Sharing with you my fascinating discoveries about Thoroughbred racing, sales, fashion, food, beverage, tips and more.
Saratoga Springs Race Track is “The Summer Place!” This weekend and into the next week, Saratoga is sensational with stakes, sales and ceremony. Racing at Saratoga boasts the second leg of each division of the new Turf Triple Series as well as Marylou Whitney Day and many other graded stakes. Fasig-Tipton will host “The Crown Jewel of North American Yearling Sales”, The Saratoga Sale. Moreover, the National Museum of Racing and Hall of Fame inducted the class of 2019!
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Woo hoo for the Whitney! The 87th running of the Whitney Handicap will take place tomorrow, August 6,2016 at Saratoga in Saratoga Springs, NY. If I could click my heels and go anywhere right now, I’d be at “The Spa”.
The Whitney Handicap was inaugurated in 1928. It has been at various tracks for different genders, ages and distances historically. Tomorrow, the Whitney will take place on Saratoga’s dirt track. It will be a race of 9 furlongs (1 and 1/8 mile) for horses 3 years old and upwards. 6 Thoroughbreds will compete for the “Win and You’re In” automatic entry into the Breeders’ Cup Classic and the $1.25 million dollar purse. The winner will also receive a blanket made of Marylou Whitney pink roses and a sterling silver chalice trophy with the Whitney family crest.
Considered one of the top Grade 1 races, the Whitney is named for the Whitney family. Historically this family’s contributions to Thoroughbred racing have shaped the industry and blessed us with a vast number of graded stakes winners. Marylou Whitney continues the tradition. She has a home in Saratoga as well as a farm in my hometown, Lexington, KY. The Whitney’s have won their own stakes race 4 times.
Last year’s Whitney winner was Honor Code. Kelso and Discovery each won the race 3 times.
The 2016 Whitney field is as follows by post/horse/jockey/trainer/owner/age:
El Kabeir is a beautiful grey colt by Scat Daddy and Great Venue. El Kabeir ran his first 2 of 15 career starts at Saratoga. He is a multiple graded stakes winner though he has not won in 2016.
Comfort is a colt by Indian Charlie and Unkatzable. Comfort has only raced 7 times and never at Saratoga nor has he won a graded stakes. His jockey/trainer combo won the Whitney in 2013 with Cross Traffic.
Upstart is the son of Flatter, whom I wrote about in my last story when I met him while touring the stallions at Claiborne Farm. Upstart’s dam is Party Silks. Upstart won his maiden at Saratoga on his first start. He has raced at that track 3 times of his 14 career races. He is a multiple graded stakes winner. He was fourth in last year’s Travers.
Frosted is the favorite for the Whitney. He is another lovely grey colt. He is the offspring of Tapit and Fast Cookie. He raced at Saratoga in 3 of his 16 starts. He placed 2nd the 1st two times at that track and third the last time out there. Those races were a maiden, the Jim Dandy and the Travers respectively. He is coming off a strong win at Belmont in June. In 2015 he finished the Belmont 2nd to our Grand Slam winner, American Pharoah. Frosted’s trainer, McLaughlin, won the Whitney with Invasor in 2006.
Noble Bird is the gorgeous horse in the photo. I met him at Keeneland this past April. I caught him with his tongue out as he ate a peppermint. He is the son of Birdstone and Anyhow. Noble Bird is trained by Casse, whom works with one of my favorite fillies, Tepin! She is a Saratoga sales grad. Noble Bird has raced at Saratoga once before in his 16 starts. He is a multiple graded stakes winner.
Effinex is the son of Mineshaft and What A Pear. Effinex has the most experience with 24 career starts. He has raced twice at Saratoga, where he finished 2nd in the Woodward Stakes. He is a multiple graded stakes winner. He was second to American Pharoah in last years BC Classic. His jockey, Smith, won the Whitney in 1993 with Brunswick. The father of James A. Jerkens, the trainer of Effinex, trained Onion who beat the amazing Secretariat in 1973’s Whitney.
As if the Whitney isn’t enough action, there are 11 races on the card Saturday. 5 of those are stakes races and there is another stakes on Sunday. Then the Fasig-Tipton Saratoga Selected Yearling Sale takes place August 8th and 9th while my most favorite horse, Juba, races at Saratoga on the 8th as well.
I part own 5 horses that will be auctioned off at the sale. 3 will go on Monday and the 4th and 5th on Tuesday. This sale is one of the first of the season and finest of sales for yearlings. 252 select yearlings have been catalogued for the 96th Saratoga Sale.
Juba is trained by Jerkens, just like Effinex and has the same jockey, Velazquez ,as Comfort. Juba is a 5 year-old grey son of Tapit and Adoradancer. That is the same sire that Frosted has.
If you are at Saratoga tell me all about it. If you’re watching from a television or computer tune in to NBC Sports for race 10, the Whitney, at 6:18 pm EST on 8/6/16. Find Juba, in race 8 at 5:02 pm EST on 8/8/16. I’m hoping to see it on TVG. Finally, follow along with the Fasig-Tipton sale on http://www.fasigtipton.com
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Say Cheese! I love this picture, I took, of Edeline in the winners circle for the last race, the 10th race, at Keeneland on Sunday, October 4, 2015. She looks so happy to finally break her maiden in her 5th career start. I’m also using this photo because of the significance of the number 4.
Today, 10/9/15, our tipster notes, “fourth doesn’t pay!” He has been kind enough to kick in some free tips, for me to share, the past 2 days of racing but they both came in 4th. Hopefully, this is the end of that streak and he is giving us something to look forward to about the number 4. He wants us to look to today’s 4th Keeneland race and go with, what else, the #4. He says, “Ken Ramsey (owner) looks like he wants to get his picture made today. #4 Thank You Marylou named after Marylou Whitney has been running against much better and will be tough to beat from just off the pace.”
Ken and Sarah Ramsey have won leading owner titles at Keeneland as well as several other tracks. I frequently bet on their horses because not only are they great Thoroughbred owners with a winning history but they frequently use Sarah’s nickname, “Kitten”, in the naming of their horses.
Marylou Whitney is an Eclipse winning owner and from the family with the most stakes winning horses. She operated her own Marylou Whitney stables and was a founding member for the Thoroughbred Retirement Foundation. She is the primary contributor to the Secretariat Center at the Kentucky Horse Park. Her gifts to the Thoroughbred industry and to horse and human charity, nation wide, are remarkable.
Thank You Marylou, a 4 year old filly, will be ridden by Julien Leparoux. Michael Maker is the owner. The 4th race, at 7 furlongs, has a purse of $62,000 and is an allowance optional claiming race. This is Thank You Marylou’s 15th career start. Post time is 2:45 PM EST.
Go, Thank You Marylou, go!
Update: She sure enough came in 4th. Sorry. Check out tomorrow’s tip!
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