Group of heavyweights ready to throw it down in Whitney

Trainer Chad Brown is deploying some interesting tactics in Saturday’s Grade 1, $1 million Whitney Stakes at Saratoga. Brown entered the pair of Sierra Leone, last year’s Breeders’ Cup Classic winner and 3-year-old champion, and Contrary Thinking, a recent allowance winner, who was just purchased by Peter Brant, co-owner of Sierra Leone.

By entering a pair that seem on the opposite ends of the class spectrum, Brown is ensuring that Sierra Leone will get pace to close into in the Whitney. Contrary Thinking will be what’s considered a “rabbit,” a front-runner, entered to ensure a strong pace for his closing counterpart. 

The 1 1/8-mile Whitney is a “Win and You’re In” race for the BC Classic. As part of the Breeders’ Cup Challenge Series, the winner of the Whitney will earn a fees-paid berth into the BC Classic on Nov. 1 at Del Mar. 

Sierra Leone closed into face fractions to win the BC Classic last year. It was similar to last year’s Kentucky Derby, when he closed quickly to finish a nose short of Mystik Dan. In his 4-year-old debut, Brown sent Sierra Leone to Fair Grounds, where he won the Risen Star last year. Sierra Leone finished a better-than-it-seemed third in the Grade 2 New Orleans Classic. 

Following that effort, Sierra Leone tried to close into a slow pace in the Grade 1 Stephen Foster, ultimately finishing second by one length to Mindframe, who was entered in the Whitney but will scratch for the Grade 1 Jockey Club Gold Cup later in the meet. 

After that race, jockey Flavien Prat, who will also be aboard from post 5 Saturday as the 2-1 second choice, said “he came with a big run for me today but was just kind of grinding down the lane and just couldn’t catch the winner. He tried hard but just didn’t quite have enough punch today.”

Fierceness was part of the fast pace that Sierra Leone closed into in the BC Classic and arguably ran a better race. Prior to the BC Classic, Fierceness beat Sierra Leone in the Jim Dandy and Travers, but finished 15th in the Derby before that. 

In his seasonal bow, Fierceness looked primed for a big 4-year-old campaign after winning the Grade 2 Alysheba at Churchill Downs. Next out in the Grade 1 Met Mile at Saratoga, Fierceness ran a somewhat disappointing second as the favorite, albeit at a distance short of his best.

Fierceness shouldn’t mind some additional speed, as he has shown a preference to run outside and slightly off speed. John Velazquez will be aboard once again Saturday from post 9 as the 9-5 favorite. Velazquez was aboard in the Met Mile when Fierceness had a little trouble at the start.

“Actually Johnny said he broke so sharply he kind of hit the gate and came back with some blood on his mouth from hitting his gate at the start. Then the first sixteenth of a mile was pretty rough. They were bouncing around trying to get position. After that he got into the exact position that we wanted, he just couldn’t get by the horse on the lead,” said trainer Todd Pletcher.

Likely to join Contrary Thinking on the front end is Skippylongstocking, part of a pair entered by trainer Saffie Joseph Jr. A winner of 11 races from 32 starts, Skippylongstocking won the Grade 2 Hollywood Gold Cup at Santa Anita last out and is a multiple graded stakes winner, though he has yet to pick up a Grade 1 victory. Jose Ortiz is booked to ride from post 2.

The other Joseph entrant is White Abarrio, winner of the 2023 Whitney and BC Classic. A somewhat spotty runner with Joseph, White Abarrio won the Grade 1 Florida Derby in 2022, the highest mark he hit with Joseph before being transferred to trainer Rick Dutrow.

With Dutrow, White Abarrio ran third in the 2023 Met Mile, then won the Whitney and BC Classic. In 2024, White Abarrio ran 10th in the Saudi Cup then fifth in the Met Mile, and was then transferred back to Joseph. 

This year, White Abarrio won the Grade 1 Pegasus and Grade 3 Ghostzapper, both at Gulfstream. He then ran fourth in the Met Mile, also going shorter than his best. While he has some early speed, White Abarrio is likely to stalk the pace under Irad Ortiz Jr. from post 7.

The early pace will also help Post Time, who ran third in the Whitney last year. A late runner, Post Time proved himself outside of his home state of Maryland last year, placing in multiple graded stakes, including the BC Mile, where he finished second. Trainer Brittany Russell has kept Post Time going longer this year, winning an allowance at Laurel, before finishing third in the Grade 3 Blame at Churchill. Last out, Post Time won the Deputed Testamony at Laurel going 1 1/8 miles. 

Regular Rider Sheldon Russell will be aboard from post 10, at odds of 12-1, which he is likely to out run.

Highland Falls looked like a contender in the division last year after winning the Jockey Club Gold Cup here but then ran ninth in the BC Classic. The Brad Cox trainee returned this year with an allowance win at Aqueduct. Luis Saez is booked to ride. 

Disarm also loomed a contender in the division at one point. After running well in graded stakes as a 3-year-old, including a second-place finish in the 2023 Travers, Disarm looked ready to compete as an older horse. Things haven’t gone exactly as planned with the Steve Asmussen trainee, as he has registered just two allowance wins since last year. Disarm ran fourth in the Whitney last year and gets Joel Rosario aboard from post 6. He is also 

Longshot Mama’s Gold, who will also add some early pace, completes the field.

The Whitney will go on race 11 on a 13-race card and is one of four Grade 1 races on the card. The stakes action starts in race 3 with the Grade 2 Saratoga Special. Race 8, the Fourstardave, begins the run of Grade 1 races, followed by the Saratoga Derby, the Test, and the Whitney.

The Breeders’ Cup Challenge Series: Win and You’re In is an international series of 93 stakes races in15 countries whose winners receive automatic starting positions and fees paid into a corresponding race at the Breeders’ Cup World Championships, held this year at Del Mar on Oct. 31 and Nov. 1.

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