Whitmore Chases After Sixth Stakes Win at Oaklawn

One of the old, popular terms in horse racing that is used much more sparingly these days is "horse for the course."

In an era featuring a Triple Crown winner who made just six career starts, there are few horses who race for several years over a certain surface and display brilliance over it.

Then there are exceptions, such as Whitmore.

A 6-year-old Pleasantly Perfect gelding, Whitmore is the epitome of a classy, durable runner who can be counted on to give his best effort in one race after another, traits illustrated by a career record of 12 wins and seven seconds in 25 starts.

Woven into all of that is a deep fondness for Oaklawn Park. Without question, Whitmore is a "horse for the course" in Hot Springs, Ark. Some might say he's currently "THE horse for the course" at Oaklawn Park.

"He loves Oaklawn," part-owner Robert LaPenta said. "It's home for him, and the long stretch there helps him as a sprinter with a late-running style."

To better understand Whitmore's affinity for Oaklawn, he will head into the $500,000 Count Fleet Sprint Handicap (G3) with a record of seven wins and two seconds in 10 starts at the track. Yet what adds even more glitter to those outstanding numbers is that if Whitmore can win the six-furlong test April 13, he would have six stakes wins at Oaklawn and would tie Nurse Dopey for second in that category. Swift Ruler, with seven, owns the record for stakes wins at the 114-year-old racetrack, according to Oaklawn's press office.

"He always seems to bring his 'A' game at Oaklawn," said trainer Ron Moquett, who also owns the largest share of the Kentucky-bred through his Southern Springs Stables. "The Oaklawn meet is great, timing-wise, for him. He's coming off his break, and we have an idea of how to train him over the surface. He seems to like it here, so it has turned out very well."

That might be an understatement. On Saturday, Whitmore will be seeking his third straight win in the Count Fleet. He already opened 2019 on March 9 with a hat trick, capturing the six-furlong Hot Springs Stakes for a third year in a row.

Combine those wins with last year's victory in the Forego Stakes (G1) at Saratoga Race Course and a runner-up finish in the TwinSpires Breeders' Cup Sprint (G1), and add in earnings of $2,471,000, and it's clear why his connections—and fans—have such a deep appreciation for Whitmore.

"He's been a great, great story for us, our families, racing fans, Ron Moquett, and everyone involved with him," LaPenta said. "He's a consistent performer who wants to win. I just don't have enough words to describe him."

Sol Kumin joined the ownership team in April 2017 prior to Whitmore's first win in the Count Fleet, buying a share that belonged to Harry Rosenblum through his Head of Plains Partners and has been thrilled with a ride that has seen the gelding finish worse than third only twice in 15 starts.

"Ron has done a super job with Whitmore. He's done right by him by being patient with him," Kumin said. "This horse always shows up and has a ton of heart. He's one of those hard-knocking horses you love to be around. I'm super excited about Saturday's race, and I know it would mean so much to Ron if Whitmore could set that stakes record."

While the Count Fleet attracted only five starters, there is a Breeders' Cup feel to it. Aside from Whitmore, the stakes named in honor of the 1943 Triple Crown winner features the graded stakes debut of William and Corrine Heiligbrodt's Mitole. A 4-year-old making just his second start since May for trainer Steve Asmussen, Mitole owns four straight wins and is also developing a "horse for the course" tag with four wins and two seconds in six starts at Oaklawn Park. 

Mitole will also have the services of Whitmore's regular rider, Ricardo Santana Jr., who usually gives first call to Asmussen's horses. As a result, Luis Saez will be aboard Whitmore in the Count Fleet, where the small field and a lack of anyone else with blazing speed to run with Mitole could present a problem for a closer such as Whitmore.

"Whitmore is very good right now," said Moquett, whose gelding will have to give two pounds to Mitole (123-121) under the handicap conditions. "I think he's better going into this race this year than last year, but having said that, this race is coming up a very tough race with a very formidable, fast horse that we have to outrun without the benefit of a jockey who knows Whitmore. We have Saez, but we're giving up familiarity with a quirky horse to face a talented horse. (Whitmore) always seems to run against the world's fastest horses, and horses like that have a big advantage. They are so fast, and you can't let them get away. If it was up to me, Ricardo would be aboard him. I know we are in capable hands with Luis, but I like familiarity."

While Whitmore rates as a premier sprinter, that wasn't always the case.

Moquett bought the first foal out of the Scat Daddy mare Melody's Spirit privately from breeder John Liviakis for $37,000 after the colt did not sell at the 2015 Ocala Breeders' Sales 2-Year-Olds in Training Sale. Moquett gelded him, and later that year Whitmore won his career debut Nov. 6 at Churchill Downs by 7 1/4 lengths at 15-1 odds.

LaPenta was friends with Rosenblum and bought a share of the gelding after that impressive debut, and the next stop was the Triple Crown trail. Whitmore returned 15 days later to finish fifth in the $1 million Delta Downs Jackpot Stakes (G3) and then successfully followed Oaklawn Park's road to the 2016 Kentucky Derby Presented by Yum! Brands (G1) by finishing second in the Rebel Stakes (G2) and Southwest Stakes (G3) and third in the Arkansas Derby (G1) behind Creator.

Whitmore earned 44 points on the Kentucky Derby trail to earn a spot in the Run for the Roses, but the 1 1/4 miles was beyond his scope. He was fifth after six furlongs but faded to 19th in the field of 20.

Freshened after the Triple Crown, Whitmore did not race again until Dec. 3, 2016, at Aqueduct Racetrack when Moquett reinvented Whitmore as a sprinter.

"I give Ron a lot of credit," LaPenta said. "Whitmore was our Derby horse. But you saw in every race he had an explosive move that lasted about 30 seconds. Ron picked that up. He said if the horse can do that, let's make him a sprinter. It was a great call."

Whitmore won that Aqueduct sprint by 1 1/2 lengths, and the rest is history for a true "horse for the course."