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You can bet the Whitney Stakes at Jazz Sports online. They are currently offering 8 percent back on losses (8% rebates). Bets Need to be Placed by 5:45 pm ET
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Current Odds
McKinzie (7-5)
Preservationist (3-1)
Thunder Snow (3-1)
Vino Rosso (6-1)
Yoshida (10-1)
Monongahela (12-1)
Forewarned (30-1)
Imperative (30-1)
About the Whitney Stakes
Also known as the Whitney Handicap, this race will be run at New York's Saratoga Racetrack and is run on 1⅛ miles (9 furlongs) of dirt and now features a $1.2 million purse.
The race is open to horses three years of age or older.
This is a critical prep race for the Breeders Cup as the “Win and You’re In” qualification format guarantees the winner to automatically qualify for the Breeders Cup Classic.
The weather for this year's race will be sunny with temperatures in the low 80's.
The Contenders
McKinzie won the Grade 2 Alysheba on May 3 at Churchill Downs and has finished second in three of his four starts this campaign. He is the 7-5 favorite in this race.
His last start at the Grade 1 Runhappy Metropolitan Handicap resulted in a 2nd place finish.
Trainer Bob Baffert said McKinzie, who breezed four furlongs in 48 seconds flat on Monday at Del Mar, will need a better trip to win the Whitney.
“He breezed here yesterday and we thought it went really well,” said Baffert. “We’re excited and really looking forward to running in this race. He’s trained forwardly since the Met Mile and he’s come out of that race really well. It’s unfortunate we didn’t get the trip we really wanted there, but now going a mile and eighth hopefully will give him a little more time to work out a better trip.”
Hall of Fame jockey Mike Smith, who will guide McKinzie, won the Whitney in 1993 aboard Brunswick.
Preservationist (3-1) and Thunder Snow (3-1) each have the 2nd shortest odds and would pay out $30 for every $10 bet should either taste victory.
Preservationist enters the 2019 Whitney Stakes coming off a 4 ½-length win in the 1 ¼-mile Grade 2 Suburban on July 6 at Belmont Park.
He will be cutting back on distance with this race, a potential concern, but trainer Jimmy Jerkens says not to worry.
“It's always a little tricky cutting back in distance, but he is a horse who has plenty of natural speed,” Jerkens said. “He's not a plodder by any means. He was right there on the pace all the way. On Whitney Day, the track will probably be pretty fast. They usually make them a little faster on the big days. He has enough lick to be there if he has to be.”
- Don Shapiro, Gambling911.com
