Diversify asserts his dominance in Whitney Stakes 2018 win

A renewal of the Grade 1, $1.2 million Whitney Stakes delayed Saturday by 45 minutes proved well worth the wait for the home state fans.

Once the rains stopped and skies cleared, New York-bred Diversify broke sharply and led throughout on a sealed, sloppy track, proving he’s the East Coast horse to beat this year in the handicap division.

Mind Your Biscuits — another home state hero — ran on for second by 3 1/2 lengths, with longshot Discreet Lover third.

Trainer Rick Viollete called the result a "huge relief" after the track was sealed, then downgraded to good, muddy and finally sloppy.

"You literally had tack on him for an hour," Violette said. "You don't know how a horse is going to react. We know how he did. He's pretty cool."

The final time was 1:49.62 for Diversify and followed his dominant Brooklyn Handicap (G2) win last month in which the gelding finished 10 furlongs in under two minutes.

This horse, a 5-year-old son of Bellamy Road campaigned by Ralph and Lauren Evans, just keeps running.

Under jockey Jose Ortiz, he clicked off fractions of 23.22, 46.50 and 1:10.70. The competition never caught up, with Backyard Heaven and Dalmore, who were both near the early pace, nowhere to be found late.

"Only nice horses can do that," Ortiz said. "He was steady; he wasn't dying at the end, he'd keep trying. He did it the right way."

Off at 8/5, he paid $5.20 to his backers. And to his connections he delivered a “Win and You’re In” bid to the Nov. 3 Breeders’ Cup Classic, joining Stephen Foster Handicap hero Pavel and Good Magic, winner of last weekend’s Haskell Invitational.

Not a bad return for a horse who Violette weighed keeping on the sidelines until the Sept. 1 Woodward, another Grade 1 feature at Saratoga. The gelding has traditionally run better with more time between his starts, but connections saw him excelling before the Whitney.

"It's tough to change your mind publicly," Violette joked. "I probably shouldn't open my mouth in the first place."

Diversify improved his record to 10-2-0 in 15 career starts, adding to his other signature victory, last year's Belmont Jockey Club Gold Cup (G1).