SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y.–Right now, Hall of Fame trainer Bob Baffert is planning on running his sparkling 5-year-old 'TDN Rising Stars, presented by Hagyard' Nysos (Nyquist) in the $1 million GI Whitney Stakes at Saratoga Race Course Aug. 8.Unless he changes his mind.For now, though, he has penciled in the imposing Nysos to the Whitney, which is shaping up as maybe the race of the year.“It all depends on how he is training up to it,” Baffert said by phone from Louisville, Ky. “Right now, I am pointing for it.”The other option Baffert has for Nysos is the $1 million GI Pacific Classic at Del Mar Aug. 22. In his last start, Nysos was victorious in the GI Metropolitan Handicap at Saratoga during the Belmont Stakes Racing Festival.His margin of victory in the prestigious race was four lengths.Owned by Baoma Corp., Mrs. John Magnier, Michael Tabor and Derrick Smith, Nysos has won eight of 10 career starts; in his other two races he has finished second. Nine of his races have been in graded stakes company.Baffert said if he ran Nysos in the Pacific Classic, he would not run him again until the GI Breeders' Cup Classic at the end of October.“If I run him in the Whitney, then do I give him a prep somewhere else?” Baffert said. “Or do I go in there fresh? That is what I am thinking about. Right now, I am taking it one race at a time. The Whitney is a real prestigious race, and he has already shown what a good horse he is.”Baffert knows the Pacific Classic–a race he has won a record seven times–also carries weight. He has won the Whitney twice and, if he brings Nysos here, Baffert knows he will be facing perhaps the toughest field of older horses assembled this year.Among those under consideration for the race are Magnitude (Not This Time), winner of the GI Stephen Foster, GI Dubail World Cup and GIII Razorback Handicap, 2025 Horse of the Year Sovereignty (Into Mischief), third in the Stephen Foster and second in the GII Oaklawn Handicap; Baeza (McKinzie), second in the Stephen Foster and third in the GII Alysheba Stakes, White Abarrio (Race Day), second in the GI Pegasus World Cup Invitational, winner of the Oaklawn Handicap and fourth in the Stephen Foster and 4-year-old filly Nitrogen (Medaglia d'Oro), last year's Eclipse Award winner for 3-year-old filly and a winner by a dozen lengths in his last start, the GI Ogden Phipps last month.“If all goes well, I will bring (Nysos) there,” Baffert said. “If it doesn't, I won't. If I don't feel good about it, I won't bring him there.”The only other horse Baffert is considering for Saratoga–right now–is Explora (Blame), who is being targeted for the $500,000, seven-furlong GI Test Stakes for 3-year-old fillies, also on Whitney Day.Kinnon LaRose | Sarah Andrew First Saratoga Start Brings First Saratoga Winner for LaRoseDuring his college years, trainer Kinnon LaRose was a Division I basketball player, first at nearby Siena College (now University) for a year and then for three seasons at Sacred Heart University in Connecticut where he was the team captain his senior year.His career high in points was 24, a neat achievement.Early Saturday afternoon, LaRose, 29, was getting his picture taken in the winner's circle at Saratoga after the first horse he ever saddled at the Spa came home a winner.“No question,” a grinning LaRose said when asked what the bigger thrill was.He's hoping for many more.Midnight Still (Curlin) dominated the Saturday opener, romping to a 6 1/4-length win with jockey Flavien Prat on board in a maiden special weight for 2-year-old colts.LaRose spent six years as an assistant to veteran trainer Tom Amoss, who retired in March. LaRose then took over the barn. Saturday was not his first win; he had won 13 other races since taking over. Getting the first one at Saratoga was special.He used to come here as a kid and has always been a fan of the Spa. His wife, Sabrina, was here to witness the milestone Saturday as were several other family members. So to was Amoss, who remains a consultant to the barn and was like a proud papa as he joined in on the winner's circle celebration.“I am really proud of him,” Amoss said. “I get the assist; I bought this horse as a yearling. But Kinnon did all the heavy lifting, and I just feel really, really good right now. It can't be a bad day after this, trust me.”La Rose got into the game after sending a blind email to Amoss after college. He expressed an interest in getting into the game and Amoss invited him to Lexington.They hit it off immediately.“When I was in college and joined a fraternity, they put us through hell week to see how bad we wanted it,” Amoss said. “I put him through six months of hell week in the barn to see if he was the real deal and he kept coming back for more. He had a thirst to learn and I knew he was special.“I took him under my wing and said I was going to get you to where you want to be,” he said.And, for the rest of the summer, that is right here.By next week, LaRose expects to have 23 horses in his care at Saratoga; he has another 36 in Kentucky.“For sure,” LaRose said when asked about coming a long way in a short time. “I am certainly very grateful to have worked with Tom Amoss for six years and for him to trust me and the owners to trust me and taking on their horses. Being a young guy, you are going to make mistakes, but at the same time, you are learning daily from the horses, learning from Tom and learning from the owners.”White Abarrio on track Saturday morning | Sarah AndrewIf It's Wet, Don't Expect to See White Abarrio Running AnywhereTrainer Saffie Joseph Jr. knows this to be true: White Abarrio (Race Day), his 7-year-old special older horse, absolutely, positively, cannot stand being on a wet racetrack. And, Joseph promises he won't subject his horse to those kinds of conditions as long as he continues to train the big white horse.“You will never see him on an off track again,” Joseph said outside his barn at the Saratoga backstretch. “Without a doubt.”In his 27-race career, White Abarrio has run on an off-track three times. In 2022, he was third in the GI Cigar Mile; last year he was fourth in the GI Met Mile and, in his last start, the GI Stephen Foster, he was fourth on a sloppy strip at Churchill Downs.Joseph, apprehensive about running in the Foster over an off track, tried it because it was two turns and his other two starts on the slop had been one turn. Joseph knows his horse is better at two turns; that's why he went ahead and let him go.It didn't work out. White Abarrio was never comfortable on the surface and Joseph learned a lesson.“We have conceded he is not as good on a sloppy track as he is on a fast track,” Joseph said. “During the week (of the Foster), we knew there was a high probability of it being sloppy. We were hoping it wouldn't. We talked about scratching but it was hard to scratch. The thing that gave us hope was that the horse was doing very good.”White Abarrio, owned by C2 Racing Stable LLC, Gary Barber and La Milagrosa Stable LLC, finished 9 3/4 lengths behind Magnitude (Not This Time) in the Foster and was also beaten by Baeza (McKinzie) and Sovereignty (Into Mischief).Up next for White Abarrio will be the $1 million GI Whitney Stakes on Aug. 8. Provided it's a fast track, of course.The post Saratoga Notebook, Presented By NYRA Bets: Baffert Pointing Nysos To Whitney, But Says He Could Change His Mind appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions.