Clark Hopefuls Breeze, Whitmore Works for Cigar Mile

Four horses gearing up for grade 1 races—Major Cabbie, Owendale, Tom's d'Etat, and Whitmore—breezed over a wet main track at Churchill Downs Nov. 23, though the foursome are not all pointed in the same direction.

Major Cabbie, Owendale, and Tom's d'Etat are targeted for the $600,000 Clark Handicap Presented by Norton Healthcare (G1) at Churchill Downs Nov. 29, but Whitmore is bound for New York to race against Maximum Security in the $750,000 Cigar Mile Handicap (G1) Dec. 7 at Aqueduct Racetrack. That race will mark his first attempt at the one-turn mile distance.

Owendale worked five furlongs in 1:00 4/5, and Major Cabbie, Tom's d'Etat, and Whitmore went half-miles in :49 2/5, :50 3/5, and :48 2/5, respectively. Major Cabbie, Owendale and Whitmore worked in the early part of a rainy Saturday morning over a harrowed track rated good. It was downgraded to muddy and sealed at the time of Tom's d'Etat's breeze.

Though winless in five starts since taking the March 9 Hot Springs Stakes at Oaklawn Park, 6-year-old Whitmore will bring sharp form into the Cigar Mile. After returning from a summer freshening, he rallied for second in the Oct. 4 Stoll Keenon Ogden Phoenix Stakes (G2) at Keeneland and finished third behind Mitole  and Shancelot in the Nov. 2 Breeders' Cup Sprint (G1) at Santa Anita Park. 

"I was looking around to try to find something to give him a race before he takes his annual break," trainer Ron Moquett said. "He's probably too keyed up to be kicked out right now. So we'll try this and see what happens."

A gelded son of Pleasantly Perfect owned by Robert LaPenta, Moquett's Southern Springs Stables, and Head of Plains Partners, Whitmore has won 12 of 30 races, eight stakes, and more than $2.8 million. His signature victory came in the summer of 2018 when he won the seven-furlong Forego Stakes (G1) at Saratoga Race Course over City of Light , the eventual winner of the 2018 Breeders' Cup Dirt Mile (G1) and 2019 Pegasus World Cup Invitational Stakes (G1).

Joel Rosario will ride Whitmore in the Cigar Mile, Moquett said.

Rosario also has the mount aboard Tom's d'Etat in the 1 1/8-mile Clark. Tom's d'Etat is expected to be the favorite over Major Cabbie, Owendale, Bravazo, Draft Pick, Mr Freeze, and Mr. Buff, among others.

Tom's d'Etat won the Hagyard Fayette Stakes (G2) at Keeneland by 4 1/4 lengths Oct. 26 on a sloppy track, one of his eight victories from 15 starts.

Three-year-old Owendale, third in the Preakness Stakes (G1), has three graded wins in 2019: the Stonestreet Lexington Stakes (G3), Ohio Derby (G3), and Oklahoma Derby (G3). He ran 10th last out in the Nov. 2 Longines Breeders' Cup Classic (G1).

Unraced in stakes, Major Cabbie had two sharp frontrunning allowance optional claiming victories last month at Keeneland.