Two of the quickest dirt horses in training, Life Is Good and Olympiad, will compete in this one 1/8-mile dirt event at Saratoga Race Course in 2022.
The Whitney will be shown live on Saturday from 5 to 6 p.m. as part of the network's "Road to the Breeders' Cup" programming.
Racehorses like Discovery (1934, 1935, 1936), War Admiral (1938), Gallorette (1948), Tom Fool (1953), Kelso (1961, 1963, 1965), Carry Back (1962), Dr. Fager (1968), Alydar (1978), Slew o' Gold (1984), Lady's Secret (1986), Personal Ensign (1988), Easy Goer (1989), Awesome Again (1998), Invasor (2006), and Gun Runner (2017) are some of Whitney's previous winners And, honestly, when it comes to the rich history of this race, which dates back to 1928, we're just touching the surface.
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American Revolution 1. (5-1)
Racehorse: Luis Saez
Todd Pletcher, trainer
CHC Inc. and WinStar Farm are the owners.
Nine stars, five victories, 1 second, and one-third in his career.
Incom from a career: $1,090,310
$121,146 in earnings per start
120 is the top Equibase Speed figure.
Constitution - Polly Freeze, a Super Saver pedigree
Age: 4
the hue chestnut
Stalker running style
Exciting facts and notable accomplishments: Although the Grade 1 Cigar Mile Handicap Presented by NYRA Bets champion from last year has lost both of his 2022 outings as a 4-year-old, you might argue that he enters the Whitney coming off a career-best performance. He came in second to Olympiad in the $750,000 Stephen Foster Stakes on July 2 at Churchill Downs, losing by 2 14 lengths, earning him his best career Equibase Speed Figure (120).
Since finishing outside the top three in his career debut in October 2020, this colt has only missed the top three once in eight outings. Additionally, he performed admirably in his only run on this main track, winning the Albany Stakes in August 2021 by five lengths while recording a 111 Equibase Speed Figure in his fourth career contest.
In the Whitney, the American revolution will likely face the most challenging competition of his career. Still, he shouldn't be discounted as a longshot winner possibility or a horse with a good chance of finishing in the top three at what appears to be his most delicate distance.
Todd Pletcher, who previously won the Whitney in 2002 with Left Bank, in 2007 with Lawyer Ron, and 2013 with Cross Traffic, is going for his fourth victory this year. WinStar Farm and CHC Inc. were joint owners of Improbable, a 2020 Whitney champion.
Hot Rod Charlie 2. (9-2)
Flavien Prat, jockey
Doug O'Neill, trainer
Sixteen stars, four victories, 5 seconds, and three-thirds in his career.
earnings in a career: $5,151,200
$321,950 in earnings per start
Highest Equibase Speed Number: 118
Oxbow-Indian Miss, by Indian Charlie, is its lineage.
Age: 4
Dark bay or brown.
Stalker running style
Exciting facts and notable accomplishments: Hot Rod Charlie, a Grade 1 winner and one of the most well-liked racehorses in training, finished second in a number of the sport's most prestigious contests, including the 2020 TVG Breeders' Cup Juvenile presented by Thoroughbred Aftercare Alliance, the 2021 Belmont Stakes presented by NYRA Bets, the 2021 Kentucky Derby presented by Woodford Reserve (via disqualification), and this year's Dubai World Cup sponsored by Emirates Airline.
He's taken home some significant victories, but the key thing to remember is that he consistently performs at his best on the biggest stages. The Whitney stretch at Saratoga should see him in contention.
Hot Rod Charlie, or "Chuck," as his owners call him, may press or set the pace or retreat and stalk the pace if the tempo picks up quickly in the beginning. He has won all three of his one 1/8-mile runs, making him the best at this distance. However, he was disqualified from one of those starts in the TVG.com Haskell Stakes last year. Since Hot Rod Charlie is one of the most reliable racehorses around, anticipate him to run a strong race and let the results be what they are. He must be used on tickets for exacta and trifecta.
Zoomer 3. (30-1)
Joel Rosario, rider
Mark Casse, trainer
Gary Barber is the owner
Thirty-seven starts, 11 wins, 6 seconds, and three-thirds in his career.
Profits from a career: $502,150
$13,572 in earnings per start.
Highest Equibase Speed Number: 109
A.P. Indy's Curlin-Rasindy pedigree
Age: 6
the hue chestnut
Running method: Closer/stalker
Exciting facts and notable accomplishments: Zoomer is the weathered veteran of the group and has recently been claimed for $50,000 by trainer Mark Casse on behalf of owner Gary Barber. Zoomer has more lifetime starts than any other competitor in the Whitney field.
In the Grade 3 Westchester Stakes in May of this year, his lone prior attempt at a graded stakes race, he came in third. Although his profile is not typical of Whitney starters, on the plus side, he comes off a seven-length victory over this distance on July 17, and his Equibase Speed Figures indicate that a top-three finish is not totally out of the question.
Zoomer would have to run the race of his life to complete the trifecta, making him the longest shot in the field for the Whitney against a small but incredibly talented cast. Joel Rosario presently ranked second among jockeys at Saratoga, won the Whitney twice with Frosted in 2016 and Knicks Go in 2017.
