The Whitney (Grade 1) (BC)- $1,250.000 Purse
SAR- For Three Year Olds and Upward
One Mile and One Eighth on the Dirt
August 6, 2016

Leading up to the race, there never seemed to be a threat of rain, therefore we didn’t really look at the potential impact of a wet track for the Whitney.  Pop up storms are possible in upstate New York, and they weren’t completely dismissed from the forecasts, but it didn’t seem like it would impact Saratoga.  Somewhere along the line, one of these virtual pop up storms found their way over Saratoga Race Course, even though radar images were suggesting that they were traveling about 40 miles south.   In asking around the paddock, no one was exactly sure when this storm went by this morning, but whenever it did, it left its mark, and virtual SAR would be muddy.  Members of the virtual grounds crew deny leaving the sprinklers on all night.

Nonetheless, the 2016 version of The Whitney in our world took place on a muddy race track, and it would play a large role in the outcome in the race.  First off, it likely led to the scratch of Niagra.   It also kept us from seeing how Jamfest would fare on the main track in ideal conditions.  What it did do is make trainer Grimley happy, as Dogs Infowarrior has been unbeatable on off-tracks with today’s win making him 4-for-4 on off-tracks, and 4-for-5 at SAR.  Put those two together, then right away his chances look better.  Still, Dogs Infowarrior went off as the longest shot on the board here today.   You could understand why he wouldn’t be a favorite, but to see him go off as biggest price was a little surprising.  Today, Grimley and jockey M Franco celebrate winning the Whitney, and their automatic bid to the BC Classic! Congratulations to the winners!  It is the first Whitney win for trainer and jockey, and the winning time in the mud was 1:51.68.  Here’s a deeper look.

1st- 7- Dogs Infowarrior (28/1)- Today’s eventual winner from Grimley was the surprising longest shot on the board, but he would continue his dominance on both off tracks and at Saratoga in this race.  He was sharp out of the gate, and would actually lead the field into the opening turn, before conceding the lead to A One and favoring a stalking trip about two lengths back.  During the backstretch trip, he would run third on the rail for a while before passing Jamfest, moreso because of that one beginning to drop back.  Dogs Infowarrior would be second as they moved around the turn, still with two and a half lengths to make up on A One.  He would make up quite a bit of distance on the leader over the turn, with just a half length to make up on the leader, but it then became apparent that his biggest concern would be Dial It In, who was looking to make the same move by him that he wanted to make on A One.  With a furlong to go, Dogs Infowarrior had taken the lead, but Dial It In was breathing right down his neck, wanting to go by.  There was also concern over Enshrined, who was closing nicely while on the rail.  Dogs Infowarrior and M Franco could not let up even for a moment, and they would get the job done, holding them off for the win!  The time of the race in the mud was 1:51.68.  Dogs Infowarrior is a five year old horse by Dogs Bachelor Party and out of the late Grey Warrior.  He was bred in Florida by Negdog Racing as a first quarter two year old.  Grimley purchased him, unraced, in the December 2013 auction for just $20.030, and he has never let him go! Congratulations to the connections!

2nd- 12- Dial It In (6/1)- Our eventual runner up from Bigking started near the back of the field early from his outside post, but was positioned in a good spot on the race track in the third lane behind Power And Money.  D Moran would not be satisfied with just riding in this spot for the backstretch trip, and moved Dial It In to a four-wide position and closing the gap a bit to the leaders as they moved into the turn.  He would handle the turn very well, and advance all the way to the third position with just about a length to make up on the pacesetting A One.  Eventually, he would pass A One, but his problem would be Dogs Infowarrior, who was running in a synchronized stride with him, about a half length ahead, and he would never relinquish that advantage.

3rd- 4- Enshrined (19/1)- The longshot from Mb Stables got off to an average start, beginning in the middle of the field, seventh overall, as they moved around the opening turn.  As the backstretch run began, Enshrined would be 4-5 lengths back, but in a  good spot right behind Dogs Infowarrior.  R Bejarano just seemed to be waiting for the perfect time to strike, and when the opportunity to strike presented itself midway into the turn, Enshrined began to move forward.  Remained in this lane, and by the time they reached the exit of the turn, he had done very well to clear the majority of the traffic running to his outside, and only had the top three in front of him.  Ran hard all the way to the wire, and the effort paid off by being able to grab third from A One in the dying moments.

