A frequent traveler in his most successful season on the track, Whitmore returns home to begin his fourth year of racing.
The 5-year-old gelding made his reputation at Oaklawn Park, especially after trainer and co-owner Ron Moquett called an audible, deciding that instead of a distance horse he had a crack sprinter on his hands. Whitmore thus enjoyed in 2017 a surpassing Oaklawn season for a sprinter, running 1:08 "and change" for six furlongs in each of his three victories. Included were victories in the Hot Springs and Grade 3 Count Fleet Sprint Handicap, followed by a Grade 3 triumph at Maryland's Pimlico Race Course and a Grade 2 score on opening day of Keeneland's fall meeting in Lexington, Ky.
Though his 4-year-old season ended with a defeat in the Grade 1 Breeders' Cup Sprint at Del Mar in Southern California, Whitmore has career earnings of $1,212,000, five wins last year giving him eight in 16 starts.
Whitmore goes back to work today in the $125,000 Hot Springs, which 52 weeks ago he won by six lengths in his second start of the season.
Successfully repeating in the Hot Springs and the April 14 Count Fleet, Whitmore can exceed $1 million in Oaklawn purses -- read that sentence again carefully. To that end, he keeps the track's leading jockey, Ricardo Santana Jr., who won three stakes aboard the chestnut gelding last year.
Showing back-to-back "bullet" works, the first at five furlongs, Whitmore is "as good as I can get him before a race," said Moquett, who races the gelding in partnership with Robert LaPenta. Whitmore defends not only the Hot Springs title but a perfect local record (4 for 4) at six furlongs.
If he slips a little, Wilbo or Ivanfallunovalot, with three King Cotton victories at Oaklawn between them, could reaffirm horse-for-the-course credentials. Wilbo is especially sharp, winning twice at the meet for trainer Chris Hartman, coming up the rail in a Jan. 14 allowance/optional claimer and from outside in the $125,000 King Cotton on Feb. 3. David Cabrera, enjoying a splendid first Oaklawn season, keeps the mount, though Wilbo, with 122 pounds, must spot weight to each of his five opponents.
Ivan Fallunovalot, twice second to Wilbo at the meeting, can become a racing millionaire with an exacta finish in his 31st start. One of the shrewdest claims in Oaklawn history -- taken for $25,000 in March 2014 by Tom Howard in behalf of Bismarck horseman Lewis Mathews Jr. -- Ivan, now 8, won the King Cotton twice in 2015 and 2016 and four consecutive runnings of the David M. Vance Sprint at Oklahoma's Remington Park.
Ivan, able to win on the lead or just off the pace, also has done well with different riders. Howard switches to Jon Court today after two wins and two seconds under Luis Quinonez since a seven-month rest. Renewing his affinity for a surface that he has five wins and five seconds in 11 starts, the Texas-bred son of Valid Expectations, a 17-time winner of $986,403, has popped a "bullet" workout of 35.40 seconds, the fastest of 29 working the distance Feb. 27, since the King Cotton.
Operation Stevie has won twice at the meet for trainer Cipriano Contreras, while Warrior's Club, trained by Wayne Lukas, comes off a sharp Oaklawn victory of nearly four lengths at six furlongs. Rodney Prescott (Operation Stevie) and Gary Stevens keep the respective mounts.
An intriguing newcomer, Wynn Time, trained by Mac Robertson, makes his stakes debut after winning five of six, the last three during the current Fair Grounds campaign. Ramon Vazquez rides the Illinois-bred for owner-breeder John Mentz.
The 72nd running of the Hot Springs is Race 6 on the program and set for 3:39 p.m.
Two races later, at 4:38 p.m., is the Grade 3 $200,000 Honeybee for 3-year-old fillies going a mile and sixteenth. Oaklawn stakes winners Red Ruby, the 9-5 program favorite, and Amy's Challenge, 2-1, the latter undefeated, meet for the first time. Robby Albarado stays aboard Red Ruby for trainer Kellyn Gorder and Jareth Loveberry on the Robertson-trained Amy's Challenge.
Four of the seven Honeybee fillies are listed on Pool One of the Kentucky Oaks Future Wager with Red Ruby installed at 20-1, Amy's Challenge at 30-1 and Cosmic Burst and Sassy Sienna at 50-1. Eskimo Kisses, a two-time meet winner, opened at 12-1 with Fair Grounds stakes winner Monomoy Girl a lukewarm 5-1 choice among 23 separate betting interests and all others at 8-1.
Betting continues through 5:30 p.m. Sunday at the track and at https://www.oaklawnanywhere.com. The 144th Kentucky Oaks is May 4 at Churchill Downs in Louisville.
Sports on 03/10/2018