‘Keep All Our Options Open': Mindframe Still Possible For Whitney
Repole Stable and St. Elias Stable's millionaire Mindframe, undefeated in three starts this year, including back-to-back Grade 1 victories, remains under consideration for the G1, $1 million Whitney on Aug. 2 at Saratoga Race Course.
The 98th running of the 1 1/8-mile Whitney for 4-year-olds and up is a 'Win and You're In' qualifier for the Gr1 Breeders' Cup Classic on November 1 at Del Mar and the headliner on a program featuring five graded stakes worth $3.2 million in purses.
Owner Mike Repole and Hall of Fame trainer Todd Pletcher already have Fierceness pointed to the Whitney. The three-time G1 winner and Champion 2-Year-Old Colt of 2023 lost for the first time in four starts at Saratoga when he was second in the G1 Hill 'n' Dale Metropolitan Handicap on June 7.
'We're going to breeze Mindframe on Saturday and make a decision,' Pletcher said. 'Talking to Mike, there's a good chance we'll enter both and make a decision about Mindframe on race day.'
The Maryland-bred Mindframe was first or second in four starts as a 3-year-old, including runner-up finishes in the G1 Belmont Stakes presented by NYRA Bets and G1 NYRABets Haskell. After more than seven months away, he launched his comeback with a victory in the G2 Gulfstream Park Mile on March 1, and followed up with scores in the G1 Churchill Downs sprinting seven furlongs and G1 Stephen Foster going 1 1/8 miles.
Pletcher said the usual factors will come into play when deciding whether to run Mindframe in the Whitney, a race he has won previously with Left Bank [2002], Lawyer Ron [2007], Cross Traffic [2013], and Life Is Good [2022].
'Just everything – post position draw, how the race is shaping up, how the breezes go this weekend,' he said. 'We want to keep all our options open. As we all know, things can change quickly in this game.'
Of his other horses nominated to Whitney, Pletcher said Centennial Farms' G3 winner Antiquarian, most recently second in the Grade 2 Suburban presented by Subourbon July 4, will be pointed to the G1, $1 million Jockey Club Gold Cup on Aug. 31 at Saratoga [a "Win and You're In" for the Breeders' Cup Classic], while no decision has been made on the next spot for Eclipse Thoroughbred Partners' G1-winning millionaire Locked, third as the Suburban favorite.
This story was originally reported by Paulick Report on Jul 24, 2025, where it first appeared.
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