Firecrow joins stablemate Whitmore on path to Breeders' Cup

LOUISVILLE, Ky. – Ron Moquett has bookends now, one of them much newer than the other.

“Never thought I’d have a turf sprinter this good,” Moquett said.

Firecrow, trained by Moquett for Robert LaPenta and Harlow Stables, established himself as a top-rank turf sprinter when earning a 100 Beyer Speed Figure in a record-setting triumph last weekend in the Jim McKay Turf Sprint on the Preakness undercard at Pimlico. The 5-year-old gelding aligns perfectly on the Moquett shed row with Whitmore, the reigning sprint champion who does his best work on dirt.

“I’m very happy about it,” Moquett said. “We’ve got the angles covered.”

Firecrow lowered the Pimlico mark for five furlongs on turf to 55.30 seconds, but clearly the course was firmer than normal, as Somelikeithotbrown also set a record for 1 1/16 miles (1:40.09) later on the card. Nonetheless, the main takeaway is that Firecrow put himself squarely in the discussion for the Breeders’ Cup Turf Sprint, to be run Nov. 6 at Del Mar, just as Whitmore is a perennial candidate for the BC Sprint, which he won last year.

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“Now it’s about trying to get them to the Breeders’ Cup at a peak,” Moquett said. “Whenever it’s in California, the Win and You’re In preps mean a lot more to owners and trainers not based out there. Not only is the expense greater to get your horse there, it’s the overall price point of going to a place like San Diego that can be pretty overwhelming. We need to try to get them a Win and You’re In if we can.”

Firecrow had not raced over turf since November 2019, “but we always thought he’d prefer the grass,” Moquett said. Several factors delayed his return to turf – the coronaivirus pandemic plus a layoff in 2020, along with Moquett being based at dirt-only Oaklawn Park during winter months – but the son of Maclean’s Music sure ran huge when finally given another chance last weekend.

Whitmore, now 8, is co-owned by Moquett, LaPenta, and the Head of Plains Partners. The iconic gelding was part of a wild scramble when finishing third in his last start, the Grade 1 Churchill Downs on the May 1 Kentucky Derby card, beaten just a head for all the money after looming boldly in midstretch. Remarkably, he has been in the starting gate for each of the last four runnings (2017-20) of both the Phoenix and the BC Sprint.

“He’ll have about the same schedule as usual,” Moquett said. “He’ll run one more time before Saratoga, then run once there, and then it’ll be the Phoenix at Keeneland again.”

Whitmore has earned more than $4.4 million from 41 starts. Moquett is often asked when the gelding will retire.

“I’ve got 2-year-olds that this could be their last year of racing,” he said. “The question you ask of every horse is, ‘Are you able to keep running, and can you do that safely and effectively?’ You’re always asking that, no matter their age. You leave it up to them and take it on an individual basis. Obviously with Whitmore, he’s not ready to quit yet.”