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The retirement of defending Horse of the Year and 2006 Whitney Handicap (gr. I) winner, Invasor, in June has left a giant void at the top of the handicap division. Thus, the 12 older horses entered in Saturday’s $750,000 Whitney at Saratoga have a big job to fill that hole.
With the exception of a couple of horses, nearly every top older horse from the bluegrass fields of Kentucky to the shores of Long Island was entered in this nine-furlong test. In fact, the size of this Whitney field crushes the decade average of 7.4 starters.
The last time a Whitney had more than 12 starters was in 1971, when Cragwood Stable’s Protanto and Hall of Fame jockey Jorge Velasquez scored for Hall of Fame trainer Mack Miller.
“Everybody’s here that should be here,†said Belmont Park’s leading trainer, Gary Contessa, who entered Papi Chullo. Contessa, armed with some 150 horses that have already compiled more than 650 starts this year, is one of New York’s “super trainers.†Although Contessa won his first and only grade I race 16 years ago with Do It With Style, he has a legitimate chance at taking the top prize Saturday with Papi Chullo.
Papi Chullo, a 5-year-old, enters the Whitney in career-best form after romping to back-to-back victories at Belmont in May and June. It is not a coincidence the May 4 allowance race and the June 9 Birdstone Stakes–races Papi Chullo won by a combined 12 1/4-lengths–were Papi Chullo’s first two starts for Contessa. In 2006 and early 2007, the horse bounced around from one low-profile barn to another.
“I bought the horse privately after the Oaklawn Handicap (gr. II),†said Contessa, who trains Papi Chullo for a partnership that includes Winning Move Stable, Team Stallion Racing Corp., and IEAH Stable. “The first time we ran him, I told (Steve Sigler of IEAH) that he was probably about 75% fit. Then the horse just misses the Belmont track record for a mile and a sixteenth. He was equally as good in the Birdstone.â€
Trainer Kiaran McLaughlin won the Whitney a year ago with Invasor. Saturday, he’ll send out the much-improved Flashy Bull, a 4-year-old who is seeking his fifth straight victory. By 1994 Travers (gr. I) winner Holy Bull, Flashy Bull displayed a ton of heart taking the Stephen Foster Handicap (gr. I) at Churchill over Whitney rivals Magna Graduate, Diamond Stripes, and Wanderin Boy. He’s had six weeks to recoup from the effort.
Flashy Bull, a stalker who is 2-1-2 from eight starts at nine furlongs, has drawn the rail with jockey Alan Garcia.
McLaughlin says he has a tough time zeroing in on the horse to beat. “I would have to think Todd Pletcher’s the horse to beat,†joked McLaughlin, who was a co-worker with Pletcher years ago in Hall of Fame trainer D. Wayne Lukas’ operation.
“As for Flashy Bull, his Foster was a very good effort; the move he made when he opened up was very impressive. This year he’s shown his talent every time. He’s become a fighter and a very nice horse.â€
Flashy Bull, owned by West Point Thoroughbreds, is one of four co-highweighted horses at 118 pounds.
2007 Whitney Handicap (gr. I) Race Entries, Post Position and Jockeys:
Post Horse Jockey Weight
1 Flashy Bull Alan Garcia 118
2 Papi Chullo Eibar Coa 115
3 Brass Hat Willie Martinez 118
4 Fairbanks Richard Migliore 116
5 Wanderin Boy Rafael Bejarano 117
6 Sun King Corey Nakatani 117
7 Magna Graduate Garrett Gomez 118
8 Student Council Robby Albarado 115
9 Diamond Stripes Edgar Prado 116
10 Dry Martini Cornelio Velasquez 115
11 Lawyer Ron John Velazquez 118
12 Awesome Twist Javier Castellano 114
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