whitney | Horse Racing Free Tips

‘Silver Lining’: Due To EHV Disruption At Saratoga, Swiss Skydiver Will Aim For Whitney

Trainer Kenny McPeek told the Thoroughbred Daily News on Wednesday that he plans to start star filly Swiss Skydiver in the Grade 1 Whitney Stakes on Aug. 7 at Saratoga. The 4-year-old Daredevil filly had been targeting this Sunday's G3 Shuvee at the Spa, but entries from Barn 86, where McPeek's horses are stabled, are currently not being accepted due to an EHV-1 quarantine.

The New York Racing Association, Inc. (NYRA) and the New York State Gaming Commission (NYSGC) placed Barn 86 under a precautionary quarantine on Thursday, July 15 due to a positive case of Equine Herpesvirus-1 (EHV-1) in that barn.

The unnamed, unraced filly, who is trained by Jorge Abreu, was sent to Rood & Riddle Equine Hospital on Sunday, July 11, after developing a fever. She was then tested for a number of potential ailments, and a positive test for EHV-1 was returned on Thursday, July 15. The filly is currently recovering.

Subsequently, the New York State Veterinarian and New York State Equine Medical Director implemented a 21-day quarantine of Barn 86 retroactive to Sunday, July 11. Should there be no additional cases in Barn 86, the quarantine will be lifted on Aug. 1.

The 46 horses stabled in Barn 86, which is home to stalls for Abreu and trainer Kenny McPeek, will continue to be monitored daily for fever and other signs of illness. As of Tuesday, July 20, no horses in Barn 86 have developed a fever or displayed any symptoms of the illness.

Horses from Barn 86 have been allowed to train, with separate training hours from the general population.

McPeek believes the nine furlongs of the Whitney would be a good fit for Swiss Skydiver, and noted that she has been training well. The filly has not raced since finishing third in the G1 Apple Blossom on April 17.

“There might be a silver lining to this after all,” McPeek told the TDN.

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

Read more at the Thoroughbred Daily News.

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Maxfield ‘Back In The Swing Of Things’ With Half-Mile Breeze At Saratoga

Godolphin homebred Maxfield, a multiple graded stakes winner, breezed a half-mile in 49.09 seconds Friday morning on Saratoga's Oklahoma training track in company with maiden-winning filly Longpants Required [49.37] in preparation for the nine-furlong Grade 1, $1 million Whitney on Aug. 7 at the Spa, which offers a “Win and You're In” berth to the Breeders' Cup Classic.

Maxfield, trained by Brendan Walsh, was caught by NYRA clockers through splits of 25.3 and out in 1:01.1, galloping out strong through the turn outside of his workmate.

“I just wanted them to start out nice and easy and pick it up as they went,” Walsh said. “It was a good work. I just wanted to get him back in the swing of things again. He looks like he's doing great. I was delighted with him yesterday when I got up here. He looked as good if not better than ever.”

A winner of seven-of-eight career starts with purse earnings in excess of $1.2 million, the 4-year-old Street Sense colt captured the 2019 Grade 1 Breeders' Futurity at Keeneland.

Maxfield suffered his only career defeat in March when third in the Grade 1 Santa Anita Handicap. In his last two starts, Maxfield has taken a big step forward, garnering triple-digit Beyers, winning the Grade 2 Alysheba [105] on April 30 and the Grade 2 Stephen Foster [103] on June 26 both at Churchill.

Walsh said he was pleased with the colt's first breeze back since his Stephen Foster score.

“It's three weeks since he ran and it worked out fine,” Walsh said. “I wasn't in a rush to work him back with the shipping. It's just a question of keeping him happy and keeping him healthy.”

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Knicks Go Gains ‘Confidence’ In Iowa, Headed To Aug. 7 Whitney

The Korea Racing Authority's Knicks Go may have disappointed in the Saudi Cup and the Met Mile, but the 5-year-old son of Paynter got back on track Friday night at Iowa's Prairie Meadows with a 10 1/4-length romp in the Grade 3 Cornhusker Handicap. Trainer Brad Cox was pleased with the horse's effort, and told the Thoroughbred Daily News his next target will be the G1 Whitney at Saratoga on Aug. 7.

“It's always great to run in Grade 1's and it's great to have horses that are Grade 1 horses,” Cox told the TDN. “He's a Grade 1 horse. But I do think a race like this one can give the horse confidence and fitness without really getting to the bottom of them. It was a nice race going a mile-and-an-eighth and I think it, being five weeks out, was a nice set up for the Whitney. A race like that can do a lot for a horse. He's a sound, happy horse and we witnessed that last Friday.”

The Whitney is a “Win and You're In” race for the Breeders' Cup Classic, which Cox indicated could be a future target for Knicks Go. The horse won the Breeders' Cup Dirt Mile at Keeneland last fall, so Cox would be changing things up to aim for the 1 1/4-mile Classic. The trainer suggested Knicks Go is better around two turns, as both of his poor efforts in 2021 came in one-turn races.

“With the way he ran Friday and the configuration of Del Mar, the Classic is definitely in play,” Cox continued. “Both Breeders' Cup races are in play. At Del Mar, we think a mile-and-a-quarter is something he can handle. I think he's a horse that benefits from a shorter stretch. Keeneland has a short stretch when you run a mile there. Gulfstream has a bit of a shorter stretch. There was a shorter stretch the other night at Prairie Meadows and Del Mar doesn't have a long stretch. Those are things we've picked up on over the last year that seem to benefit him.”

Read more at the Thoroughbred Daily News.

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‘Really On His Game Right Now’: Maxfield Headed To Saratoga, May Point To Whitney

Godolphin's homebred Maxfield has exited his victory in the Grade 2 Stephen Foster Stakes in good order and shipped to Saratoga on Monday, trainer Brendan Walsh told the Daily Racing Form. The 4-year-old son of Street Sense could target the G1 Whitney Stakes on Aug. 7 for his next start, another “Win and You're In” race for the Breeders' Cup Classic.

Maxfield has won seven of his eight career starts, beaten for the only time when third in the G1 Santa Anita Handicap earlier this year.

“It seems like since he got beat at Santa Anita, he's really turned a corner,” Godolphin's Jimmy Bell told DRF. “It's like it woke him up, maybe even toughened him up. He is really on his game right now.”