Whitney: Fierceness vs. Sierra Leone, round 5 at Saratoga
The top older horses in America will line up Saturday for the Grade 1, 1 1/8-mile Whitney at Saratoga. The 10-horse field includes eight millionaires, two Breeders' Cup Classic winners, two Eclipse champions and three last-out stakes winners.
The headliners are Fierceness and Sierra Leone, who faced each other four times as 3-year-olds and renew their rivalry here. Fierceness comes in off a tough second in the Met Mile (G1), but he has a win this year in the Alysheba (G2). Sierra Leone hasn't had the same luck this year, though he has hit the board in both of his starts in 2025.
White Abarrio won this race in 2023, and trainer Saffie Joseph Jr. has picked the spots for the 6-year-old horse with precision this year, getting a win in the Pegasus World Cup (G1) to start off 2025. He struggled in the Met Mile, but the stretch-out here could work in his favor.
Brad Cox sends Highland Falls, a lightly raced 5-year-old who won last year's Jockey Club Gold Cup (G1). He has one race and one win in 2025, a one-mile allowance race at Aqueduct last month. He tends to fire well off a layoff.
Maryland-bred Post Time once again steps up to try for his first Grade 1, and though he was third in this race last year, this field is quite a bit deeper.
Check out profiles of all the entrants here.
The Whitney is race 11, post time 5:41 p.m. EDT. TV coverage of Saratoga runs on Fox from 3 to 6 p.m. EDT. NYRA Bets also offers streaming for free account holders.
Free past performances for this and more top stakes are provided by Brisnet.
Here are the top lifetime speed figures the Whitney entrants.
| Post | Horse | Beyer* | TFUS* | Brisnet | HRN |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| scr | Mindframe | 105 | 127 | 106 | 135 |
| 2 | Skippylongstocking | 107 | 125 | 108 | 132 |
| 3 | Highland Falls | 104 | 125 | 101 | 127 |
| 4 | Mama's Gold | 103 | 125 | 105 | 129 |
| 5 | Sierra Leone | 112 | 134 | 114 | 139 |
| 6 | Disarm | 99 | 120 | 104 | 124 |
| 7 | White Abarrio | 109 | 127 | 108 | 138 |
| 8 | Contrary Thinking | 95 | 109 | 97 | 120 |
| 9 | Fierceness | 111 | 134 | 112 | 140 |
| 10 | Post Time | 105 | 125 | 107 | 136 |
*Beyer and TimeformUS speed figures are presented courtesy of Daily Racing Form.
HRN handicappers
HRN's Ed DeRosa will try to beat both of the favorites in his Whitney plays. See how he is approaching the race with his fair odds.
Brian Zipse and Matt Shifman go in-depth for the Whitney in this week's HorseCenter. They rate each contender and give bonus picks for the Fourstardave on turf.
Head-to-Head Handicappers Laurie Ross and Ahsley Tamulonis think the race goes through rivals Fierceness and Sierra leone. Check out their plays here.
On this week's Ron Flatter Racing Pod, "Saratoga Live" analyst Jonathan Kinchen talks Whitney and the deep undercard stakes. Resolute Racing's John Stewart checks in with updates on his stakes runners and prized broodmare Puca. HRN's Ed DeRosa has the handicapping insight you need for the weekend. Listen here.
Get your copy of the Super Screener for every weekend through the Breeders' Cup here.