Cast -littered cast setup for G1 Whitney

Felcess Assistorious in the Alyseba (G2) 2 May in Churchill Downs (Courtney Snow/Beyond the Wire)

NYRA press office

Saratoga Springs, NY-A with stars strewn cast with champions Fierceness And Sierra Leone and a sextet of fellow millionaires led by four-time degree 1 winner White Abarrio will stand in line for the 98th course of the degree 1 of Saturday, $ 1 million Whitney on Saratoga Race Course.

The 1/8-MIJL Whitney for 4-year-olds and Up, a “win and you’re in” qualification for the grade 1 Breeders’ Cup Classic November in del Mar, serves as a headliner on a 13-race program with five Graded Stakes worth $ 3.2 million to Peters.

Derrick Smith, Repole Stable, Michael B. Tabor and Mrs. John Magnier’s Fiercesess, the 2-year Colt of 2023, had his perfect record about Saratoga’s main job ended in the grade 1 Hill ‘n’ Dale Metropolitan Handicap 7 June as part of the Belmont Stakes Racing Festival. Before that he had won three times in the spa, emphasized by the grade 2 Jim Dandy and Grade 1 Conceptkings Travers last summer.

Fiercesess experienced some early problems in the with Mile, disputed from the Wilson parachute, and insisted on the pace, but had to settle for the second as the favorite behind Raging Torrent, who retired in July with a leg injury.

“He was on the second best in the day,” said Hall of Fame trainer Todd Pletcher. “The way it unfolded, he had a bit of a rough start from the inside. We were worried about the Wilson Chute to start with, but in all honesty Torrent ran a good race. We just regrouping and going back to two turns and look forward to lead him as he has trained.”

Secondly for Sierra Leone in the Breeders’ Cup Classic and voted on 2024 Champion 3-year-old Colt, fiercessness won the degree 2 Alyseba 2 May in Track-Record Mode at Churchill Downs in his only other start this year. Hall of Famer John Velazquez is named to drive fierceness [124 pounds] from post 9 in the field of 10.

Felcessness is in style again! He starts his 4-year campaign with a victory in the G2 Alyseba.

He is trained by Todd Pletcher with @ljlmvel In the irons!

Twinspiresreplay pic.twitter.com/v9Unb4aijx

– Twinspires Racing (@twinspires) May 2, 2025

“He trains great the way he always does and so far everything has expired,” said Pletcher. “He is just super talented, and when he is able to put together his ‘A’ race, he is very, very good.”

Pletcher also went into Repole and St. Elias Stable’s Mind frameA winner of his last three starts. After capturing the grade 2 Gulfstream Park Mile on 1 March in his return of more than seven months away, the 4-year-old Constitution Colt won the degree 1 Churchill Downs who sprinted seven furlongs and grade 1 Stephen Foster that goes 1 1/8 miles, the last June 28.

“It certainly proved his versatility and class. He’s a great start this year,” said Pletcher. “He seems as if he is able to put in everything. It seems that, as we thought, he might come back and be even better at 4 than at 3 o’clock. To achieve what he did on 3 in so little starts was quite remarkable, but he seemed to be coming back even better this year.”

Although Pletcher came in both horses, the experienced conditioner noted that he did this with the intention of leading one horse.

“I think we will both come in with the idea that if everything is good, we will probably just perform fierceness,” said Pletcher. “Six days is a long time in this industry, so I want to keep all our options open. I would not think that Post Position would weigh in it, we just want to ensure that everyone is doing well all week, and as we know, things can happen. We would not have the option to walk Mindframe.”

Runner-Up In the degree 1 Belmont Stakes Presented by Nyra Bets and Grade 1 Nyra Bets Haskell in 2024, Mindframe [124 pounds] Would have the services of Jose Gomez of Inside Post.

Pletcher is a four -time winner of the Whitney and is previously successful with left -wing bank [2002]Lawyer Ron [2007]Traffic [2013] and life is good [2022].

“I think it has settled as a kind of selection framework in the country next to the Breeders” Cup Classic, “he said. “It is very prestigious and it is certainly one that we would like to add [our] CV. “

Peter Brant, Mrs. John Magnier, Michael Tabor, Derrick Smith, Westerberg and Brook Smith’s Sierra Leone Looks for his first victory in three starts this year after third place in the class 2 New Orleans Classic and second at one length in the Stephen Foster. Last spring I got a nose in class 1 Kentucky Derby, he also finished behind Dornoch and Mindframe in the Belmont and Fiercessess in the Jim Dandy and Travers prior to his Breeders’ Cup Classic Triumph.

“Hopefully the race will put on for him. He has run a number of good grades here and just comes a bit short,” said trainer Chad Brown. “His final results have been better in other racing tracks, but I don’t think he hates this song. We will see how the track plays on Saturday and if it plays reasonably well and the pace is honest, I think he has a good chance.”

Sierra Leone will be accompanied in the Startpoort by fast Stablemate thinking opposite. Private bought by Peter Brant, De Licht racet 5-year-old Calamity Velding leaves a leading public reimbursement victory that is his longest race so far on 29 June on 29 June during the Belmont.

Opposite thinkingInitially purchased for $ 280,000 at the Keeneland September Yearling Sale in 2021, was from the Graded Stakes-winning Curlin Mare Valadorna-a half-sister of the brown-trained complexity, which won the 2018 grade 1 champagne and 2020 Kelso Handicap in Belmont Park.

“His first time he went for a long time was encouraging and he is a well -bred horse, especially from this good mare Valadorna who gives him a lot of endurance,” said Brown. “I think this horse can get a piece of this race.”

