Whitney Stakes | Horse Racing Free Tips

Swiss Skydiver Gets Final Work For Whitney

Peter Callahan's three-time Grade 1 winner Swiss Skydiver put in her final piece of serious preparation for Saturday's Grade 1, $1 million Whitney at Saratoga Race Course in Saratoga Springs, N.Y.

With Irad Ortiz, Jr. aboard, the Kenny McPeek-trained 4-year-old daughter of Daredevil went five-eighths in 1:01.21 Sunday over a Saratoga main track rated fast.

A winner over six different ovals, including Saratoga when capturing last year's Grade 1 Alabama, Swiss Skydiver has won with five different jockeys aboard.

Ortiz, Jr. will look to increase that number when he pilots the chestnut filly in the Whitney.

“He loved her and said she felt great,” McPeek said. “We're excited, we should be ready. She's adaptable to racetracks and jockeys, it doesn't really matter.”

Swiss Skydiver has posted six graded stakes wins over five different ovals with her biggest claim to fame taking place against males in last year's Grade 1 Preakness Stakes. The last female to capture the Whitney was undefeated Hall of Famer Personal Ensign in 1988.

McPeek breezed graded stakes winner King Fury over the Oklahoma training turf Sunday in preparation for Saturday's $1 million Grade 1 Saratoga Derby Invitational going 1 3/16 miles over the Mellon turf course.

The son of Curlin, out of Grade 1-winner Taris, worked with Jose Ortiz aboard in company with Fighting Seabee, winner of the 2019 Grade 3 With Anticipation, and finished off his five-furlong move in 1:01.25.

Owned by Fern Circle Stables and Three Chimneys Farm, King Fury scored in the Grade 3 Lexington on April 10 over a sloppy and sealed track at Keeneland two starts back. He arrives at his turf debut off a close second to Masqueparade in the Grade 3 Ohio Derby on June 26 at Thistledown.

McPeek said he would like to run King Fury in the $1.25 million Grade 1 Runhappy Travers.

“Jose seemed to think that he can handle the turf,” McPeek said. “We'll learn a little something about him and it's a big purse. That's been our goal all summer is to get him to the Travers. The turf race is looking deep but it shouldn't hurt him.

“It's a very good group of 3-year-olds and Essential Quality had another workmanlike win yesterday, but it's hard to separate the 3-year-olds until the Breeders' Cup,” McPeek continued. “That's the race that really separates everybody.”

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Calhoun Readies By My Standards For Whitney, Mr. Wireless for West Virginia Derby

Trainer Bret Calhoun is poised for an action-packed weekend with Allied Racing and Spendthrift Farm's By My Standards lined up to start in the $1 million Grade 1 Whitney at Saratoga Race Course in Saratoga Springs, N.Y.

The four-time graded stakes winner has accumulated earnings in excess of $2.2 million with two Grade 1-placings on the NYRA circuit, including a runner-up effort in last year's Whitney to Improbable. He was a late-closing second to fellow Whitney contestant Silver State last out in the Grade 1 Hill 'n' Dale Metropolitan Handicap on June 5 at Belmont Park.

By My Standards has posted all four of his graded stakes victories over two turns, capturing the Grade 2 Louisiana Derby at Fair Grounds Race Course during his 3-year-old year following a third-out maiden score. As a 4-year-old, the son of Goldencents captured the Grade 2 New Orleans Classic at Fair Grounds, the Grade 2 Oaklawn Handicap, and the Grade 2 Alysheba at Churchill Downs.

Prior to the Met Mile, By My Standards made a triumphant 5-year-old debut in the Oaklawn Mile at Oaklwan Park in Hot Spring, Ark., on April 10. The Whitney will be By My Standards' first start this year going nine furlongs, which Calhoun says is the horse's best distance.

“That's one of the things that impressed me about his last race, he ran so well and it wasn't his ideal distance,” Calhoun said. “A one-turn mile is a little shorter for him, but he definitely can move forward off that race. He ran a nice race in the Met Mile. He got ran over at the gate a little bit, but he bounced back and trained very well since. I like the good spacing between his races. He'll go an easy half-mile Sunday at Colonial and will arrive at Saratoga Wednesday morning. Hopefully, everything goes well between now and then.”

Gabriel Saez, who has piloted By My Standards in 14 of his 16 starts, will return to the irons.

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Calhoun could also garner prosperity in West Virginia on Saturday with Mr. Wireless in the $750,000 Grade 3 West Virginia Derby at Mountaineer Park in New Cumberland, W.Va. The Jon Lapczenski and JIL Stable-owned sophomore son of Dialed On won the Grade 3 Indiana Derby on July 10 at Indiana Grand Race Course in Shelbyville, Ind. last out over Sermononthemount and graded stakes winner Fulsome.

Calhoun also could have Tom Durant's graded stakes-winning veteran Silver Dust target the $200,000 Grade 3 West Virginia Governor's Cup. The four-time graded stakes-winning son of Tapit won the Governor's Cup in 2019 and captured the Grade 2 Ben Ali on April 10 at Keeneland two starts ago.

