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 2, 2025

Even if we took a deeper look into the runners of the Whitney, we probably still would not have come up with the winner. Fried Chicken has been successful since joining Angelos Stable, and he had been working well. Still, this was the Whitney, and he was going up some of the greatest virtual horses out there that are active. When we saw him five weeks ago in the Foster, he was unable to make his customary late charge, though it’s especially apparent now that was because of the mud. Against the best, Fried Chicken did what he does best, letting the others do their thing in the early moments of the race before cooking the competition in the stretch. He’d win by a length, scoring a massive win for his trainer, which is his first in the Whitney. It’s also the first time S Elliott has ridden the winner. Congratulations to them! The time of the win was 1:47.22, which is among the better such winning times. Before we take a look at it, we should mention that Quiet Return was a late scratch. Now, here’s how it went down:

(½ Mile- :46.96)- Two horses break away from the rest of the field pretty quickly out of the gate, with the post time favorite from Mb Stables, Wahpekute Sioux, being one of them. Joining him will be the D J C Racing Stables- trained Bad Debt. As they worked around the clubhouse turn, Face The Lunatic, from Martyparty, insisted on running with them as well, and by the time we hit a half mile, he’s within a length of the top two. There’s a break of about two to Maxmillion Farm’s Blazing on the rail, with Grimley’s Ocala Secret right beside to him. Nearby in the third lane, we have Killer Instinct, for Mb Stables. Big Bang Boom (Rock Creek) is next, followed by Sick Boi (Royalty Stables), then Eight West Party (TwinTowersRacing). At the back, and scored as nine lengths off the lead, is our eventual winner from Angelos Stable, Fried Chicken, and he’s just fine with that for now.

(3/4 Mile- 1:11.04)- We move into the turn with mostly jockeys looking for lanes with their horses instead of anyone making a serious push at this point. That means out in front, it’s Wahpekute Sioux still out in front, with Face The Lunatic taking second from Bad Debt, but they are all still at the front of the field. Blazing is still fourth on the rail, and the biggest mover at this point was Killer Instinct, pushing forward in the third lane and now being ahead of Ocala Secret. Big Bang Boom and Sick Boi held their positions, and at the back, Fried Chicken has passed Eight West Party but still has a lot more work to do.

(Top of the Stretch, 1.7F To Go)- Completing the turn around the turn and moving into the stretch, Face The Lunatic has grabbed the top spot from Wahpekute Sioux, but he hangs on to second for now. Bad Debt has lost a little bit of ground to these two, as Killer Instinct was looking strong on the outside, continuing to gain on the leaders. Big Bang Boom would pass Blazing, and also seems promising as he now looked to come on between Bad Debt and Killer Instinct. Ocala Secret was lacking response, as was Sick Boi. Further back, Fried Chicken was setting up to do what he does best, as S Elliott moved him to the outside and out of any traffic troubles. He had only passed Sick Boi, but being just four lengths back, Angelos Stable had to like how things were setting up. Eight West Party was also showing a lot more interest, but being already behind Fried Chicken would not help his cause.

(Finish- 1:47.22)- Face The Lunatic was going to try and finish this off out in front, but the charge of Fried Chicken was going to be too much for him. With a furlong to go, Fried Chicken was up to fifth, and just about even with Big Bang Boom. If it wasn’t for him, perhaps all eyes would have been on Killer Instinct here but today was going to be the day for Fried Chicken. Approaching the wire, he would lead everyone behind, frying the competition en route to grabbing a win and the coveted spot in the BC Classic! Big Bang Boom, after a quick lane change to the inside, grabbed second over Killer Instinct and another late runner, Eight West Party. Those two dead heat for show. Face The Lunatic drops out of collecting any part of the purse, as he is fifth, ahead of Sick Boi, Blazing, Wahpekute Sioux, Bad Debt, and Ocala Secret.

About The Winner- Fried Chicken, trained by Angelos Stable and ridden to victory by S Elliott, is a five-year-old gelding by Storming and is out of the late Aix En Provence. He was bred by Wood Duck Stables in California as a second quarter two-year-old, and was acquired by Angelos Stable with a $16.000 claim in October 2024 (maiden claimer). Congratulations to the connections! The win is his sixth in 18 starts, his third stake win and second graded win. His career earnings are now $922.190.

Track: Fast
Time: :46⁴  1:11  1:35²  1:47¹

$2 Mutuel Prices:

$1 Exacta: 10 – 5 Paid 360.80
$1 Trifecta: 10 – 5 – 7 Paid 547.10, 10 – 5 – 8 Paid 547.10

Scratched: Quiet Return(L)

— NS

Categories: Grade I, STAKES ARTICLES