Oaklawn: Moquett-trained Whitmore wins third Hot Springs Stakes
HOT SPRINGS, AR (Saturday, March 9, 2019) – Heavy favorite Whitmore, making his first start since a runner-up performance in the Breeders’ Cup Sprint (G1) last November, came from off the pace to win his third straight $150,000 Hot Springs Stakes Saturday before a crowd of 16,000.
Whitmore, with Ricardo Santana Jr. in the saddle, won his third Hot Springs Stakes at Oaklawn Park. Coady Photography photos
With his regular pilot Ricardo Santana Jr. in the irons, Whitmore was reluctant to load, but broke sharp from the rail and settled into fourth as Share the Upside and Welder battled within a head of each other through opening fractions of :22 1/5 and :45 for the first half mile. The winner made his bid early in the stretch and drew away from his competition to win by 1 ½ lengths over Share the Upside in 1:09 2/5 for six furlongs over a good track.
Welder held on for third and was followed by Control Stake and King Cotton winner Heartwood. Petrov was scratched.
“He was about 75 percent today,” trainer Ron Moquett said. “I know him and it’s a lot better for us to bring him to a race like this and let him have a race. If he gets tired, it’s my fault. But, I’m just going to take care of the horse. The gate guys did great. They showed patience and horsemanship. I’m so appreciative that they’re willing to work with the horse instead of trying to overpower him.”
Whitmore, a 6-year-old Pleasantly Perfect gelding, was winning his fifth Oaklawn stakes and overall has a record of 12-7-2 from 25 starts. He has now earned $2,471,000 for owners Robert LaPenta, Southern Springs Stables and Head of Plains Partners LLC. He returned $3.20 and $2.20. There was no show wagering.
Live racing resumes Sunday with a 1:30 p.m. CT first post.
Stakes Quotes:
Winning trainer Ron Moquett – “He was about 75 percent today. I know him and it’s a lot better for us to bring him to a race like this and let him have a race. If he gets tired, it’s my fault. But, I’m just going to take care of the horse. The gate guys did great. They showed patience and horsemanship. I’m so appreciative that they’re willing to work with the horse instead of trying to overpower him.”
Moquett said Whitmore will be pointed for the $500,000 Count Fleet Sprint Handicap (G3) April 13 at Oaklawn, a race he’s won the last two years.
Winning jockey Ricardo Santana Jr. – “He has been training really good in the morning so we had a lot of confidence in him. He broke pretty good and I stayed behind the speed. That’s where I wanted to be. In the stretch, he looked for the clear and he took me to the wire. He’s a really good horse. I had plenty of horse and I had the position I wanted to be in. It was perfect for me. He’s a class act.”
