Whitmore has first work of year, may start in Hot Springs Stakes

HOT SPRINGS, Ark. - Whitmore had his first work of the year – and first as a champion – on Saturday at Oaklawn Park. He breezed a half-mile in 51 seconds on a fast track.

Whitmore won the Breeders’ Cup Sprint in his last start Nov. 7 at Keeneland. He was given a freshening, and has been back at Oaklawn since just after Christmas, according to his trainer, Ron Moquett.

Last month, Whitmore was named champion male sprinter of 2020 during the Eclipse Awards.

"I'm very happy for him to get the recognition," Moquett said.

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Moquett said after the announcement that he and his wife Laura went to the barn and spent time with Whitmore and his stablemates.

“We just hung out with the horses,” Moquett said. “We went and hung out with Whitmore for about an hour, giving him a lot of peppermints and carrots.”

Moquett said after Whitmore won the Breeders’ Cup, he received text messages, from folks he started out with in racing at the now-shuttered Blue Ribbon Downs in Sallisaw, Okla., to Hall of Fame trainers.

“That was huge to me, that they all reached out,” Moquett said. “They were so happy. It’s that horse. I was so happy for him to reach his potential.”

Moquett said the horse could make his 8-year-old debut in the $200,000 Hot Springs Stakes on March 13 at Oaklawn.

Moquett co-owns Whitmore with Bob LaPenta and Head of Plains Partners.