4th- 9- A One (6/1)- The reigning champion of the Travers from Eastern Equine got off to a strong start and surprised some when he went right out to the lead.  A One would not back off of this quick pace in the backstretch either, running a half mile in :47.90, and would open up an advantage of two and a half lengths during the backstretch trip and into the final turn.  The field would begin to catch up with him in the turn, and by the top of the stretch, Dogs Infowarrior had essentially pulled even with him.  The six furlongs fraction went in 1:12.38, and the mile in 1:38.32.  Could not keep up with the top two in the stretch and would be nipped at the wire very late for third.

5th- 5- Stranger (5/1)- The Sanny Village entry got off to a good start, assuming a position just off the lead in the opening moments between Dogs Infowarrior and Power And Money.  He would back off a little while in the backstretch, perhaps necessitated by Jamfest beginning to drop while being in his lane.  Stranger fell in the pecking order a little as they moved around the turn, but when his lane cleared up, he became resurgent with run.  Came on strong in the stretch, and was able to pass a few, resulting in this fifth place finish.

6th- 6- Royal Prodigy (4/1)- Given all of the other talent in the race, and not meaning to be a slight on the horse, it was a little surprising to see the Mb Stables entry go off as the post time favorite.  He would start towards the back, running between Enshrined and Dial It In early on. As he moved into the turn, J J Castellano moved him wide and hoped to make a hard charging run while in this lane.  Instead, he got a mild run that would allow him to pick off a few spots, but not an overpowering one to allow him to challenge the leaders.

7th- 2- What A Guarantee (9/2)- Not surprisingly, the John Henry entry had little interest in the early pace and went directly to the back to prepare to make a deep closing bid later in the race.  What A Guarantee would concede a total of about eight lengths to the leaders as they moved around the opening turn.  Remained along the inside for the run around the turn, and was in good stride for the stretch.  This allowed him to pass those who were tiring off pretty easily, but not much more.

8th- 1- Deputy Dynamite (20/1)- As we usually see from him, the Blushing Meadows gelding also started near the back to prepare to make a run later in this race.  He seemed to be in a good position to do so, staying on the rail and being about six lengths back into the backstretch.  As they moved into the top of the stretch, Deputy Dynamite looked for room in the middle of the pack, and to split horses.  The lane was there for him, but J J Hernandez never got the type of powerful response that he was wanting.

9th- 11- Jamfest (9/1)- One of the greatest active horses in the game right now made his return to the main track for Jkk Racing Stables, though everyone wanted to see him run on a fast track.  He would start well, though, and around the opening turn, while about four wide he made a move forward to run near the front with A One.  In the backstretch, he would lose some ground, but still seemed as though he would hold steady in the fourth or fifth position until about a furlong to go.   That is where his finish went from being possibly acceptable given the conditions, to being a big disappointment.

10th- 10- Hardline (12/1)- The Our Athletes trained horse was out of it early, dropping to the back of the field, and falling as many as eight lengths off the lead in the early moments.  He would just simply never look like the champion that we know that Hardline can be.  He would linger at the back the whole race, and not once did he ever attempt a closing bid.  Hopefully, the trainer knows why this may have occurred.  He did struggle mightily in his only other off track start, too.

11th- 8- Power And Money (23/1)- Made his debut for trainer Kopites in this race, and this was not what the new trainer was wanting.   Began the race in a position just off the lead, approximately three lengths out of it as they moved into the backstretch.  Midway into the backstretch, he gradually began retreating , and by the top of the stretch, nearly the entire field had gone by.  By the end of the race, they all would.

Track: Muddy
Time: :47⁴  1:12¹  1:38¹  1:51³

$2 Mutuel Prices:

$1 Exacta: 7 – 12 Paid 93.40
$1 Trifecta: 7 – 12 – 4 Paid 355.40

Scratched: Niagra

— NS

Categories: Grade I, STAKES ARTICLES