We're fast and firm on Whitney Saturday at Saratoga. There are five stakes races on tap along with some intriguing undercard races. Here are a few horses to consider on this afternoon's card. You can find stakes previews for the Troy, Lure, Test, Whitney and De La Rose, as well as a pedigree analysis of the 2-year-olds in the third race at video.drf.com. Some of the better handicap horses in the country will duke it out in the Whitney, but I won't try to beat favored McKinzie (6) after his troubled Met Mile. There are some concerns as to whether he's as effective going longer so deeper-pocketed handicappers may also use the longer-winded Preservationist (8). Race 3 – Maiden special weight While some salty first-time starters debut for trainers such as Asmussen, Pletcher and Mott, I generally prefer experienced horses over debut runners, especially at the elongated sprint distance of seven furlongs. Most will gravitate to Extreme Force (3), who hopped at the start, then pulled his way along into a tight spot along the rail in the early stages of his Belmont run. I prefer THIS ILL DEFEND (7) at a much-better price. A $170K purchase in May, This Ill Defend hopped up at the start of his debut, then chased four wide all the way around the turn before understandably faltering late. Note the discrepancy between these two Formulator Facts regarding trainer Tom Albertrani: Past 5 Years, 2yos, First Start, Maiden Special Weight, Dirt Sprints:  2 for 76 (3%), $0.66 ROI Past 5 Years, 2yos, Second Start, Maiden Special Weight, Dirt Sprints:  5 for 22 (23%), $2.15 ROI It's safe to assume that This Ill Defend will improve second-time out for this barn. I'll use him along with Extreme Force. Of the first-time starters, I prefer Glory Road (9) for Pletcher and Velazquez. Race 5 – Troy Stakes It's a shame that World of Trouble (1) won't compete due to a minor foot injury, but the Troy becomes a better betting race without his presence. The key to this race is the early pace. If Rocket Heat (4) can occupy the dangerous Pure Sensation (3) on the front end, I will look for the improving WET YOUR WHISTLE (5) to run them down in the stretch. Wet Your Whistle brings a four-race win streak into the Troy and he overwhelmed his eight opponents in the Grade 1 Highlander at Woodbine by sweeping past them all in the stretch. Relatively lightly-raced for a 4-year-old, Wet Your Whistle still can improve. He should be the third price in the Troy behind the Clement -trained runners. Multi-race players might want to use a combination of all three chalks. :: Get PPs, Clocker Reports, picks, and more from DRF's Saratoga/Del Mar One-Stop Shop Race7 – Lure Stakes This is more of a stab race for me, especially after the scratch of Gidu (9). That defection allows Voodoo Song (7) to control the pace and he is always very dangerous when allowed that scenario. I picked PROJECTED (3) before the scratch and will reluctantly stick with him despite my better judgment. While certainly not the most reliable runner in the world, I believe Projected has excuses for two of his three races this year. I think he was prepping in the Keeneland race to kick off his campaign and was just in too tough against Almanaar and company last time out. Two back, Projected ran a solid race. Hung out wide in the stretch, he was pipped by Hawkish, a nice turf horse that saved more ground than Projected. I won't bet the farm on Projected, but will play him some and use him with Voodoo Song, Sacred Life (5) and Lucullan (2). Race 8 – Test Stakes As in the last two profiles, pace makes this race. If Serengeti Empress (1) and COVFEFE (3) hook up as expected, it's likely the duel will scorch them into the ground. It's worth noting that Serengeti Empress broke sideways from the inside post and was rushed up in the Acorn. She drew the rail again and cannot afford a misstep with the speedy Covfefe breaking to her outside. Covfefe must prove she is more than a one-hit wonder, but her one hit in the Miss Preakness was a chart-buster. She didn't run as well as expected last time out at Churchill, but was the only 3-year-old in that race and might not have been cranked too tight. I'm hoping that Covfefe wins a game of chicken early and has enough left to hold off the quality closers. A tall order to be sure, but she could be the third-choice at post time and is fair value thereabouts. Also worth considering, at much bigger odds, is Trenchtown Cat (4), an upwardly-mobile 3-year-old that would benefit from a hot pace up front. Race 11 - Allowance Veterans Beach (12) will likely be favored, but I think he suffered bad losses in two of his last three races. Three back, he received a beautiful ride from Jose Ortiz, but couldn't get by favored Elektronic in the stretch. Last time, he opened up a clear stretch advantage only to be run down late. Perhaps Veterans Beach has a little hang in him and I'll try to best him with THREE OUTLAWS (11), who returned off a 277-day layoff as a new gelding and ran deceptively well in his turf debut. He didn't break well from the inside post, was last on the rail entering the turn, and was in some minor traffic in the stretch. He was firing late, galloped out well and should be tighter for this start, his first with Lasix. I'll play Three Outlaws and Red Zinger (4), and use Veterans Beach defensively in multiple-race wagers. Good luck with your wagers today!