Calhoun said Silver Dust would prefer a cooler climate.

“It's under consideration,” Calhoun said of the nine-furlong event. “He's a lot better in the cooler weather. He just seems to thrive in cooler weather. His energy level isn't near as high in heat. We'll watch the weather and see what happens.”

Calhoun saddled Ain't No Elmers to a second placing at graded stakes level in Wednesday's Grade 2 Honorable Miss at the Spa, where she set the pace and held on gamely for third behind graded stakes-winners Bell's the One and Lake Avenue.

“I thought she ran great. She battled all the way down the lane and never gave up,” Calhoun said. “She was outrun by two very high-quality fillies, so kudos to them. Elmers bounced back good and hopefully, there's a graded stakes with her name on it in the future.”

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Maxfield Prepares For Whitney, Pletcher Considers Next Start For Happy Saver

Godolphin homebred Maxfield, trained by Brendan Walsh, worked five furlongs from the gate Saturday under Jose Ortiz in preparation for the $1 million Grade 1 Whitney on August 7 at Saratoga Race Course in Saratoga Spring, N.Y.

Maxfield, who breezed in company with 3-year-old maiden winner Business Model over the fast main track at 8:45 a.m., was caught by NYRA clockers through splits of :24.3 and :48.2, stopping the clock in 1:01.61.

“I just wanted the company to take him to the wire,” Walsh said. “I think the best part of it was the gallop out from the wire to an eighth out. I had him out in 1:13 and change. He's doing good. I couldn't ask for more than that.”

A winner of 7-of-8 starts, the 4-year-old Street Sense bay will enter the nine-furlong Whitney, a “Win and You're In” qualifier to November's Grade 1 Breeders' Cup Classic, from 3 1/4-length Grade 2 scores at Churchill Downs in the 1 1/16-mile Alysheba on April 30 and the Stephen Foster on June 26.

Walsh said Maxfield is thriving ahead of his first Saratoga start.

“He's doing as well as he's ever done right now,” Walsh said. “I hope he can run at least as well as he's done these last couple times and maybe even a little bit better. He likes it up here and is in a great frame of mind.”

Shortly after the Maxfield breeze, Hall of Fame trainer Todd Pletcher sent out St. Elias Stable's multiple graded stakes winner Dr Post, last-out winner of the Grade 3 Monmouth Cup on July 17, in company with Wertheimer and Frere homebred Happy Saver to work a half-mile in :49.25.

Happy Saver, winner of last year's Grade 1 Jockey Club Gold Cup, is under consideration for a start in the Whitney.

Pletcher said he is also considering the Grade 1 Pacific Classic on August 21 at Del Mar for both Dr Post and Happy Saver as he looks to keep the pair separated with the 10-furlong Grade 1 Jockey Club Gold Cup, also a “Win and You're In' berth contest for the Breeders' Cup Classic, slated for September 5 at the Spa.

“I thought the work was solid,” Pletcher said. “We'll see how he [Happy Saver] bounces out of it. I haven't quite decided on the Whitney yet.

“There's also the Pacific Classic in-between,” he continued. “I just have to weigh my options. It might give me an opportunity to split the two of them up if I don't run Happy Saver in the Whitney.”

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Whitney Hopefuls Knicks Go, By My Standards Both Preparing Away From Saratoga

Two of the top contenders for the Grade 1 Whitney Stakes on Aug. 7 at Saratoga have been preparing out of town, reports the Daily Racing Form. Knicks Go has been training at Ellis Park in Henderson, Ky., while By My Standards is currently based at Colonial Downs in New Kent, Va.

The Whitney is a “Win and You're In” race for the Breeders' Cup Classic this fall at Del Mar.

Knicks Go, the 5-year-old son of Paynter, worked six furlongs at Ellis Sunday in 1:12 flat, according to Equibase. The Breeders' Cup Dirt Mile and Pegasus World Cup winner disappointed in both the Saudi Cup and the Met Mile, but rebounded with a big effort in the Grade 3 Cornhusker at Prairie Meadows last out to win by 10 1/4 lengths. Trainer Brad Cox, who is himself based at Saratoga, said he's kept Knicks Go in Kentucky due to the staffing situation.

“He's really tough and the gallop boy that's done a good job with him over the last year or so is there for the summer so it made more sense to keep him there as opposed to bringing him up here,” Cox told DRF.

With Churchill Downs shut down for the summer to renovate the turf course, trainer Bret Calhoun shipped part of his stable to Colonial Downs, including By My Standards. Winner of the Oaklawn Mile and second, beaten a length, to Silver State in the G1 Met Mile last out, the 5-year-old son of Goldencents has put in back-to-back six-furlong works in 1:11 flat at Colonial over the past two weekends. Calhoun told DRF he will work the horse once more at Colonial before shipping to Saratoga.