Whitmore Could Upset Exaggerator in Million-Dollar Jackpot

Probable favorite Exaggerator (pictured) could be upset by Whitmore in Saturday's Delta Downs Jackpot. (Photo by NYRA/Coglianese Photo)
The 13th running of the Grade 3, $1-million Delta Downs Jackpot Stakes at Delta Downs offers the second-biggest purse of the year for 2-year-olds (behind only the Breeders' Cup Juvenile) hoping for Road to the Kentucky Derby points. In terms of stakes credentials, leading the field are a number of runners including Grade 1 Champagne Stakes runner-up Sunny Ridge and Breeders' Futurity runner-up Exaggerator, fourth in the Breeders' Cup Juvenile since then. Other contenders include the top three finishers in the local prep, the Jean Lafitte Stakes, Forevamo, Harlan Punch and Texas Jambalaya.
Golden State Juvenile Stakes runner-up Found Money comes from the same connections that saddled Juvenile winner Nyquist three weeks ago and must be respected. Then there is a trio of recent winners at lower levels that may be capable of stepping up their game to this level as many 2-year-olds do in the fall. Memories of Winter and Iron Dome are two of the trio, but the most impressive of those three may be Whitmore, who won in his debut last month like a horse with a very bright future.
Whitmore broke slowly, eighth of 12, in his debut 15 days ago at Churchill Downs, then moved up to third with a quarter mile to go. By the time the field hit the top of the stretch he was in front by 2 ½ lengths, widening without much encouragement by his jockey to end up 7 ¼ lengths in front at the finish. Earning a 91 Equibase Speed Figure that was better than the 87 earned by Forevamo in winning the Jean Lafitte Stakes at Delta Downs last month and which is the second-highest maiden winning figure (one point lower than Found Money) in the field, with logical improvement both physically and mentally off the experience gained in his debut, Whitmore should run even better. As a son of Breeders' Cup Classic winner Pleasantly Perfect, there is no question about Whitmore handling the longer distance in the Delta Downs Jackpot. As such, Whitmore looks poised to post the mild upset in this race and stamp himself as a contender on the Road to the 2016 Kentucky Derby.
Harlan Punch and Forevamo finished second and first, respectively, in the Jean Lafitte Stakes last month, the local prep for the Jackpot. In that race, Harlan Punch rallied from 12 lengths back in the early stages to gain the lead between the eighth and sixteenth poles in the stretch, only to be outfinished by Forevamo. Both horses earned career best speed figures (87 for Forevamo, 86 for Harlan Punch) with those efforts and both are on patterns to run even better in the Jackpot. That being said, the fact that Harlan Punch adds blinkers today may be the reason he turns the tables on Forevamo as the equipment may help him focus on the task at hand in the final yards and not get distracted as may have happened last month.
Four others in the Jackpot are noted for having run consistently, while at the same time having at least one issue of concern. In spite of having earned the second-best most recent speed figure in the race, 97, when second in the Champagne Stakes last month, Sunny Ridge did so after being put to a hard drive by his jockey with three-eighths of a mile to go and was no match for the winner in the last sixteenth. Found Money, who earned the best last-race figure (105) in the field when second in the Golden State Juvenile Stakes last month, has lost ground in the last eighth of a mile in his two most recent races. Exaggerator was impressive when earning a 95 figure coming up a length short in the Breeders' Futurity at the start of October but had every chance to win with no excuse for his fourth-place effort in the Breeders' Cup Juvenile three weeks ago. Memories of Winter is a perfect two-for-two in his career and as he improved his figure 12 points off his debut (74 to 86) when winning, he cannot be discounted as a contender here if he improves again.
The remaining three Jackpot entrants, with their best representative Figures, are Cowboy Classic (73), Iron Dome (68) and Texas Jambalaya (79).
Win contenders:WhitmoreHarlan PunchForevamo
$1-million Delta Downs Jackpot Stakes
Saturday, Delta Downs, Race 7, 5:15 p.m. ET
1 1/16 miles, dirt, 2-year-olds

PP

Horse

Jockey

Trainer

Owner

Odds

1

Forevamo

Colby Hernandez

Al Stall Jr.

Brittlyn Stable

4/1

2

Memories of Winter

Patrick Valenzuela

Anthony Margotta Jr.

Thoroughbred Investments Fund LLC

10/1

3

Sunny Ridge

Irad Ortiz Jr.

Jason Servis

Dennis Drazin

7/2

4

Whitmore

Robby Albarado

Ron Moquett

Robert LaPenta, Harry Rosenblum and Southern Springs Stables

8/1

5

Harlan Punch

Gerard Melancon

Tom Amoss

Rosemont Farm

10/1

6

Texas Jambalaya

Eddie Martin Jr.

Terry Eoff

Terry Eoff

20/1

7

Found Money

Mario Gutierrez

Doug O'Neill

Reddam Racing

6/1

8

Cowboy Classic

Junior Inirio

Heidi Crane

David Anderson

30/1

9

Exaggerator

Kent J. Desormeaux

Keith Desormeaux

Big Chief Racing

2/1

10

Iron Dome

Steve Bourque

Kenneth Marshall

Dr. Michael Rotstein

20/1