Whitmore may be headed to New York, where his comeback began last fall, for an appearance on one of horse racing's biggest stages.
Trainer and co-owner Ron Moquett hints that the 4-year-old gelding is a likely starter in Friday's Grade 2 $250,000 True North at Belmont Park. A two-time stakes winner this year at Oaklawn Park, Whitmore is undefeated sprinting and comes off a victory over Grade 1 winner A.P. Indian in the Maryland Sprint May 20 at Pimlico Race Course in Baltimore.
"We are leaning to the True North as long as he keeps showing the energy he has," Moquett said in a text Saturday, following Whitmore's half-mile breeze in 48 seconds Friday at Churchill Downs under former jockey Greta Kuntzweiler. "Whit makes the call."
The True North is six furlongs, the same distance that Whitmore clocked below 1:09 in all three Oaklawn victories this year. Whitmore won at 6 1/2 furlongs Dec. 3 at Aqueduct, his first race since placing 19th of 20 in the May 3 Kentucky Derby at Churchill Downs. Third in the 2016 Arkansas Derby, the Pleasantly Perfect gelding is seven for seven at six or 6 1/2 furlongs.
After the workout Friday, Moquett displayed a sheet of paper with the words "soundness, energy level, mental happiness and fitness."
"This is what I always ask, on a one to five scale, five being the best," he said. "So I told Greta to grade it. She put down five, five, five, six. Because he didn't drink any water. That's the thing about sprinting him. It's different than routing. He's cooled out before he gets off the track. He doesn't run that hard."
Listed as probable for the True North, according to the New York Racing Association, are A.P. Indian, El Deal, Fellowship, Green Gratto, Holy Boss, Noholdingbackbear, Roy H and Stallwalkin' Dude.
Moquett said 3-year-old Petrov is definite for Belmont's Grade 2 $500,000 Woody Stephens on Saturday. The Flatter colt is shortening to seven furlongs after finishing ninth in the mile-and-eighth Grade 1 Arkansas Derby April 15. Before that, he was fourth in the Grade 2 Rebel after three straight stakes seconds. Petrov worked a half-mile in 47 2-5 seconds Friday at Churchill Downs, galloping out five furlongs in 1:00 1-5 "as strong as you could," said Moquett.
Probable favorites in the True North include American Anthem, beaten favorite in the Rebel March 18 and last-out Grade 3 Laz Barrera winner at Santa Anita, and Recruiting Ready, a spring stakes winner at Oaklawn and Pimlico.
* Grade 2 Oaklawn Handicap winner Inside Straight is listed as probable for Belmont's Grade 1 $1.2 million Metropolitan Handicap on Saturday, from which the winner gains automatic entry to the Grade 1 Breeders' Cup Dirt Mile in November at Del Mar. Mor Spirit, Oaklawn's Essex Handicap winner Feb. 20, also is listed as probable for the Met Mile, a classic test of speed and stamina and especially prominent among breeders.
* Here is the updated list of probable contenders for the $1.5 million Grade 1 Belmont Stakes on Saturday, trainers included: Classic Empire (Mark Casse), Epicharis (Kiyoshi Hagiwara), J Boys Echo (Dale Romans), Lookin At Lee (Steve Asmussen), Meantime (Brian Lynch), Multiplier (Brenden Walsh), Patch (Todd Pletcher), Senior Investment (Ken McPeek), Tapwrit (Pletcher), Twisted Tom (Chad Brown).
Listed as possible are Gormley (John Shirreffs), Hollywood Handsome (Dallas Stewart), Irish War Cry (Graham Motion).
Classic Empire and Lookin At Lee finished first and third in the Arkansas Derby, Lookin At Lee subsequently placing second (to Always Dreaming) and Classic Empire a troubled fourth in the Kentucky Derby. Senior Investment, third in the Preakness (won by Cloud Computing), won an Oaklawn allowance/optional claiming race in February and later took the Grade 3 Lexington at Keeneland.
Sports on 06/04/2017