2020 Eclipse Awards: Whitmore

Whitmore’s longevity, determination, and patented late kick have made him a fan favorite through the years, and he called on all of those qualities this fall to become a first-time Breeders’ Cup Sprint winner on Nov. 7 at Keeneland.

It was Whitmore’s fourth appearance in the championship race, and he made a statement at the age of 7. Whitmore won off by 3 1/4 lengths at odds of 18-1.

The performance thrilled his fans and has made him an Eclipse Award finalist for outstanding male sprinter of 2020.

Whitmore’s campaign each of the last four years has been built around the Breeders’ Cup Sprint. He was eighth in the 2017 edition at Del Mar, then ran second at Churchill Downs in 2018 and third at Santa Anita in 2019. Last year, his name went into the record books.

Whitmore rallied from off the pace at Keeneland, covering six furlongs in 1:08.61 under jockey Irad Ortiz Jr., and earning a Beyer Speed Figure of 104. It was the most satisfying win in the career of Ron Moquett, who co-owns and trains Whitmore.

“Imagine growing up as a Celtics fan or a Yankees fan and what it feels like when they win a championship,” Moquett told Daily Racing Form in November. “Then imagine what that feeling would be like if you were actually a part of it.

:: Full list of 2020 Eclipse Awards finalists, including profile stories

“Before I got my trainer’s license, my dream was always to win the Breeders’ Cup Sprint. Not the Kentucky Derby, like just about everyone else, but the Breeders’ Cup Sprint. That’s because this is the distance we run the most. It’s a race that brings together the fastest of the fast. The baddest of the bad. You win this race and for that moment you can rightfully call your horse the fastest in the world. Other horses may get more accolades, but by winning the Sprint that’s what Whitmore is right now, the fastest horse in the world.”

Whitmore won 3 of 7 starts in 2020 – and his two other victories also put him in the record books. He won the Hot Springs Stakes at his winter base of Oaklawn for a record fourth consecutive year in March, then became the track’s first three-time winner of the Grade 3 Count Fleet Sprint Handicap in April.

In addition to Moquett, Whitmore races for Robert LaPenta and the Head of Plains Partners stable of Sol Kumin.

“This was just an incredible win,” Kumin told Daily Racing Form after the Breeders’ Cup. “You own lots of horses, but rarely you find one like this guy, who is just a fighter with so much heart. All the credit goes to Ron and his team and to Whitmore. He’s a warrior, and it was just amazing to see today.”

Whitmore is a Pleasantly Perfect gelding who was bred in Kentucky by John Liviakis. He has won 15 of 38 starts and earned $4.2 million.