In his first stakes look, Arthur’s Journey dealt with the category soar with ease and dominated the $1 million Grade 1 Whitney Stakes in front-running trend Aug. 3 at Saratoga Race Course.
Arthur’s Journey broke rapidly from put up 9 within the discipline of 10 and led via fractions of :46.63 and 1:10.28 whereas chased by Skippylongstocking and 4-5 favourite Nationwide Treasure. Arthur’s Journey by no means regarded again on a muddy and sealed major observe and posted a 2 1/4-length victory within the 94th operating of the Whitney in a remaining time for the 1 1/8 miles of 1:48.54 underneath jockey Junior Alvarado.
Educated by Corridor of Famer Invoice Mott, Arthur’s Journey picked up his fourth profession win and first stakes win. The Whitney was a Breeders’ Cup Problem Collection occasion, giving Arthur’s Journey an automated, fees-paid berth to the Longines Breeders’ Cup Traditional Nov. 2 at Del Mar. In two of the previous three years, the Whitney winner has gone on to take the Traditional. White Abarrio achieved the feat final yr and Knicks Go accomplished the double in 2021.
The Whitney Stakes just isn’t solely a prep for the $7 million Breeders’ Cup Traditional, but additionally as a warm-up for his or her subsequent goal, the $1 million Grade 1 Jockey Membership Gold Cup on Sept. 1 on the Spa.
“It was a fairly good prep,” mentioned Mott, who gained the Whitney for the primary time in his profession.
“To face within the winner’s circle at Saratoga is mindboggling. To win the Whitney, it’s important to be excited. I can not put it in phrases,” mentioned Artur’s Journey’s proprietor Karl Glassman of Glassman Racing. “To be a part of Invoice Mott ‘s first Whitney win, my goodness. We’ll get up in some unspecified time in the future, however I do not know when.”
Crupi, skilled by Todd Pletcher, and Put up Time, skilled by Brittany Russell, every launched rallies from the again of the pack to complete second and third. Favored Nationwide Treasure, who was searching for his third Grade 1 win of 2024, light to complete sixth for coach Bob Baffert underneath Flavien Prat, who mentioned the 4-year-old didn’t just like the moist going.
The Whitney was the seventh profession begin for Arthur’s Journey. Second in his first two begins at age 2, he broke his maiden in his first begin at 3 final yr, however then hoof and gentle tissue points sidelined him for 13 months. When he returned this March, he gained two of his subsequent three begins capped by a extremely spectacular 12 3/4-length romp in a June 7 mile-and-a-quarter allowance elective claimer on the Spa, which led Mott to plan for the Jockey Membership Gold Cup and the Whitney.
“We felt if we are able to get him again as a 3- or 4-year-old, he’ll get higher. He was an enormous, tall, rangy horse who had each license to get higher and we had been proper about that,” Mott mentioned. “That is satisfying. We had him since he was a 2-year-old, and he had some obstacles to beat. Mr. and Mrs. Glassman are great individuals and have been very affected person. I believe this can be a very emotional second.”
Essentially the most troublesome a part of the race for Arthur’s Journey was slowing down. Taking an ungainly step within the gallop out, he unseated Alvarado, who ran alongside the horse till they got here to a cease. Alvarado remounted and returned to the winner’s circle with out additional incident.
Despatched off because the 6-1 third selection, Arthur’s Journey paid $15.80 to win.
“Invoice and his crew are the perfect,” Glassman mentioned. “We’re simply alongside for the trip. Actually, Arthur’s Journey.”
