After Whitmore, LaPenta Hopes for Another Champion

Owning Thoroughbred racehorses for the last 20 years has taught Robert LaPenta to expect wild swings of emotions.

Good news, followed by bad news, followed by more bad news and then some good news.

"This is a game where you talk about the highs and lows and unfortunately the lows are 90% of the time and the highs are 10%," LaPenta said. "At least the highs are incredible."

The last week, in particular, has taken LaPenta on one of those rather volatile swing of emotions.

It all started Aug. 28 in the Forego Stakes (G1) at Saratoga Race Course. As LaPenta looked on, his champion sprinter Whitmore  broke slowly from the gate and was last in the early stages. A gelding who will always hold a special place in LaPenta's heart, he spent six years watching him turn in one gallant effort after another for him, Sol Kumin's Head of Plains Partners, and part-owner and trainer Ron Moquett. But on this afternoon, Whitmore finished fifth in the field of eight.

Then on the gallop-out, while the Spa crowd was still buzzing from runner-up Firenze Fire  trying to bite the victorious Yaupon  , there were gasps as jockey Joel Rosario quickly pulled up Whitmore and hopped off him. 

"Seeing that felt like a punch in the gut," LaPenta said. 

There were dire initial thoughts as Whitmore was taken off the track via a horse ambulance, but there was a huge sigh of relief when subsequent tests revealed the injury to be relatively minor and treatable. The ownership group was told Whitmore could return to the races after surgery to deal with a bone chip, yet after such a long and stellar career the group happily decided to retire the 8-year-old.

Then, just four races later, LaPenta's spirits were uplifted when Miles D , a 3-year-old colt he owns in partnership with Peter Brant, finished a game third in the Runhappy Travers Stakes (G1) in just his fourth career start.

"What Miles D did in the Travers was very, very impressive," LaPenta said, "especially with so little seasoning."

And now a week later, a slice of the future will be on display for LaPenta Sept. 4 when his 2-year-old colt Misbehaved , an $875,000 buy earlier in the year, makes his debut in the seventh race at the Spa.

"We're excited about him and the future," LaPenta said.

Sadly, Whitmore has become part of the past, though memories of his accomplishments will never leave LaPenta's heart. 

"There's no question there's a special place in my heart for him and a lot of other people, too," said LaPenta, who also owned Belmont Stakes (G1) winners Da' Tara and Tapwrit   and the champions War Pass and Uni as well as the Travers winner and Claiborne Farm stallion Catholic Boy  . "The texts and emails I have received asking for saddlecloths and hats is incredible. He will be remembered for a long, long time."

In 43 career starts, the gelding won 15 times with 13 seconds and five thirds while earning $4,502,350. His durability and consistency made him a fan favorite and he achieved rock star status last year at 7 when he won the Breeders' Cup Sprint (G1) in his fourth appearance in the race and was later named the champion sprinter of 2020.

"Whitmore became a national hero. We already have Keeneland calling. They want to have a Whitmore Day. Oaklawn Park wants to name a stakes after him. Rarely, if ever, do you see a horse run hard and be competitive all the time. When he ran, it wasn't a question of if he would run well and be in the top three, it was a question of whether he would win or not," LaPenta said. "The Breeders' Cup and the Eclipse Award were the icing on the cake for us."

Moquett bought Whitmore, a son of Pleasantly Perfect and the first foal out of the Scat Daddy mare Melody's Spirit, privately from breeder John Liviakis for $37,000 after the colt did not sell at the 2015 Ocala Breeders' Sales 2-Year-Olds in Training Sale. 

He was gelded before his Nov. 6, 2015, career debut at Churchill Downs, which was a 7 1/4-length win at 15-1 odds. Moquett then sold shares of the gelding to LaPenta, Harry Rosenblum, and Southern Springs Stables and they tried him on the Triple Crown trail. He enjoyed some success around two turns at 3, finishing second in the Rebel Stakes (G2) and Southwest Stakes (G3) and third in the Arkansas Derby (G1), but in the 2016 Kentucky Derby Presented by Yum! Brands (G1) he was 19th.

