
Whitney Stakes Handicapping Picks
Horse racing gamblers are you looking for 2025 Whitney Stakes Free Pick & Handicapping Odds…plus some predictions? Need some advice on who to take? The 2025 (G1) Whitney Stakes is set for August 2 at Saratoga Race Course in Saratoga Springs, NY. Here’s a preview of our top contenders.
Whitney Stakes Preview
- Race: Whitney Stakes
- Purse: $1 million
- Distance: 1 1/8 miles
- Track: Saratoga Race Course
- Date: August 2, 2025
- Post Time: 5:41 PM (ET)
- Live: Haskell Stakes Odds: Click Here
Past 10 Whitney Stakes Winners
- 2024 – Arthur’s Ride
- 2023 – White Abarrio
- 2022 – Life Is Good
- 2021 – Knick’s Go
- 2020 – Improbable
- 2019 – McKinzie
- 2018 – Diversify
- 2017 – Gun Runner
- 2016 – Frosted
- 2015 – Honor Code
Before we can give you our expert 2025 Whitney Stakes free pick, we have to break down the entries! In fact, we’d love to hear from you after you’ve given this post a read to see if you see an angle that we don’t!
2025 Whitney Stakes Handicapping
On a weekend packed with graded stakes action across North America, one of the features is the (G1) Whitney Stakes at Saratoga.
Run at 1 1/8 miles on the Saratoga dirt course, the Whitney is a Breeders’ Cup Challenge ‘Win And You’re In’ race with the first-place finisher being granted an automatic spot in the (G1) Breeders’ Cup Classic in November.
With one scratch, the Whitney is expected to have a field of nine including the 2023 race winner, the 2024 Travers Stakes winner, and the 2024 Kentucky Derby runner-up.
Odds listed here are provided by the Saratoga track oddsmaker.
2025 Whitney Stakes Free Pick & Handicapping: Fierceness Race Odds: 9-5
Earlier in his career Fierceness was a horse that had consistency issues, looking like a world-beater one day and an also-ran the next. This was most striking when he won the 2024 (G1) Florida Derby by 13 lengths, only to turn up and run a dull 15th in the Kentucky Derby one month later.
After the Derby he seems to have turned a corner, and has been first or second in his last five starts, including taking the (G1) Travers Stakes last year at Saratoga, his third win on the track. He’s also 2-for-2 at the distance.
2025 Whitney Stakes Free Pick & Handicapping: Sierra Leone Odds: 2-1
Never out of the money in 11 career starts, the late running Sierra Leone just missed taking last year’s Kentucky Derby by a nose, and later ran his best lifetime race when the won the (G1) Breeders’ Cup Classic.
He’s one that needs some pace to run at, and he should get that here. He’s very versatile, having won at the distance and on tracks rated fast as well as muddy. At the same time, he has yet to win at Saratoga in three lifetime tries.
White Abarrio Race Odds: 4-1
White Abarrio had an outstanding 2023, winning this race and then following that up by taking the BC Classic. Since then he’s been very successful at his home base of Gulfstream in south Florida and somewhat mediocre elsewhere.
Last out he was fourth, beaten 5 1/4 lengths at Saratoga in the (G1) Metropolitan Handicap. One year ago he was fifth, beaten 10 lengths in that same race. Between those he had three easy wins and a runner-up finish in four races at Gulfstream.
Highland Falls Race Odds: 8-1
The well-traveled Highland Falls has been a winner at four different tracks, at distances ranging from 1 1/16 miles up to 1 1/4. He probably ran his best career race last September at Saratoga when he won the (G1) Jockey Club Gold Cup.
He was an also-ran next out in the BC Classic and then went on the shelf for almost nine months. He made his 2025 debut in late June at Aqueduct, running a very quick mile to win an optional claiming event by an easy 5 1/2 lengths.
Here’s My 2025 Whitney Stakes Free Pick
On paper this seems at first look to be a two horse race between two horses with completely different running styles. On the one hand you have the late-running Sierra Leone, and on the other you have Fierceness, who does his best work in the clear and close to the pace.
The funny thing is that it’s difficult to have 100% faith in either of them. Fierceness is a horse that doesn’t like adversity, and if he encounters any kind of trip trouble he has difficulty overcoming it. Sierra Leone’s record speaks for itself. While he does have four wins, he’s also been second or third seven times. including in six of his last seven starts. He always shows up, he just doesn’t win.
At low odds, I’ll take a shot at beating them and I’ve landed on Highland Falls. I think he can get a nice setup here tracking just off the early pace, and although he’s won at 1 1/4 miles, I think the 1 1/8 is his best distance.
I’l take him for the win and put him in the exacta with Fierceness.
Full Field: 2025 Whitney Stakes Odds
By post position
- #1 – Mindframe (scratched)
- #2 – Skippylongstocking 10-1
- #3 – Highland Falls 8-1
- #4 – Mama’s Gold 50-1
- #5 – Sierra Leone 2-1
- #6 – Disarm 15-1
- #7 – White Abarrio 4-1
- #8 – Contrary Thinking 15-1
- #9 – Fierceness 9-5
- #10 – Post Time 12-1
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