SARATOGA SPRINGS — Even with all the horses that have come through his barn in a 26-year Hall of Fame career — two champions, two Kentucky Derby and Belmont winners and one each in the Preakness and Travers — trainer Nick Zito has no trouble finding a lofty spot among his favorites for Commentator.

“We love them all, but he’s got to be in the top five,” Zito said. “He’s got to be; absolutely. He’s got to be.”

His stock could rise more after today, should Commentator outrun an accomplished field of 11 older horses in the Grade I $750,000 Whitney Handicap at Saratoga Race Course.

The richest of four graded stakes on the card, all part of the Breeders’ Cup “Win and You’re In” initiative that provides automatic entry to the $5 million Classic, the Whitney is the 10th of 11 races with a scheduled post time of 5:46 p.m. The first race post is 1 p.m.

Commentator, Notional, Cowtown Cat, Tasteyville, Grasshopper, A.P. Arrow, Student Council and Timber Reserve are all graded winners. Solar Flare, Rising Moon and Merchant Marine all hooked up the Grade I Suburban June 28, where they ran second, third and fifth, respectively.

“It’s solid,” said Neil Howard, who trains Grasshopper for owners Will Farish and Ed Hudson. “I think we belong, but it’s solid. It’s a deep race.”

A 7-year-old gelding, Commentator represents a departure for Zito’s program, which emphasizes 2- and 3-year-olds and the Triple Crown races.

He would be the second-oldest horse to win the Whitney behind Kelso, who was 8 when he won it for the third time in five years in 1965.

It would also be the second for Commentator, who defeated eventual Horse of the Year Saint Liam in 2005 to become just the second New York-bred to win the Whitney, in its 81st year. Fio Rito was the first, in 1981.

“He gets older, but keeps coming up at a high level,” Zito said. “He has his issues, but we’ve learned to space out his races and give him the time he needs. When he gets the time he needs, he usually comes up with his race.”

Eleven-for-18 lifetime with nearly $1.1 million in earnings, Commen­tator has won two of three starts in 2008, including the Grade II Richter Scale in March. He was a narrow second to Divine Park in the Grade I Met Mile on May 26.

He has been sharp in his training since then, including a bullet work here last week. Three-for-5 at Sar­atoga, Commentator breaks from the rail as the Whitney topweight at 120 pounds.

“We just keep monitoring his health and well-being,” Zito said. “You saw how he was this winter, and his Met Mile was no slouch, so here he is. It’s unusual to have a

7-year-old in that position, so we’re very grateful.”

Adding to his appeal for Zito is the timing of Commentator’s Whitney victory. It came two days before the 60-year-old New Yorker was inducted in the Hall of Fame, located across Union Avenue from the racetrack.

“That was obviously a special day for us,” Zito said. “To come back three years later is tremendous, and he’s good, too. I’m sure he’ll give a good account of himself.”

Howard is looking for the same out of Grasshopper, who stepped out of a Saratoga allowance to nearly upset Derby winner Street Sense in last year’s $1 million Travers.

Since then, Grasshopper has won the Grade III Mineshaft, named for his sire, and run second in three other graded stakes, and was fourth to 2007 Horse of the Year Curlin in the Stephen Foster last time out.

“He’s been doing really well since the Stephen Foster,” Howard said. “He put his weight back on and he trained really good up here, so we decided to go ahead and take a shot.

“It was very exciting to run that well in the Travers, and to almost win it is just phenomenal. He’s only run two maybe off-key races if you look at his form. He’s a nice horse.”

Lawyer Ron won last year’s Whitney for trainer Todd Pletcher with an electrifying track-record performance, running the 11⁄8 miles in 1:46.64 and helping launch him to the Eclipse Award as top older male.

Pletcher is back this year with Cowtown Cat, last year’s Illinois Derby winner who ran last in the Kentucky Derby and fifth in Sar­atoga’s Jim Dandy, and 6-year-old A.P. Arrow.

Fourth in the Dubai World Cup behind Curlin, A.P. Arrow was sixth of eight in the Suburban, his North American return. He is 2-for-3 with one second at Saratoga.

“He’s run well here in the past. He likes the track and he’s doing well, so we’ve just got to hope he keeps his head straight, goes over there and performs,” Pletcher said.

“The Suburban was kind of a non-event for him. He kind of misbehaved in the gate and it all went wrong from the start. We’ve been doing a lot of work with him at the gate, and hopefully, he’ll go over there and behave, and run back to his potential.”