What we learned: 4 takeaways from the Whitney results

As most people expected, Knicks Go led from start to finish in the Whitney Stakes (G1) at Saratoga to pick up his third win of the season and second Grade 1 race. Maxfield made a good run to pick up second, while Silver State ran an even third and Swiss Skydiver faded to fourth.

Besides the brief summary above, there is not a lot to say about how the race played out. One horse dominated on the front end, while three horses chased on the far turn to no avail and one horse did no running at all in a poor performance.

Here is the race replay.

Knicks Go opened up, took a break toward the far turn and then opened up again.

Even if there are not any terrible trips to uncover beyond horses chasing a loose and talented pacesetter, handicappers can learn four lessons from studying the race results.

1. Speed figures matter

Minus the flop in the Metropolitan Handicap (G1), Knicks Go had the best speed figures heading into this race. On TimeformUS specifically, the 5-year-old son of Paynter was the only runner in the field capable of hitting 130 or higher, and he won by a comfortable margin of 4 1/2 lengths with a 130 TimeformUS Speed Figure.

Maxfield displayed TimeformUS figures in the low 120s in his usual performances, and he ran only a touch better than those numbers by finishing second with a 124.

Silver State had the worst numbers in the field with his usual TimeformUS figures just below 120. His best figure came in his Oaklawn Handicap when he ran a 122. With his third-place finish in the Whitney, Silver State was able to match the 122.

Swiss Skydiver had speed figures all over the place, with a high of 122 and low of 116 this year. With her fourth-place finish in the Whitney, Swiss Skydiver ran a 119 on TimeformUS, which fits her current form while still leaving a disappointing feeling. Last year, she was able to run a career-high 127 on TimeformUS in her Preakness win.  

2. Knicks Go back in top form

After his fourth-place finishes in the Saudi Cup and Metropolitan Handicap (G1), it was reasonable to doubt Knicks Go’s form. Before that point, he had won every start under trainer Brad Cox, including the Breeders’ Cup Dirt Mile and Pegasus World Cup (G1). Even if the Saudi trip was forgivable, how could he flop in the Met Mile?

Maybe Knicks Go still felt the effects of the Saudi trip in his disappointing fourth-place finish in the Met Mile. Even though he had a layoff afterward, some horses might need a longer time period to recover from the harsh desert atmosphere.

With his 130 in the Whitney and 136 in the Cornhusker Handicap (G3), Knicks Go is back to his old self and could even step forward in the Breeders’ Cup.

3. Swiss Skydiver off form

As stated above, Swiss Skydiver ran a 127 when winning the Preakness last October over the eventual Breeders' Cup Classic champion Authentic. She has not been able to run to that number since then.

Yes, there are valid excuses.

Swiss Skydiver stumbled at the start of the Breeders’ Cup Distaff. She used up her energy trying to get back into position and then offered nothing in the stretch.

In the Beholder Mile (G1) earlier this year, Swiss Skydiver made her first start off the layoff and won the race with no trouble while posting only a 122 on TimeformUS. The winning effort was fine to start off with. Top horses are not expected to peak at the beginning of a long campaign.

Then in the Apple Blossom Handicap (G1), jockey Robby Albarado gave Swiss Skydiver a questionable ride. After Swiss Skydiver broke sharp and in front, Albarado kindly opted to let Letruska take over the lead before the first turn and Letruska took control of the race from there. 

4. Maxfield is a good horse, not great

With all the praise Maxfield gets, one might think he is a monster. But he keeps running TimeformUS figures in the low 120s and also lacks a Grade 1 win in 2021.

Maxfield gives the impression of a good horse capable of winning another Grade 1 with the right pace setup. Oddly, though, in five previous 2021 races before the Whitney, the Santa Anita Handicap (G1) back in March was his only Grade 1 attempt this year. Maxfield lost the Big Cap too, possibly because he tried 1 1/4 miles for the first time.

For some reason, Maxfield has been carefully spotted by trainer Brendan Walsh and Godolphin. The connections do not take a lot of big chances with this horse. He did not run in the Pegasus, nor did he attempt the Saudi Cup or Dubai World Cup.

With Knicks Go running away in front of him in the Whitney Stakes, Maxfield was no longer the star seen in the Stephen Foster Stakes (G2) or Alysheba Stakes (G2) victories. He still ran his race in the Whitney, but Knicks Go's excellent winning effort took the shine off of him.

Before the Whitney, some people considered Maxfield the favorite for the Breeders’ Cup Classic. Will that remain true after his non-threatening second-place finish in the Whitney? If there is a star among the older dirt routers, it is Knicks Go.