Expert Pick of the Week: 2025 Whitney Stakes

Jul 30, 2025 John Mucciolo/TwinSpires.com

Fierceness wins the Travers S. at Saratoga (Photo by Coglianese Photography / Credit to Chelsea Durand)

A smashing cast will go postward in the prestigious, $1 million Whitney S. (G1) at Saratoga on Saturday. The nine-furlong event on the main oval attracted the last two winners of the Breeders’ Cup Classic (G1) among five Grade 1 winners in the group, and this heavyweight tussle is sure to be a thrilling feature on a huge day of racing at The Spa.

Champion Fierceness shows a trio of wins and a second from four lifetime runs on the surface and will look to add to that mark for conditioner Todd Pletcher. The fantastic son of City of Light bagged the Travers S. (G1) here in August in one of his best races to date, and the four-year-old has had a pair of solid prep runs in advance of this major goal, as well.

THE CHAMP IS BACK! 🏆

FIERCENESS wins the 155th running of the Travers (GI) at #Saratoga

Jockey: @ljlmvel
Trainer: @PletcherRacing
Owner: @RepoleStable pic.twitter.com/2drFLnqFhZ

— TwinSpires Racing 🏇 (@TwinSpires) August 24, 2024

The Kentucky-bred colt set a track mark in eclipsing the Alysheba S. (G2) at Churchill Downs in May, prior to checking in second in the Met Mile (G1) around one turn on the course on June 7, and he returns to 1 1/8 miles, which is arguably his best distance. He possesses excellent tactical speed and will get the jump on his late-running foes at the top of the lane beneath John Velazquez.

Highland Falls romped in the Jockey Club Gold Cup (G1) on the oval in the fall in his lone try at Saratoga to date for trainer Brad Cox. The Godolphin homebred commenced his five-year-old campaign with a sizzling allowance score at Aqueduct on June 27, and any improvement off of that will see the well-bred son of Curlin in the hunt late with Luis Saez in the stirrups.

Champion Sierra Leone always runs well and has to be given a big chance in his third run of the season. The Chad Brown trainee has the best closing kick in the group, and the Gun Runner colt could be coming up to a peak performance third time off the bench, too. The dark bay four-year-old was a clear second behind a sensational colt in the Stephen Foster S. (G1) most recently and has reportedly been training in excellent fashion in advance of his return to this venue. Regular rider Flavien Prat will be in the silks.

Expert Pick

An exacta with #9 Fierceness on top of #3 Highland Falls and #5 Sierra Leone in the 2025 Whitney is the Best Bet of the Week.