2012 Whitney Live Blog

A big day of racing is on tap out at Saratoga - two Grade 1 races are on the card, including the Whitney at 5:45pm Eastern time. Morning line favorite Ron the Greek (3/1) leads the field of nine evenly matched and competitive horses. In the race before the Whitney, Agave Kiss (8/5) headlines a field of three-year-old fillies in the Grade 1 Prioress at six furlongs on the main track. The Miss Preakness winner will try to rebound after a horrible 5th place finish in the G3-Victory Ride in her last start.

Saratoga is FAST and FIRM today.

Saratoga Entries - Saturday, August 4th
Saratoga Changes - Saturday, August 4th

9:15am: Stopshoppinmaria towers over the field in the first race of the day - a 5 1/2 furlong turf sprint. She was 2nd in the Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies Turf last fall.

10:05am: There's a reason races are run on paper. Stopshoppingmaria finishes out of the top 4 and box car prices roll home with 1-Madame Giry leading the way at 11/1. The opening exacta pays $63.00 for $1.

11:00am: Speed held well in the first dirt race on the card, won by Tritap and Julien Leparoux. The early Double paid $88.00 for $1. Not bad at all.

11:07am: A nice first time starter from Darley, Fortify, runs away from a group of juveniles in a third race highlighted by extremely fast fractions (21+ quarter, sub-45 half). If the last two races are any indication, the main track appears to be holding speed very effectively at the moment. Four of the next five races are on the lawn, so it remains to be seen if the main track continues to hold speed later in the card.

12:08pm: Speed seems to be doing well on the turf, as well as the dirt; Craving Carats takes race 5 gate to wire.

The early Pick 3 pays $434 for $1.

1:50pm: A blanket finish to the De La Rose as 5-Julie's Love gets up at the wire to deny pacesetter 4-Dancing to Town a big victory. Favorite 10-Delbata (IRE) closed from well back to grab second along the rail. Speed continues to fair well on turf routes.

2:25pm: For most of the Prioress it looked like Agave Kiss would get back to her winning ways after her rivals allowed her to set the pace all on her own through the first half mile. Once inside the final furlong, the 4/5 favorite grew leg weary and was at the prey of the late charge by Judy the Beauty and Emma's Encore. Emma's Encore got her nose down on the wire for the win.

No excuses for Agave Kiss. She got the lead with little to no pressure from her rivals. And while the first two fractions were fast, a top class sprinter should put away her rivals when allowed to make a clear lead.

2:35pm: The WV Derby will go off just before the Whitney {shaking my head}; Hansen was at 1/9 roughly 10 MTP.

3:00pm: Hansen finishes 4th in the WV Derby after tiring in the final furlongs. There was some serious bridgejumping activities in the show poor prior to the race; somebody is all wet.

All of today's Saratoga results can be found in the table below the jump. Click on the winner's name to get the instant chart from Brisnet.