Whitney Handicap
| Grade I race | |
| Location |
Saratoga Race Course Saratoga Springs, New York, United States |
|---|---|
| Inaugurated | 1928 |
| Race type | Thoroughbred, Flat racing |
| Website | Saratoga Race Course |
| Race information | |
| Distance | 1 1⁄8 miles (9 furlongs) |
| Surface | Dirt |
| Track | Left-handed |
| Qualification | Three-year-olds and Up |
| Weight | Handicap |
| Purse | US$1,250,000 |
The Whitney Stakes (run as a handicap through 2013 and still sometimes referred to as the "Whitney Handicap") is an American Grade 1 stakes race for Thoroughbred racehorses three years of age and older run at a distance of 1 1⁄8 miles. The current purse is $1,250,000.
Held annually in late July/early August at the Saratoga Race Course in Saratoga Springs, New York, the race is named for the Whitney family, whose members were and remain prominent participants and supporters of the sport of Thoroughbred horse racing.
In 2007, the Breeders' Cup Ltd. introduced the Breeders' Cup Challenge "Win and You're In" qualification format, under which the winner of the Whitney Stakes automatically qualifies for the fall running of the Breeders' Cup Classic.
The Whitney was raced at a distance of 1 1⁄4 miles from its inception in 1928 until 1955, when the distance was reduced to 1 1⁄8 miles. Until 1940 it was closed to geldings. The inaugural running was won by William R. Coe's two-time Champion Filly, Black Maria. During World War II, the race was run at Belmont Park from 1943 through 1945, and again once in 1961. Between 1957 and 1969 the race was restricted to horses four years and older.
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