AT THE POST

DAY 3 of 57

ESTIMATED ATTENDANCE 5,750

TOTAL HANDLE $2,775,535

ON-TRACK HANDLE $471,172

TODAY’S SIMULCAST SCHEDULE Gates open 10:45 a.m; Aqueduct, 11 a.m.; Laurel, 11:30 a.m; Gulfstream Park, 11:35 a.m.; Santa Anita, 2:30 p.m.; Fair Grounds, 1:25 p.m.; Santa Anita, 2:30 p.m.; Golden Gate, 2:45 p.m.

WHITMORE SHINES

Whitmore, one of Oaklawn Park’s top 3-year-olds on the Road to the Derby last spring, came from just off the pace to beat 8-year-old gelding Apprehender by 2¾ lengths in Sunday’s featured eighth race, an optional-claiming allowance with a $76,000 purse under jockey Jose Ortiz. Whitmore has won 4 of 9 career starts with earnings of 562,000, and the son of Pleasantly Perfect is 3-0 in races at 6 furlongs and has another victory at 6½ furlongs.

The final time Sunday was 1:08.81 over a fast track.

Whitmore started last season with a similar sprint victory, on Jan. 16, before stretching out into Oaklawn’s series of Triple Crown races. He finished second in the Southwest and Rebel Stakes, and a third-place finish in the Arkansas Derby earned him a spot in the gate at the Kentucky Derby. He finished 19th, and trainer Ron Moquett gave him seven months off before bringing him back Dec. 3 Aqueduct.

SUNDAY’S STAR

Jose Ortiz won two races on Sunday’s card to move to the top of the Oaklawn jockey standings with four victories in 19 starts. It might be a short stay at the top for Ortiz, one of three finalists for the 2016 Eclipse Award as the nation’s leading jockey. Ortiz is scheduled to race at least one more day at Oaklawn before returning to New York, where he is based. Ortiz was brought in by several trainers who normally use four-time leading rider Ricardo Santana Jr., who is serving five suspension days accrued at the end of the last season’s meet. Santana is expected to resume riding on Friday at Oaklawn.

FINAL FURLONG

Fog obscured most of the course for workouts Sunday morning, but the track was rated fast. ... Hall of Fame trainer Steve Asmussen recorded his 499th career Oaklawn victory when Terra Promessa won Saturday’s $125,000 Pippin Stakes for older fillies and mares, according to Equibase, racing’s official data gathering organization. The Pippin was also the 68th career stakes victory in Hot Springs for Asmussen, who has won seven Oaklawn training titles since 2007. Asmussen has two horses entered Sunday at Oaklawn. … Alex Birzer’s victory aboard Wild Dreams ($7.20) in Saturday’s first race was the 2,985th of his career, according to Equibase. Birzer is trying to become the 173rd jockey to reach 3,000 North American career

victories.

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