Popular Whelen Springs to Miss Rest of Oaklawn Meet

Arkansas-bred star Whelen Springs  will miss the remainder of the Oaklawn Park meeting that ends May 4 because of a minor injury, John Gasper said Jan. 10. Gasper is racing manager for Arkansas lumberman John Ed Anthony (Shortleaf Stable), who bred and owns Whelen Springs.

Gasper said Whelen Springs was injured during a troubled seventh-place finish in a Dec. 15 open allowance race at Oaklawn. Whelen Springs stumbled badly leaving the gate, then had to avoid two rivals late on the backstretch of the 1 1/16-mile race.

"When he stumbled here, he kind of got a little bit messed up around his rear end," Gasper said. "No surgery or anything. We're just going to give him a little bit of time."

Gasper said Whelen Springs is in Kentucky, adding noted equine orthopedic surgeon Dr. Larry Bramlage recommended 60 days off before resuming training.

"That's what we're doing," Gasper said. "He's on turnout, too. It's not like he has to stay in the stall. He goes out every day. He'll miss this meet, which is too bad."

A 5-year-old son of 2007 Kentucky Derby (G1) winner Street Sense  , Whelen Springs, then with trainer John Ortiz, beat Arkansas-breds in the $150,000 Rainbow Stakes and open company in the $154,000 Bachelor Stakes. Both six-furlong races were in 2022 at Oaklawn.

After a stretch of poor performances, Whelen Springs was transferred to trainer Lindsay Schultz last spring and flourished in two-turn races at Monmouth Park. His success at Monmouth was highlighted by a victory over graded stakes winners Trademark , Zozos , and Weyburn  in the $250,000 Philip H. Iselin Stakes (G3) at 1 1/16 miles Aug. 19. 

The Iselin represented the first career graded stakes victory for Schultz, who began working for Shortleaf last winter at Oaklawn, and the first Arkansas-bred graded stakes winner in North America since 2016.

Whelen Springs has 5-2-2 record from 18 lifetime starts and earnings of $552,950.