It was if Jack Nicklaus could read every putt at Augusta National Golf Club, much as Roger Federer seems to know how the ball will bounce at Wimbledon. That comes with experience and talent.
Whitmore employs the same local knowledge at Oaklawn Park. Like Nicklaus on the 16th green at Augusta National, which the Golden Bear almost aced in winning a sixth Masters title in 1986, this four-legged dynamo turns a six-furlong race at Oaklawn into "Showtime at the Apollo." He's run five such races locally and won them all.
Making his 5-year-old debut, Whitmore put on a command performance Saturday in the 72nd running of the $125,000 Hot Springs Stakes. Though his winning margin was only a neck over a fast-closing Wynn Time, the chestnut gelding seemed to know that the curtain was up and what was required.
In winning the Hot Springs for the second-straight year, Whitmore got home in 1:08.57, answering the question on racegoers' minds: Would he be short in his first start since the Breeders' Cup Sprint in November?
Whitmore, after all, had a prep race -- the fastest six furlongs ever run at Oaklawn in January -- before winning the Hot Springs by six lengths last year.
"You never know exactly how fit you have them because good horses train themselves," said winning trainer and co-owner Ron Moquett. "I knew he would be fit enough to run a race, but I didn't know he would be fit enough for this kind of competition."
It wasn't like Whitmore got to pick his opponents. Four of his rivals Saturday entered with a combined 12 Oaklawn victories, Wilbo taking the $125,000 King Cotton last time out and two-time King Cotton winner Ivan Fallunovalot still capable, at age 8, of firing a big race.
The main threat came from Oaklawn newcomer Wynn Time, joining trainer Mac Robertson's local band after outrunning his conditions in New Orleans. In his stakes debut, the 4-year-old Illinois gelding finished a length and a quarter ahead of Ivan Fallunovalot with two-time meet winners Operation Stevie and Wilbo well clear of last-out Oaklawn winner Warrior's Club.
"He ran a big race," Robertson said of Wynn Time. "That's a good horse that beat him."
One good enough to earn $1,287,000 from 17 starts (nine wins), most of it the hard way -- sprinting. Whitmore can become an Oaklawn millionaire by successfully repeating in the Grade 3 $400,000 Count Fleet Sprint Handicap April 14, Moquett's major spring objective for the Kentucky-bred son of Breeders' Cup Classic winner Pleasantly Perfect he races in partnership with Robert LaPenta.
Whitmore got first jump on a tiring leader when Ivan Fallunovalot backed out after an opening half in 44.21 seconds under Jon Court. The 7-5 favorite swung off the rail and led by a half-length at the head of the stretch, seeming to rebreak when Wynn Time came flying from outside with Ramon Vazquez.
"He was ready to fight and we were sitting in a really good position," winning jockey Ricardo Santana Jr. said. "When we turned for home he was ready to go and he went. He ran really hard today."
Said Moquett: "These are very nice horses, and I knew that they would be going fast. I knew you would have to run fast to win it. I was confident that Ricardo would just do the right thing to give us the best shot to win."
Nicklaus didn't win every Masters, and Federer has a blemish or two on his Wimbledon record. But the next horse to beat Whitmore in an Oaklawn sprint race will be the first.
Sports on 03/11/2018