Focused on Sprinting, Whitmore Continues to Excel

From an eye-opening 2015 debut win as a juvenile, to a 2016 Kentucky Derby Presented by Yum! Brands (G1) starter, to an accomplished sprinter, hopes continue to soar, and evolve, for Whitmore.

The gelded son of Pleasantly Perfect is in the barn of Arkansas native Ron Moquett, who has taken his time to harness the promise of the swift chestnut, transforming the now seven-time winner into arguably the top sprinter in the eastern half of the United States.

Such was on display May 20 at Pimlico Race Course, when the blinkered 4-year-old carried top weight of 124 pounds against a salty field in the $150,000 Maryland Sprint Stakes (G3) where he overpowered multiple grade 1 winner and Eclipse Award finalist A. P. Indian in the closing strides by a half-length.

Owned by Southern Springs Stables, Robert LaPenta, and Head of Plains Partners, Whitmore now has five consecutive wins, three consecutive stakes victories (two graded) and is a perfect six-for-six at six furlongs. A class-tested, sprint specialist, Whitmore's newly found forte makes him a leading early contender for big prizes down the road. 

"I actually had no plans of running him in Maryland at all, it was just something that the horse dragged me to," Moquett said. "He was tearing the barn down and had worked in :46 (for a half-mile), but, granted, the track was lightning fast that day and he was the first horse on it.

"We also knew A. P. Indian and (grade 2 winner) Holy Boss were going into the race, but we weren't going to duck anybody. I understood the allowance conditions for the race, but we went in there not having raced in a grade 1 sprint and carried six more pounds than A. P. Indian, a two-time grade 1-winning sprinter.

"I was very concerned about that, to be honest, because it's not about what (the extra weight) does that day, it's about what it does overall to a horse. So, to run for $150,000 and spot them the weight was tough. Luckily 'Whit' didn't care. He had a good time and came back happy and sound, so now we can move forward. ... We'll let him tell us. Each horse is different and we'll let him dictate his pace, as far as when he'll run next. 

"We're looking at a couple races, the True North (Stakes, G2) or we'll just wait for the (Alfred G.) Vanderbilt (Handicap, G1), but we'll let him decide," Moquett continued. "I think he could run well in the Met Mile (G1), but right now I'm trying to focus on six-furlong races for him. I would like to try to get to the Breeders' Cup, so I don't want to experiment too much with him.

"To me, it's about getting him to get everything together and achieve the goal that the partners and I set for him, and that's the Breeders' Cup Sprint (G1).

"We know he can run a mile and would be one of the horses to beat in the Met Mile, but we wouldn't get much out of doing it. He's a gelding and I want to win a grade 1 with him, but I want it to be the right grade 1. The Met Mile is an awesome race and I'd love to win it, but I think it's a stallion's race and he's not going to be one. I also know it's a $1.2-million race and he may just run in a $300,000 or $400,000 race next time, but it's more about long-term with a horse like him." 

Always well-regarded, Whitmore won his bow by 7 1/4 lengths at Churchill Downs in 1:10.50, despite veering out in the stretch. He went on to establish himself as one of the top horses on the Arkansas-based Kentucky Derby trail, blitzing a sprint allowance field before finishing just behind the likes of Cupid, Creator, and Suddenbreakingnews in the region's top prep races.

After a poor showing in Run for the Roses, finishing 19th, he did not race again until Dec. 3 at Aqueduct Racetrack going 6 1/2 furlongs. He used that effort to propel into a three-race Oaklawn campaign, which he dominated talented stakes-winning sprinters Apprehender, Ivan Fallunovalot, Fish Trappe Road, and Holy Boss. 

"I would say in the second race back, an allowance at Oaklawn, is where I saw that he was going to be very good as a sprinter," Moquett said. "He was very impressive that day. I start all my horses back short, whether they like to run five-eighths or a mile and an eighth, but he showed a lot in that race. He's no slouch going two turns, either. (Cupid) came back the other day and won the Gold Cup (at Santa Anita, G1) and Creator went on to win the Belmont (Stakes, G1), so we didn't run against any chumps. 

"The difference between him as an early 3-year-old and a 4-year-old is huge," Moquett continued. "No one saw him after May as a 3-year-old and he has really developed a lot physically. Trying to get a horse to the Derby really puts some fatigue and stress on them and that's all it was with him. He went out there on a drying-out track and came back with several little things, but luckily nothing big. Fortunately, the partners said to do right by him and we did." 

Multiple graded stakes-winning Moquett has 37 horses in training at Churchill Downs and another 11 juveniles at Churchill's training center. He recently scored his 600th career victory and watched his proverbial stock rise over the last decade with a balance of perseverance and resolve, placing his horses in spots they can succeed, but also not shying away from the big dances.

He has competed in two of the last three Kentucky Derbies with 3-year-olds he did not push as juveniles, nearly making it three in a row this year with promising colt Petrov. Such patience has helped him properly reside over the renaissance of his stable star.

"He's really come along well. In my game, you want to take care of your horse and deep down sometimes you also want to impress your peers," he concluded. "I stand on the gap (at Churchill) that had Bob Holthus and Lynn Whiting, and though they passed away, we still have trainers like Gary Hartlage, D. Wayne Lukas, Steve Asmussen, and Steve Hobby.

"When trainers like them come up and say 'that was awesome,' that's not just winning a grade 3 race—that's turning some heads. For a guy like me, with a medium-sized stable who doesn't get the sales toppers, to hear that coming from these guys, that's really cool. And I thank Whitmore a lot for doing that for me."