Discreetness, Whitmore Work for Southwest

Multiple stakes winner Discreetness worked a bullet five furlongs in 1:00 2/5 Jan. 30 at Oaklawn Park in preparation for the $500,000 Southwest Stakes (gr. III) for 3-year-olds Feb. 15.

The 1 1/16-mile race is the second major local prep for the $1 million Arkansas Derby (gr. I) April 16; Discreetness captured Oaklawn's first, the $150,000 Smarty Jones Stakes in his 3-year-old debut Jan. 18.

The son of Discreet Cat   breezed just after the renovation break on a sunny, unseasonably warm morning under regular rider Jon Court, the son-in-law of the colt's trainer, Jinks Fires. After completing five furlongs over the fast surface, Discreetness galloped out six furlongs in 1:13 2/5.

Fires, who teamed with Court to win the 2011 Southwest with Archarcharch  , breezed Discreetness in company leading up to the Smarty Jones, but said that wasn't necessary Saturday.

"It was just a maintenance work," Fires said. "He's fit already. It was maintenance work to keep him where he's at."

Depending on weather, Fires said Discreetness will probably have a half-mile "blowout" work about four days before the Southwest.

Prior to the Smarty Jones, Discreetness, who races for Xpress Thoroughbreds (Dwight Pruett), won the $250,000 Springboard Mile Stakes Dec. 13 at Remington Park in his final start at 2.

Also on the track Jan. 30 was Whitmore, whose co-owner/trainer Ron Moquett is still leaning toward running the Pleasantly Perfect gelding in the Southwest following his five-furlong work Saturday morning.

Breezing over a fast track approximately 20 minutes after the track opened, Whitmore, in company, covered the distance in 1:02.

Whitmore normally breezes in company and worked with Smed, a 4-year-old gelding who broke his maiden for a $10,000 claiming price in his last start Nov. 12 at Churchill Downs. Wearing blinkers, he started about a length behind his stablemate on the outside at the five-furlong pole, accelerated past Smed on the outside in midstretch and was approximately seven lengths clear at the finish.

Smed was credited with five furlongs in 1:03 2/5.

"Just a typical maintenance deal," Moquett said of Whitmore. "He has a whole lot of character, that horse. He's quirky, but it's the fun kind of quirky. He can run."

Whitmore, racing in blinkers for the first time, won an entry-level allowance/optional claiming sprint in his 3-year-old debut Jan. 16 at Oaklawn. He would be stretching out from six furlongs to 1 1/16 miles for the Southwest.

"Looking that direction," Moquett said. "Favoring it."

Whitmore finished fifth in his only start around two turns, the $1 million Delta Jackpot Stakes (gr. III) Nov. 21 at Delta Downs.