Arguably the biggest horse race of the summer has finally arrived as the 2019 Whitey Stakes will go off this Saturday, Aug. 3 from Saratoga Race Course.
Coverage of the Grade 1 race starts at 5 p.m. Eastern Standard Time on NBCSN with post time set for 5:46 p.m.
As for how to bet on the race, and your best bet for all horse racing the rest of this year right up until the Breeders’ Cup Classic in November – go to NYRABets.com/MetroBet.
By entering promo code METROBET at NYRABets.com/MetroBet, you can get $200 in free betting money with NYRA Bets’ $200 bet, get campaign!
Whitney Stakes preview
By Robert Criscola
The Whitney Stakes attracted eight runners, five of which are career millionaires. An automatic bid to this year’s Breeders’ Cup Classic is on the line.
Here is a look at three horses MetroBet predicts will come up big on Saturday.
No. 4 THUNDER SNOW is the only two-time winner of the Dubai World Cup, the richest race in the world, but has never won in North America (4-0-1-2). That could change on Saturday at Saratoga. THUNDER SNOW was last seen rallying for third in the Metropolitan Handicap on the Belmont Stakes day undercard. Most handicappers surmised that the one-mile distance would be too short for him, and they were proven right. Trainer Saeed bin Suroor wisely stretches the son of Helmet back out to 1 1/8-miles in the Whitney Stakes. THUNDER SNOW has been working well over this course and will have the services of regular rider Christophe Soumillon. Expect him to sit just off the pace before making his move at the quarter pole.
To bet on Saratoga horse races and get $200 in free betting money go to NYRABets.com/MetroBet and enter promo code: METROBET
No. 6 MCKINZIE has hit the exacta in 10 of his 11 career starts but has burned a lot of win money in four starts this year, posting a 4-1-3-0 record. He was a runaway victor in Churchill’s Alysheba Stakes on Kentucky Derby weekend but lost a battle with Gift Box in the Santa Anita Handicap and Battle of Midway in the San Pasqual Stakes earlier in 2019. Last time out in the Met Mile, MCKINZIE incurred some traffic trouble and had to settle for second behind Mitole. Despite all the accolades in his Hall-of-Fame career, trainer Bob Baffert has never won the Whitney. Jockey Mike Smith’s one and only Whitney win came in 1993 with Brunswick. MCKINZIE is a must-use in multi-race wagers but will likely offer little value in this heat.
No. 8 PRESERVATIONIST (3-1) is a relatively new face to the handicap division despite being six years old. He’s raced only eight times in his career due to various minor injuries. Trainer Jimmy Jerkens appears to have the son Arch in peak form based on his convincing score in Belmont’s Suburban Stakes on July 6 over multiple Grade I winner Catholic Boy, which was his third win in as many starts in 2019. PRESERVATIONIST may try to take them all the way in the Whitney under Junior Alvarado.
No. 5 VINO ROSSO (6-1) will be rolling late under John Velazquez in the Whitney. The Todd Pletcher trainee was last seen acing the Gold Cup at Santa Anita over Pacific Classic-bound Gift Box. Living up to his name, VINO ROSSO has gotten better with age. He already has a win over this course, as he took last year’s Jim Dandy Stakes at age three. Pletcher and Velazquez have teamed up for three prior Whitney scores with Left Bank (2002), Lawyer Ron (2007) and Cross Traffic (2013). However, VINO ROSSO is probably best used underneath based on speed figures.
The play: $8 exacta Thunder Snow/McKinzie, Preservationist, $4 exacta Thunder Snow/Vino Rosso ($20)
