Arthur’s Ride pulled off the upset in the 97th running of the Whitney Stakes at the Saratoga Race Course on Saturday.

Jockey Junior Alvarado piloted the 4-year-old colt to his first Grade 1 Stakes win. The $1 million 1 1/8-mile race also gave trainer Bill Mott his first Whitney victory. 

“Anytime you're in a Grade 1, I mean, you can almost say that it's a good field. I mean, very seldom do you run in a Grade 1 and say it's a weak race,” said Mott, who has 10 wins so far in the summer meet. “They led everybody to us, the best that they had here at the time, and he handled them very well. I thought he ran a super race today.” 

On a muddy and sealed main track, Arthur’s Ride edged out Crupi by two and a quarter lengths as Post Time crossed third. The favorite, Bob Baffert’s National Treasure, finished off the board in sixth. 

“He broke very sharp, and I mean he took it from there,” said Alvarado, on his 10th win at Saratoga this season. “It was very, very beautiful the whole way. And when I hit the quarter pole, he ears were still perking in the air. And I was like, ‘oh boy, I think I have plenty of horse left.’ Right when I asked him, he just took off for me, and ran a beautiful race.”

This trip to the winner’s circle also earns an automatic berth to the Breeders' Cup Classic at Del Mar later this year. 

Earlier in the afternoon, Ways and Means took home the Test Stakes. The Chad Brown-trained 3-year-old filly won the $500,000 Grade 1 Stakes by two and a half lengths with jockey Flavien Prat. 

Brown, a Mechanicville native, currently sits at the top of the trainer standing with 18 wins. Prat is in second in the jockey standing with 23 wins. 

The overnight rain did limit Saturday’s 13 race card to just 11. The Grade 1 Saratoga Derby Invitational and the Grade 2 Troy, both turf races, were postponed and moved to next Saturday, Aug. 10. All of the other turf races were moved to the main track.