Oaklawn Countdown: 2 days

Whitmore heads returning royalty

Arkansas Democrat-Gazette/MITCHELL PE MASILUN --4/15/2017--
Jockey Ricardo Santana Jr., sitting atop Whitmore, gestures as he crosses the finish line during the Count Fleet Sprint Handicap at Oaklawn Race Track in Hot Springs Saturday, April 15, 2017.
Arkansas Democrat-Gazette/MITCHELL PE MASILUN --4/15/2017-- Jockey Ricardo Santana Jr., sitting atop Whitmore, gestures as he crosses the finish line during the Count Fleet Sprint Handicap at Oaklawn Race Track in Hot Springs Saturday, April 15, 2017.

HOT SPRINGS -- New stars will emerge at Oaklawn this season, but horses with long histories of excellence are poised as always to command attention.

None will race with credentials more proven than Whitmore, an 8-year-old veteran of graded stakes wins at Oaklawn Racing Casino Resort and tracks across the U.S. He returns off his most recent start, a win in the Breeders' Cup Sprint at Keeneland Race Course in Lexington, Ky., a 6-furlong race unequaled in its significance for sprinters.

Trainer Ron Moquett of Hot Springs said Arkansans have compared Whitmore's Breeders' Cup win to significant victories by the Arkansas Razorbacks.

"A lot of people were telling me that's what they compared it to because they feel like Whitmore is Oaklawn's, that Whitmore is Arkansas' horse," Moquett said. "That's the thing that I want for racing. People will remember things like that more than they will the monetary gain or loss of a weekend.

"A horse has a chance to imprint itself on you forever. Hopefully, Whitmore can introduce people to the sport."

Whitmore was once a young star at Oaklawn, a sort that might ascend from the seven-horse field of the $150,000, 1-mile Smarty Jones Stakes for 3-year-old horses Friday. The Kentucky Derby qualifying-points race is the feature for the opening-day card, scheduled to start at 12:30 p.m.

In 2016, a 3-year-old Whitmore finished second in the Southwest and Rebel stakes, each at 1 1/16 mile, and third in the 1 1/8-mile Arkansas Derby. After a 19th-place finish in the Kentucky Derby, Whitmore has sprinted in all but one of his 31 starts with a record of 30-13-9-2, and a stakes record at Oaklawn of 9-7-2-0.

Oaklawn President Louis Cella said he was moved by Whitmore's performance in the Breeders' Cup.

"It brought tears to my eyes," he said. "To see Ron Moquett's just raw emotion in the winner's circle and in the interview afterward, it was palpable. They're such good people. They love their horses like a child, and to see Whitmore at age seven succeed at that level, it's just extraordinary, and frankly, a testament to Ron's ability as a trainer."

Moquett said he is unsure when Whitmore will begin his 2021 season.

"He'll let me know when he's ready," he said.

Oaklawn regular Brad Cox trained Shedaresthedevil last season to a win in the Grade III Honeybee Stakes, and a third-place finish in the Grade III Fantasy Stakes at Oaklawn. She qualified for the Kentucky Oaks, the filly equivalent of the Kentucky Derby, which she won at Churchill Downs.

Cox said Shedaresthedevil is pointed toward the Grade II Azeri Stakes, scheduled for March 13, for her first start of the season.

"Glad to have her back on the track and back here," Shedaresthedevil co-owner Staton Flurry of Hot Springs said. "She looks phenomenal. It seems like she enjoyed her time off, and it did her well. She's put on some weight and seems very bright-eyed. Excited to see what 2021 holds in store for her, beginning with the Azeri."

Three-time Oaklawn stakes winner Amy's Challenge, a 6-year-old mare, has returned to Oaklawn for her fourth season at the track. Trained by Mac Robertson, Amy's Challenge began her career at Oaklawn as a 3-year-old in 2018 with a win in the 6-furlong Dixie Belle Stakes. She won the 6-furlong American Beauty Stakes and 5 1/2-furlong Spring Fever Stakes in 2019. Last season, she finished second twice and fourth once in three Oaklawn stakes attempts.

Amy's Challenge finished the 2020 season with a win in the 6-furlong McConnell Springs Stakes at Keeneland on Nov. 6.

Robertson said Amy's Challenge was scheduled for retirement after the McConnell, but owner Joseph Novogratz changed his mind.

"They looked over her, and everything looked good, so it made sense to run her down here a couple of times," Robertson said. "In a perfect deal, she would run well here, and we would try another Grade I at Keeneland."

Amy's Challenge finished second by a neck in the Grade I Madison Stakes at Keeneland in 2019.

Dwight Pruett's 5-year-old Gray Attempt, winner of the Smarty Jones and 6-furlong Gazebo Stakes in 2019, will race from John Ortiz's barn this season. Gray Attempt's record since his Gazebo win is 8-0-2, but Pruett said he is hopeful for a turnaround this season.

"We're going to give Gray Attempt another shot at it," Pruett said. "He's really doing good. We might win a stakes race or two over at Oaklawn with him."

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