About the race
The Whitney is a Grade 1, USD 1 million race over 1 1/8 miles on dirt for three-year-olds and upwards, staged by The New York Racing Association (NYRA) at Saratoga Race Course in early August. NYRA says it was first run in 1928 and is named for the Whitney family, whose involvement in Saratoga racing dates back to William Collins Whitney’s racing operation, which began in 1898. The winner earns a Breeders’ Cup “Win and You’re In” place in the Breeders’ Cup Classic.
The 98th running, on 2 August 2025, headed a Whitney Day card that carried four Grade 1 races. Sierra Leone won by a length from Highland Falls in 1:48.92 for trainer Chad Brown and jockey Flavien Prat. The 2026 running, on 8 August, went to Sovereignty by 4 3/4 lengths for Godolphin, trainer Bill Mott and jockey Junior Alvarado.
The 2025 running
| Date | Winner | Jockey | Trainer | Owner |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2 August 2025 | Sierra Leone | Flavien Prat | Chad Brown | Brant, Peter M., Magnier, Mrs. John, Tabor, Michael, Smith, Derrick, Westerberg and Smith, Brook T. |
From the official result.
The 2026 running
| Date | Winner | Jockey | Trainer | Owner |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 8 August 2026 | Sovereignty | Junior Alvarado | William I. Mott | Godolphin, LLC |
From the official result.
Recognition and facts
- Race day
- Whitney Day at Saratoga, which in 2025 carried four Grade 1 races (NYRA)
- Qualifier for
- Breeders' Cup Classic (Win and You're In)
- Named for
- The Whitney family (NYRA)
- 2026 running
- 99th (NYRA)
Questions readers ask
When is the Whitney run?
NYRA runs it at Saratoga in early August: on 2 August in 2025 and 8 August in 2026. NYRA had not published a 2027 date by 12 October 2026.
What is the prize fund of the Whitney?
NYRA lists a purse of USD 1,000,000 for the 2026 running.
Who won the Whitney in 2025?
Sierra Leone, trained by Chad Brown and ridden by Flavien Prat, for owners Peter Brant, Mrs. John Magnier, Michael Tabor, Derrick Smith, Westerberg and Brook Smith.
Sources
The rank and rating are from the IFHA's LONGINES World's Top 100 Group/Grade 1 Races 2025, published 21 January 2026, which ranks races by the ratings of their first four finishers. Other facts are from the pages listed below.
- IFHA: LONGINES World's Top 100 Group/Grade 1 Races 2025 (published 21 January 2026)
- 2026 Whitney at Saratoga Race Course, race page with winners table (NYRA)
- Sierra Leone roars to first Spa victory in G1 Whitney (NYRA, 2 August 2025)
- G1 Whitney win for Sovereignty a relief for Hall of Fame trainer Mott (NYRA, 10 August 2026)
- 2026 Saratoga stakes schedule (NYRA)
- NYRA announces stakes schedule for the 2025 Saratoga summer meet