Flavien Prat gets the return call at Sierra Leone [124 pounds] From post position 5, while Dylan Davis is called opposite thinking thinking [120 pounds] from postposition 8.

Gary Barber, C2 Racing Stable and La Milagrosa Stable’s White Abarrio is the richest of the Whitney participants with more than $ 7 million in wallet income from 22 Starts, including a 6 1/4 length ravot in the 2023 Whitney 2023 for previous trainer Rick Dutrow, Jr. Now back with Saffie Joseph, Jr., the 6-year-old Son of Race Day won the degree 1 of the degree 1 of Gulfstream to open 2025, the 6-year fourth fourth fourth fourth fourth fourth fourth fourth four in the Mile.

“He didn’t get the best trip to the first turn, but after that he got a good place, so it’s a bit difficult to apologize,” said Joseph, Jr. “He should still have overcome that kind of journey, but you never know. You never know how much a bump gets from a horse. You just have to move forward and forget what happened last time.

“He came out well since the race. We are happy where we are now with him and we hope he will return and bring his ‘A’ game again,” he added. “It will be clearly a tough race, but on his day he is as good as one of them.”

Joseph, Jr. has another participant in the well-traveled 6-year-old Van Daniel Alonso SkippylongstockingA 11-time winner that comes from a popular three-quarter-length victory in the grade 2 Hollywood Gold Cup 26 May in Santa Anita, his first time 1 1/4 miles. A veteran of 15 different circuits in 32 Starts, SkippyLongstocking led to last year’s Whitney before he was tiring to be the fifth behind Arthur’s Ride.

“We wanted to try him for a mile and fifteen minutes. He never tried. He was skillfully run in one and a half mile when he was third in the [2022] Belmont. A mile and a quarter, we never had to do it, “said Joseph, Jr ..” We thought it is a distance he likes. It is clear that he has proven that. He used it well. Now he goes back remotely. We feel that he is doing well, and he always shows up.

“He is consistent, he shows up and he has been on the way for a long time. He is sent everywhere and we take a little pictures with him,” he added. “Just a horse that you wanted you to have more on him. We are grateful that you have him. He has had a good year and hopefully he will also have a big second half.”

White Abarrio [124 pounds] Will break from Post Position 7 with regular rider Irad Ortiz, Jr. Up. Jose Ortiz gets the driving assignment on SkippyLongstocking [122 pounds] from postal position 2.

Also returning last year Whitney is Hillwood Stable’s Post -timewho was at odds from 25-1 for the Maryland-based trainer Brittany Russell. By 2016, the winner of the Whitney Frosted, the 5-year post-time was second in last year’s Mile and it was never worse than third in 18 starts, of which 11 of them wins, including the Carter of 2024 Grade 2 presented by Nyra Bets at Aqueduct.

Second in the Grade 1 Breeders’ Cup Dirt Mile and Third in the Grade 2 Cigar Mile presented by Twinpires.com to the campaign of last year in Cap, Post Time has two wins in three starts this year. Thirdly, beaten 1 1/4 lengths by 2024 Kentucky Derby winner Mystik Dan in the Grade 3 Blame 31 May in Churchill Downs, he scored a popular victory of 3 1/2 length in the 1/8-Mijl delegated Testamony in Laurel Park last time.

“We have achieved the last race everything we tried to do with it. At the end of the day he hit a few of these greats on the door. You will never find an easy class.” He is run against a number of really good horses and he is showing up. You just hope it will be his day on his day. “

Russell’s husband, Sheldon Russell, drives after time [120 pounds] from postposition 10.

Highland FallsA 5-year-old homeboard from Hall of Famer Curlin, will represent Godolphin stable and trainer Brad Cox in the Whitney. Highland Falls won three times last year, including his only earlier run at Saratoga in the Jockey Club Gold Cup of Grade 1, before he was defeated in the Breeders’ Cup Classic. He launched his 2025 campaign with a 5 1/2 length optional claim supply Triumph and went a mile on June 27 in Belmont in the Big A.

“We were impressed,” said Godolphin’s director of Bloodstock Michael Banahan. “He walked very well, and we couldn’t be happier with him. He has been well trained since then and we look forward to bringing him back to Saratoga. Of course he was run only once, but he ran very well. We look forward to getting him back and trying the Whitney. If everything goes well, we hope to run twice.”

Highland Falls, the Jockey Club Gold Cup champion last year, returns to the winner circle in Race 2 in Belmont at the Big A! Flavien Prat was on board for trainer @bradcoxracing. pic.twitter.com/bdfls5h8at

– NYRA () (@Thenyra) June 27, 2025

Luis Saez will be on board Highland Falls [124 pounds] of postal position 3.

Completing the Whitney field are the earner of $ 1.4 million from Winchell. Disarm [Joel Rosario, post 6, 120 pounds, bar shoes OFF]Second in the Travers 2023 and third in last year’s Jockey Club Gold Cup for Hall of Fame trainer Steve Asmussen; and Jonathan Hardoon Mama’s gold [Romero Maragh, post 4, 120 pounds]Most recently second in the 1/8-MIJL commentator for New York-Breds July 4 in Saratoga for conditioner James Ferraro.

The Whitney is planned as Race 11 on Saturday, accompanied by the degree 1, $ 750,000 Fanduel Fourstardave [Race 8] and grade 1, $ 750,000 Saratoga Derby Invitational [Race 9] on the grass; As well as class 1, $ 500,000 test presented by Ticketmaster [Race 10] and grade 2, $ 200,000 Saratoga Special [Race 3]. The first message is 12:05 pm Eastern.