Saratoga: Players bet Whitney-day record of nearly $50 million

Saturday’s 13-race program anchored Sierra Leone’s victory in the Grade 1, $1 million Whitney Stakes generated $49,651,341 in wagers, the best for any of the 98 days when the Saratoga race was run.

The Whitney day handle record represented a 22.7% increase over the previous high of $40,461,888, which was established during a 12-race card in 2022.

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Paid attendance Saturday was said to be 42,316, according to the New York Racing Association, with on-track handle of $8,551,067.

The 1 1/8-mile Whitney for 4-year-olds and up, a win-and-you’re-in qualifier for the $7 million Breeders’ Cup Classic on Nov. 1 at Del Mar, served as the centerpiece of a card that included five graded stakes worth $3.2 million in purses.

The Whitney also was the highlight of a three-hour live telecast on Fox as part of “Saratoga Saturday,” which airs each of the next three Saturdays and culminates in a special Travers day show Aug. 23.

The 2025 Saratoga summer meet runs through Labor Day, Sept. 1.