Nation’s top older horses aim for Breeders’ Cup Classic berth in Whitney Stakes

The $1 million, Grade 1 Whitney Stakes at Saratoga has attracted many of the top older horses in America on Saturday along with a bit of mystery.

Todd Pletcher trains two of the 10 contenders in the 98th running of the 1 ⅛-mile Whitney but reportedly will send only one of them to post in New York.

Fierceness, who won the Grade 1 Travers Stakes and Grade 2 Jim Dandy at Saratoga last summer, returns as the 9-5 morning-line favorite for the Whitney.

Mindframe, who won this year’s Stephen Foster Stakes at Churchill Downs and is undefeated in three starts in 2025, is the 5-2 third choice. Pletcher has said he’ll only start Mindframe in the Whitney if Fierceness is unable to go. Pletcher is reportedly targeting Mindframe for the Jockey Club Gold Cup Stakes at Saratoga later in August.

The field of older horses for the Whitney also includes 2024 Breeders’ Cup Classic champion Sierra Leone and 2025 Pegasus World Cup Invitational victor White Abarrio.

Saturday’s race is a “Win and You’re In” Breeders’ Cup Challenge Series event with the winner earning an automatic berth in the 2025 Breeders’ Cup Classic at Del Mar.

Fierceness, who has won six of his 11 career races, finished second in his most recent outing, the Grade 1 Metropolitan Handicap at Saratoga on June 7. In his only other 2025 start, Fierceness won the Grade 2 Alysheba Stakes at Churchill on May 2.

Sierra Leone is Saturday’s 2-1 second choice, trained by Chad Brown.

Sierra Leone was runner-up to Mindframe in the Stephen Foster on June 28 after a third-place finish in the New Orleans Classic at Fair Grounds on March 22 in his only two 2025 starts.

Last year, Sierra Leone won the Breeders’ Cup Classic as a 3-year-old, a year in which he also won the Toyota Blue Grass Stakes at Keeneland, finished second in the Kentucky Derby and third in the Belmont Stakes.

White Abarrio (4-1) comes in off a fourth-place finish in the Metropolitan Handicap after winning the Grade 3 Ghostzapper Stakes and the Pegasus at Gulfstream Park earlier this year for trainer Saffie Joseph Jr. The 6-year-old won the Breeders’ Cup Classic in 2023.

The remainder of the field for the Whitney is stocked with capable challengers, including Highland Falls (8-1), Skippylongstocking (10-1), Post Time (12-1) and Disarm (15-1). Contrary Thinking (50-1) and Mama’s Gold (50-1) round out the group.

Skippylongstocking, also trained by Joseph Jr., won the Grade 2 Hollywood Gold Cup Stakes in his most recent race on May 26 at Santa Anita.

Brad Cox’s 5-year-old Highland Falls won last year’s Grade 1 Jockey Club Gold Cup Stakes at Saratoga.

Steve Asmussen’s 5-year-old Disarm was runner-up in the 2023 Travers Stakes after running fourth in that year’s Kentucky Derby.

Post Time, a 5-year-old saddled by Brittany Russell, has won 11 of 18 career starts and was second in last year’s Breeders’ Cup Dirt Mile.

Starting time for the Whitney Stakes is 5:41 p.m. Fox-56 will have the broadcast.