Whitney Handicap 2012: Field Overview

As a household rule, Saturday is race day.
It is the day of the week I sit back with a iced mug of sweet tea, and lazily immerse myself in a full card of race watching -- eyes not straying from the glistening bodies of my favorite athletes: Thoroughbreds.
This Saturday, today, is no exception to that rule. A slew of brilliant races are lined up in my notepad. Today I am going to focus on just one of these outings: the Whitney Invitational Handicap.

The Whitney boasts a rich history of champions gone to post. In recent years, stars such as Blame, Lawyer Ron, Commentator (twice), Lemon Drop Kid, Victory Gallop, and Awesome Again have emerged as victors in the 1 and 1/8 mile romp. Historically, War Admiral, Kelso (three times), Dr. Fager and Alydar had their picture taken in the race's Winner's Circle. For many, the Whitney is best remembered for being the shocking race in which Triple Crown winner Secretariat lost to the obscure Onion, who never won again in anything but a claiming race.

In order of post position, let's go over this year's field.

Blame (left) scores in the Whitney

(1) Rule. A 5 year old stallion, trained by Todd Pletcher. In his only race this year, Rule won the 1 mile Monmouth Cup Stakes (G2). All three times he has raced at Saratoga, Rule has finished in the money. Around this time of last year, he won the Birdstone Stakes over the same track and distance of the Whitney.

(2) Hunters Bay. Another 5 year old stallion, trained by Reade Baker. Hunters Bay carries the co-lowest weight in the field, at only 115 pounds. He is coming into the Whitney out of three straight victories at Woodbine -- one of them just fractions over the track record. He has never raced or trained at the Spa.

(3) Caixa Eletronica. A 7 year old stallion, trained by Todd Pletcher. Caixa Eletronica has gone to post 55 times; on 18 occasions returning victorious. Most recently, he failed to fire in the James Marvin Stakes (G3), loping home fifth. A start before that, however, Caixa Eletronica triumphed in the True North Handicap (G2), and two before that came home the winner of the Charles Town Classic (G2). While inconsistent, Caixa Eletronica is a very gritty horse that I am immensely fond of. A while back, I wrote an article about him.

(4) Endorsement. A 5 year old horse, trained by Eoin G. Harty. Endorsement, like Hunter's Bay, is only carrying 115 pounds. He comes into the Whitney off of a last place finishing in the Suburban Handicap (G2) -- a race in which his trainer feels Endorsement was not acting like himself. Earlier in the year, Endorsement won the Texas Mile Stakes (G3) and set a new track record in a 1 and 1/16 mile Allowance Optional Claiming. He has been training well over the Saratoga track in spite of having never run over it.

(5) Trickmeister. A 5 year old stallion, trained by Richard Dutrow. This year's Donn Handicap marks the only race in which Trickmeister did not finish in the money. He has won four different stakes, including the Pleasant Colony Stakes, run under the same conditions as the Whitney. He has been breezing at Aqueduct, and has not been to Saratoga since the middle of 2010.

(6) Ron the Greek. A 5 year old horse, trained by William Mott. Carrying the top weight of 120 pounds, Ron the Greek is by far the favorite of the Whitney Handicap. Having not placed worse than second in his last seven starts, a win in the Whitney would mark Ron the Greek's third Grade 1 score of 2012. In his last start, Ron the Greek dominated a very tough field in the Stephen Foster Handicap (G1). Before that, he came second in the Oaklawn Handicap (G2), following a victory in the Santa Anita Handicap (G1). His only experience at Saratoga comes from a second place finish in a mile and an eighth Allowance Optional Claiming. He worked over the course on Sunday, completing four furlongs in 49.02.

(7) Flat Out. A 6 year old horse, trained by William Mott. Flat Out is the victor of last year's Suburban Handicap (G2) and Jockey Club Gold Cup (G1). He has had two starts at Saratoga, in both the Whitney (G1) and Woodward (G1); he was second in both. This year, while Flat Out hasn't seen the Winner's Circle,  he has improved with each start. In his most recent outing, he came second to Rule in the Monmouth Cup Stakes (G2). He has been working well on the dirt training track up to this point.

(8) Hymn Book. A 6 year old gelding, trained by Claude McGaughney. Hymn Book ships to Saratoga off of a second in the Suburban Handicap (G2). The Winner's Circle has eluded this gelding since his narrow victory in February's Donn Handicap (G1). He has never raced over Saratoga's main track.

(9) Fort Larned. A 4 year old colt, trained by Ian Wilkes. Fort Larned enters the Whitney off of a winning effort in the Cornhusker Handicap (G3) over Successful Dan. Today he will carry the same weight of 117 pounds. While Fort Larned has never raced at Saratoga, he is coming into the Whitney off of a series of very impressive works over the main track.


And there is your field for 2012's rendition of the Whitney Handicap.
It is a very wide open group, with no horses you could legitimately consider as ones to rule out.
That being said, I will place my money (all $2 of it..) on Caixa Eletronica.
While he doesn't visit the Winner's Circle every time out, and has never won a Grade 1 race, this horse seems overdue for some of his late stretch heroics.

Now who do you like in this year's Whitney?