THE Grade 1 $1 million Whitney Stakes at Saratoga this evening attracted a top-quality field of eight, including McKinzie and Godolphin’s world traveller Thunder Snow, who ran second and third, respectively, in the June 8th Met Mile behind Mitole.

The Bob Baffert-trained McKinzie, the morning-line favourite with jockey Mike Smith, has improved dramatically as a four-year-old and endured traffic problems in the stretch when failed to catch Mitole at Belmont Park. McKinzie will be chasing a first victory for Baffert in the Whitney.

Thunder Snow finished a neck behind McKinzie in that Met Mile and he had previously won the Dubai World Cup for a second year. The well-travelled son of Helmet was reported to be working well this week and will be ridden by regular rider Christophe Soumillon.

Preservationist comes of an impressive stakes debut at the age of six when he registered a four and a half length victory over Catholic Boy in the 10-furlong Grade 2 Suburban Stakes July 6th in Belmont Park.

Vino Rosso comes into the Whitney with a three-quarter-length victory in the 10-furlong Grade 1 Gold Cup At Santa Anita Stakes in May.

“He’s been training great. I think he’s a much better four-year-old than he was a three-year-old,” said trainer Todd Pletcher, a three-time winner of the Whitney. The rest of the star-studded field includes last year’s Grade 1 Woodward Stakes winner Yoshida, Forewarned, Imperative and Monongahela.

Also on the card the Grade 1 Test Stakes over seven furlongs has attracted some of the top three-year-old fillies.

Serengeti Empress won the Kentucky Oaks in impressive fashion but then lost to the unbeaten Guarana in the Grade 1 Acorn. Bellafina was one of the top juvenile fillies last year but hasn’t run since fifth when favourite in that Churchill Downs race, while Covfefe has an impressive Grade 3 win to her name and is likely to go off favourite.