Olympic Games (2-1)
Junior Alvarado, jockey
Educator: Bill Mott
Owners: LNJ Foxwoods, Cheyenne Stable, and Grandview Equine
Ten stars, seven victories, 1 second, and one third in his career
Income from a career: $1,407,560
$140,756 in earnings per start
Equibase's top speed figure is 123.
Speightstown - Tokyo Time, by Medaglia d'Oro, is the pedigree.
Age: 4
the hue bay
Running technique: Pick up the speed
Exciting facts and notable accomplishments: Olympiad has been unbeaten in five starts this season and hasn't been tested; each of his triumphs came by two lengths or more at odds between 3-5 and 3-2.
Olympiad's career-best 123 Equibase Speed Figure, tied for fastest in the race, and two 14-length victories in the $750,000 Stephen Foster Stakes on July 2 at Churchill Downs solidified his position as a legitimate top contender for the $6 million Longines Breeders' Cup Classic. Olympiad has a 2-for-2 record at this one 1/8-mile distance, although two of his three career defeats have been on Saratoga Race Course's main track, albeit in sprints in his first three appearances. If you can get past the memories of Saratoga from his past performances, Olympiad appears to be a top-winner contender and the second-likeliest bet behind the favorite.
If you can overlook the ghosts of Saratoga's past in his past performances, Olympiad appears like a high-win prospect and likely second bet pick behind Life Is Good. He is currently in absolute peak form in a race at his best distance. Hall of Fame trainer Bill Mott has had a successful career, yet he has never taken home the Whitney. Junior Alvarado, the jockey from Olympiad, won the 2014 race with Moreno.
Happy Saver 5. (8-1)
John Velazquez, jockey
Todd Pletcher, trainer
Alain and Gerard Wertheimer are the owners.
Ten stars, five victories, 4 seconds, and one-third in his career.
Income from a career: $988,300
$98,830 in earnings per start
Highest Equibase Speed Number: 116
Super Saver - Happy Week, by Distorted Humor, is its ancestor.
Age: 5
the hue chestnut
Stalker running style
Exciting facts and notable accomplishments: After winning his first five races, Happy Saver has lost his last five. This winless run includes four seconds and one-third because Happy Saver has never placed outside the top three in any race.
Happy Saver, who is making his third appearance of 2022 after a lengthy absence, should be ready to rediscover his best form after finishing second in the Grade 2 Alysheba Stakes Presented by Sentient Jet and the Grade 1 Hill 'n' Dale Metropolitan Handicap. At this track and distance in July 2020, he had the best Equibase Speed Figure of his career to date, 116, and has a track record of success at this level as a Grade 1 winner.
The 5-year-old by Super Saver, descended from the influential sire and 1992 Horse of the Year A.P. Indy, is not nearly as quick as others on paper. Still, he should be considered a viable winner and, possibly, a runner to essential bets in the trifecta. Todd Pletcher, a trainer, has three victories in the Whitney: Left Bank (2002), Lawyer Ron (2007), and Cross Traffic (2013). The Whitney has been won by Hall of Fame jockey John Velazquez, three by Pletcher on Left Bank, Lawyer Ron, and Cross Traffic. His second Whitney victory came in 2008 while riding Commentator for Nick Zito.
Life is good, so (6-5)
Irad Ortiz Jr., jockey
Todd Pletcher, trainer
CHC Inc. and WinStar Farm are the owners.
Nine starts, seven wins, 1 second, and 0 thirds in 9 races.
income potential: $3,551,700
$394,633 in earnings per start
Equibase's top speed figure is 123.
Pedigree: Distorted Humor's "Into Mischief" and "Beach Walk"
Age: 4
the hue bay
Style of running: Pacesetter
The two quickest horses in the field, Life Is Good and Olympiad, have career-best Equibase Speed Figures of 123, and they are expected to compete for favoritism in the Whitney.
This 4-year-old Into Mischief colt will likely sprint to the front and attempt to take the lead from beginning to end. In each of his nine career races, Life Is Good has set the pace, and seven times he has won. The $3 million Pegasus World Cup winner this year and the Big Ass Fans Breeders' Cup Dirt Mile champion from last year have demonstrated their ability to set a quick pace and have plenty of fuel left over to win. His six career victories have been by margins varying from 3 14 to 9 12 lengths.
Life Is Good's two losses in his career were by no means discouraging because he lost to eventual champion sprinter Jackie's Warrior by a neck at Saratoga last August in a Grade 1 sprint and faded to finish fourth at 1 14 miles in the Dubai World Cup Sponsored By Emirates Airline. As a roundabout way to say that Life Is Good is one of the classiest and fastest racehorses on the globe and that when the Whitney starting gates open, he'll likely be the favorite. Even though he did not win in his sole run at Saratoga, this one 1/8-mile Pegasus World Cup race was likely the greatest of his career.
If Life Is Good is allowed to establish an unchallenged pace, I don't see any other competitors able to equal his early strides, which will be challenging to beat. Improbable, the 2020 Whitney champion, was co-owned by owners WinStar Farm and CHC Inc. Trainer Todd Pletcher has won the Whitney three times: in 2002 with Left Bank, in 2007 with Lawyer Ron, and 2018 with Cross Traffic (2013). This summer's leading rider at Saratoga, jockey Irad Ortiz Jr., won the Whitney in 2018 with Diversify and 2020 with Improbable.
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