HOT SPRINGS -- Whitmore's streak continues.
The 6-year-old son of Pleasantly Perfect trained by Ron Moquett won his seventh consecutive start at Oaklawn Park with his 1½-length victory over second-place Share the Upside in the $150,000, 6-furlong Hot Springs Stakes in 1:09.39 before an estimated crowd of 16,000 on Saturday.
Moquett said wins at Oaklawn rank highest for him.
"I have high school buddies of mine up there," said Moquett, who is from Hot Springs. "I don't get that at Saratoga. There's two people I went to kindergarten with up there. That's awesome to me."
The only trouble came before the start when, in a fashion typical of him, Whitmore resisted crewmen as they attempted to load him in the gate.
Neither Moquett nor jockey Ricardo Santana Jr. were concerned.
"My horse was acting the way he acts," Santana said. "He was really happy. He's been training good in the mornings, so we had a lot of confidence in him today. He ran a big race."
"That's one of his things," Moquett said. "Thank goodness the gate crew was so patient."
Whitmore broke well and tucked behind the pace set by, in order, Share the Upside, Welder and Heartwood, who won the $100,000, 6-furlong King Cotton Stakes on Feb. 9.
The order remained the same through the quarter-mile split of 22.22. Welder led through the half in 45.08, but Whitmore moved on the leaders halfway through the final turn and put a head in front as he turned into the stretch in 57.13 with 3/16 of a mile to go.
"I knew the horse to beat in the race was Whitmore," Share the Upside's jockey Ramon Vazquez said. "I just wanted to put my horse in the best position I could."
Welder finished third, half a length behind Share the Upside and 5 lengths in front of fourth-place Control Stake. Heartwood finished last in the field of five.
Almost an inch of rain fell in less than two hours Saturday morning, and though the Hot Springs was raced under bright sunshine, the track was rated a less-than-ideal good for the Hot Springs, upgraded from muddy when the racing day began.
Oaklawn's first exposure to Whitmore came in the 2016 Southwest Stakes when the then-3-year-old colt established himself as a contender on the Kentucky Derby trail. He qualified for the Derby with a second-place finish in the Rebel Stakes and a third-place Arkansas Derby finish.
The Kentucky Derby was Whitmore's final route attempt, and in 18 subsequent sprint starts, he has a record of 10-5-1.
It was Whitmore's third consecutive win in the Hot Springs. Moquett said Whitmore will next attempt to win his third consecutive Grade III Count Fleet Sprint Handicap on April 13.
"The Count Fleet is next," Moquett said. "We're trying to win them all three years in a row."
Sports on 03/10/2019