Moquett Battles Back from Illness to Face Breeders' Cup

Standing sentry on the Churchill Downs backside as the hum of morning activities buzzed around him, Ron Moquett looked to be much his old self—a happy observation for many passersby. 

"I'm feeling good," Moquett said between sets Sept. 27. "I'm doing much better." 

A clean bill of health has been no easy feat for the veteran trainer to achieve this year. After suffering from several bouts of breathlessness during the winter, Moquett was eventually diagnosed with sarcoidosis. An autoimmune disease defined by the Mayo Clinic as an inflammation of cells—most commonly in the lungs—the cause of the disease is unknown but is widely attributed to the inhalation of an unknown substance carried in the air. 

Moquett was hospitalized for 45 days as doctors tried to address the disease and shield him from exposure to any further infections. Once released, Moquett was cautioned to stay away from people and horses as much as humanly possible, a difficult task for the trainer who considers his horses family. 

"Being sick puts everything into perspective," Moquett said. "If you don't have health you really don't have anything. I live to mess with horses. Other than my family this is it. Just like every horse trainer back here, we don't have a lot of hobbies or other hopes and dreams. We basically want to win races and take care of horses."

While there is no cure for sarcoidosis, the disease can be managed through consistent monitoring and medication. Now with the Breeders' Cup in sight, Moquett is back to walking the Churchill backstretch and keeping tabs on his 5-year-old gelding Whitmore. 

"We're not 100% certain which race we're going in," Moquett said of Whitmore. "We're going to try and get the 'Win and You're In' in the Phoenix Stakes and then look at both of them."

Currently listed as a contender for the Breeders' Cup Dirt Mile (G1), a win in the Stoll Keenon Ogden Phoenix Stakes (G2) at Keeneland Oct. 5 would ensure the son of Pleasantly Perfect an automatic berth in the TwinSpires Breeders' Cup Sprint (G1). 

Owned by Moquett, Robert LaPenta, and Head of Plains Partners, Whitmore has won three of his six starts this year. His most recent victory came in the Aug. 25 Forego Stakes (G1) at Saratoga Race Course where he bested fellow likely Dirt Mile contender, City of Light , by 1 1/2 lengths.

Whitmore turned in his first timed work since returning from New York Sept. 21, breezing four furlongs in :49 1/5. 

"Whitmore is very happy," Moquett said. "This is his time of year. As soon as it starts getting cooler he starts getting harder to be around," the trainer joked.

For the Oklahoma native, a win in a Breeders' Cup race would represent the completion of a long-time goal for Moquett who promised himself early on in his career that he would one day find his way to the winner's circle.  

"To me, the main thing is I have certain goals I want to achieve as a trainer and the Breeders' Cup is one of those," Moquett said. "It was the first large race that I wanted to win. I actually wrote down to myself 'I want to win this race' and said I will do this. It's something that drives me.

"Where I was raised, the Kentucky Derby wasn't a huge thing," Moquett explained. "I want to win the Kentucky Derby but it was one race and the Breeders' Cup had a bunch of races. Sometimes the best horse doesn't win the Kentucky Derby but a lot of times, the Breeders' Cup was like, if you've ever played high school or college sports, like the national tournament. Only the best ones make it through.

"For me—and I respect the Kentucky Derby—you can win one big race or two big races to get enough points to make it into the Kentucky Derby. But you have to be good all year to get to the Breeders' Cup. You're going to see a lot of good horses here that have been fighting it out all year."

But any hopes for the future aside, the immediate goal for Moquett remains to keep his horse, and himself, healthy enough to take on the challenges they will face in November at Churchill Downs.  

"They just now put me back on the meds but we're working through it and everything seems to be doing alright," Moquett said. "I have one more checkup right before the Breeders' Cup. I want to win certain races and I have to hope that I have a long time to win them."