another chance at a stake until right now. Was hit and miss in three optional claimers since then, so you could make the case that this is too much for him, but I actually like him getting this opportunity. He must get over that inconsistent nature of his though, or it will be a long race for the trainer to watch.

4- South China Sea (Fractious, ridden by R L Moore)- Speaking of the Mineshaft, that race was won by South China Sea in February. The victory marked the fourth straight win for the Sun Tzu gelding, a streak that has come to an end, but he has not stopped running well. He has finished third in two of his three races since then, highlighted by the Alysheba where only Gigabyte and Twin Rackets were better than he was. He beat the likes of stablemate Domiano as well as Individuation along the way and will be looking to bounce back after a mediocre Suburban.

5- Speter (Fractious, ridden by F Prat)- He’s had his moment, with multiple graded wins during his career, but where does he stand right now? Two of his last three races have been $50.000 claimers, and in each of them, he was claimed after running second. Fractious wanted to see if Speter could get back to old form, running him in the Grade 3 Dominion Stakes where he earned another second-place finish. It’s going to be interesting to see what he does here and where he stands against top competition.

6- Gas Lighting (TwinTowersRacing, ridden by Mario Gutierrez)- If he has his day, he can have a shot, but this is a horse that has only had one good race out of his last six, and even that was a fourth-place finish, coming in the OP Handicap. The trainer will stick with a horse like this often, and the dividends have paid off greatly in the past, but this is a horse that I can’t trust in a race like this.

7- Angle Of Attack (Luz International, ridden by T Gaffalione)- He has taken on Wahpekute Sioux in his last two races, which were each won by his rival. However, Angle Of Attack was right there with him at the end, running third in the PIM Special, and then second in the Foster. Before those races, he had won four straight, highlighted by the Grade 3 Ghostzapper. All it may take is a different angle of attack, so to speak, to get him over the top against that one. His odds should be low as well, but if you want someone other than Wahpekute Sioux, this may be the best second option.

8- Living In The Matrix (TwinTowersRacing, ridden by F Geroux)- The trainer has entered three into the race, and Living In The Matrix seems to be the best among the trio. Two months ago in the Suburban, he went wire to wire at odds of 16/1, earning a 101 SRF along the way. Since then, he has been getting ready for this one, and more of the same will mean he will have a strong shot. This one can be prone to the occasional bad race here and there, so that can be a concern when up against more consistent opponents. I’d watch the odds here, if he gets close to 16/1 again, take the shot.

9- Berlin (The Sidley Stud, ridden by M Franco)- Didn’t do well in the Whitney last year, but can only do better this time around since there are only nine entered. That race was an aberration for him, though, because he’s won ten of his 23 career starts, with three of them coming in the last five. Two of them were Grade 3’s, but last month he went wire to wire to win the Brooklyn. Like Eight West Party, the SRF coming out of that is not that impressive, but I’m just going to assume that those figures are off a little bit.

Prediction: 1-7-8-4

— NS

Categories: Grade I, STAKES ARTICLES