After that, Whitmore was limited to sprints, with Kumin buying Rosenblum's share in April 2017, prior to Whitmore's first of three wins in the Count Fleet Sprint Handicap (G3) at Oaklawn Park. He was also second twice in the Count Fleet in 2019 and 2021 and also posted four straight wins in the Hot Springs Stakes at Oaklawn from 2017-20.

LaPenta said retirement plans for Whitmore have not been finalized but said it will be difficult to separate him from Moquett and his family.

"Whitmore is like a son to Ron. There was no damage to a ligament and we just have to remove a chip. He could have raced again, but he's done all he needs to do. He deserves a good retirement so he can walk around and his fans can appreciate him. Once he has the surgery, we'll decide what to do," LaPenta said. "Hopefully we can find another like him."

Miles D figures to play a prominent role in the passing of the torch from Whitmore.

By Curlin   out of the Bernardini mare Sound the Trumpets, he was bred by River Bend Farm and bought at the Keeneland September sale by Brant's White Birch Farm for $470,000 from the Denali Stud consignment.

Trained by Chad Brown, prior to the Travers he was second in the Curlin Stakes at Saratoga and races like the Pegasus World Cup Invitational Stakes (G1) could be in his future next year.

"Nobody was going to beat Essential Quality  in the Travers," LaPenta said. "At the top of the stretch, Miles D regrabbed the bit and he was running at the end, no question about it. So distance is not a problem. He finished in front of some good horses in a quality field and with more seasoning he should get better. We're looking forward to running him in something easier than the Travers next and setting him up for the Pegasus, if he stays healthy."

Miles D is the first of four foals and the only one to race from Sound the Trumpets. She also has a yearling Quality Road   filly and a weanling Medaglia d'Oro   colt.

Misbehaved was bought in partnership with Eclipse Thoroughbred Partners for $875,000 from the de Meric Sales consignment at OBS Spring Sale of 2-Year-Olds in Training and was the sale topper for that fourth session of the sale. By Into Mischief   out of the Medaglia d'Oro mare Loveofalifetime, he was bred by Tami D. Bobo and is a full brother to the multiple sprint stakes winner and $448,623 earner Into Mystic .

"We loved everything about him," LaPenta said. "We have a strategy we employ with Eclipse at different sales. We come together and list three or four who we called the best buys in the sale and he was one of them. We were happy to get him."

Trained by Todd Pletcher, Misbehaved will be facing a full brother to the champion filly Songbird, Galt  (by Medaglia d'Oro), in Saturday's maiden race.

"He's trained like a horse that will run well in his debut," Pletcher said about Misbehaved. "His last gate work was particularly good, so hopefully he gets away cleanly and runs the way he's been training."

Aside from Miles D, LaPenta has a couple of promising 3-year-olds on the sidelines.

Witsel , a son of Nyquist   co-owned with Brant and trained by Brown, came out of a July 17 nose loss to Beau Liam  with an ankle injury that will need 60-90 days of rest.

The New York state-bred Nicky the Vest , an undefeated son of Runhappy   named for the late bartender at Rao's Restaurant in New York, was a Triple Crown candidate until bone chips sidelined him in April. Trained by Jonathan Thomas, he's likely to return to the races in October or November.

"I believe 'Nicky' can be a monster 4-year-old," LaPenta said.

Beyond that, while looking ahead to 2022, LaPenta is pleased with three colts he purchased with partners last month at The Saratoga Sale, Fasig-Tipton's New York Sale of Select Yearlings.

The trio includes two bought along with Kumin's Madaket Stables and Bob Edwards' e Five Racing Thoroughbreds: a $675,000 Good Magic   offspring by Potesta (Macho Uno ) from the consignment of Taylor Made Sales Agency, agent for Stonestreet Bred & Raised, and a $335,000 Kitten's Joy   out of Search and Seizure (War Chant ) from the Indian Creek consignment.

He also partnered with Augustin Stables to buy a $675,000 Candy Ride   out of Night and Day (Unbridled's Song) from the Denali Stud consignment.

"I really like those yearlings, especially the Good Magic," LaPenta said. "I just hope we can stay on a high note for a while."

Needless to say, after the last week, Bob LaPenta knows how difficult that can be.