Oaklawn Barn Notes: Whitmore Reclaims Title as Oaklawn’s Top Sprinter

By Jennifer Hoyt —-

Whitmore; Photos provided by Oaklawn Park

Whitmore Reclaims Title as Oaklawn’s Top Sprinter

Oaklawn’s top older male sprinter – again – is Whitmore, who reclaimed the title with a sharp 2 ½-length victory as the favorite in Saturday’s $150,000 Hot Springs Stakes.

Co-owned and trained by Ron Moquett of Hot Springs, Whitmore ($3.60) won the Hot Springs for a record fourth consecutive year by covering 6 furlongs over a fast track in a meet-best 1:08.54, also a stakes record when timed in hundredths of a second. Chief of Affairs won the 2011 Hot Springs in 1:08.56. Whitmore won the 2018 Hot Springs in 1:08.57 and shares the stakes record (1:08 2/5) – when timed in fifths of a second – with Chief of Affairs and Double Ready, who won the race in 1984, before races at Oaklawn were timed in hundredths of a second.

Whitmore had won his first six local sprint starts, including five stakes, before finishing second to future Eclipse Award winner Mitole in last April’s $500,000 Count Fleet Sprint Handicap (G3). Whitmore, in his 7-year-old debut, then finished second to Share the Upside in the $125,000 King Cotton Stakes before recapturing the magic Saturday under Joe Talamo.

“It’s such a good feeling to see him do what he does and knowing how he loves to do it,” Moquett said following the race. “I get excited, so I stay away from people and I try not to transfer that energy to him. But, we’re so proud of him.”

Whitmore won for the 13th time in 33 starts to increase his career earnings to $2,936,350. Moquett campaigns the Pleasantly Perfect gelding with Robert LaPenta and Head of Plains Partners LLC (Sol Kumin).

Whitmore will be pointed for the $500,000 Count Fleet Sprint Handicap (G3) April 11, a race he won in 2017 and 2018. Arkansas-bred E J Harley won the Hot Springs in 1998, 1999 and 2000.

Putting out the Fire

A Feb. 15 first-level allowance race at Oaklawn not only produced a starter for Saturday’s $300,000 Honeybee Stakes (G3) for 3-year-old fillies, it produced the winner, too.

Shedaresthedevil, under the patient handling of Joe Talamo, split horses near the sixteenth pole en route to a three-quarter length victory over favored Alta’s Award in the major Kentucky Oaks prep.

“This is what we kind of anticipated the horse could be,” co-owner Autry Lowry said moments after the victory. “We thought she could be a special horse. Didn’t know where we would end up, but she seems to be getting better every day.”

Shedaresthedevil ($7.80) was making her second start for trainer Brad Cox and co-owners Staton Flurry of Hot Springs, Qatar Racing LTD (David Redvers) and Big Aut Farms (Lowry). The daughter of Daredevil had previously been based in Southern California with trainer Simon Callaghan and Qatar Racing before being sold for $280,000 at Keeneland’s November Breeding Stock Sale.

Flurry said a good friend of Cox’s, bloodstock agent Clay Scherer, loved the filly and helped put together the new partnership.

“We looked at the filly; we vetted her out,” Flurry said. “We kind of found out Qatar Racing was interested in her and they approached us about going in as partners. We knew going in we were going to be partners with Qatar Racing, if we could get her. My buddy, Autry Lowry, we had been looking at several horses in the sale and we got this one.”

Flurry said Lowry, a captain in the Benton, La., fire department, owned a share in Daredevil, a Grade 1 winner, and thought it would be nice to own one of his most promising early runners. Shedaresthedevil is from the first crop of Daredevil, who began his stud career at WinStar Farm in Kentucky before being recently relocated to Turkey.

Qatar Racing, which has campaigned, among others, European star Roaring Lion and Grade 1 winner Peace and War, owns 50 percent of Shedaresthedevil, Flurry said, adding he has a 35 percent share and Lowry the remaining 15 percent. Flurry said Shedaresthedevil is the first horse he’s owned with Lowry.

“Autry and I have been buddies for eight, nine years,” Flurry said. “We were all in on a suite at Louisiana Downs for several years and we’ve become real good friends.”

While Flurry has campaigned several stakes winners, including multiple graded stakes performer Mr. Misunderstood, Lowry said Shedaresthedevil is “absolutely” the best horse he’s owned in approximately 20 years as a breeder/owner.

“This is my first time running in a Grade 3,” Lowry said. “I’m 1 for 1.”

Shedaresthedevil had finished third in the $200,000 Sorrento Stakes (G2) Aug. 3 at Del Mar and second as the favorite in her final start at 2, the $75,000 Anoakia Stakes Oct. 13 at Santa Anita. Shedaresthedevil ran second in her 2020 debut last month, beaten three-quarters of a length by stablemate Bonny South in the first-level allowance spot at 1 1/16 miles.

Cox opted to split up the fillies, pointing Shedaresthedevil to the Honeybee (local ownership) and Bonny South to the $400,000 Fair Grounds Oaks (G2) March 21 at Fair Grounds.

“Both of them ran a great race that day,” Cox said.

Racing Saturday over a fast track, Shedaresthedevil covered 1 1/16 miles in 1:44.38. She has a 2-2-1 record from six lifetime starts and earnings of $297,648. Shedaresthedevil earned 50 points for the victory to secure a spot in the Kentucky Oaks, but Cox said she’ll probably make her next start in the $600,000 Fantasy Stakes (G3) April 10. The 1 1/16-mile Fantasy is the final major local prep for the Kentucky Oaks, the country’s biggest race for 3-year-old fillies.

Go Google the Apple Blossom

Go Google Yourself is among 19 horses nominated to Saturday’s $350,000 Azeri Stakes (G2), but the multiple stakes winner is passing the race and pointing for Oaklawn’s biggest two-turn event for older fillies and mares, the $1 million Apple Blossom Handicap (G1) April 18, trainer Paul McGee said.

Go Google Yourself is 2 for 2 at Oaklawn, including the $200,000 Bayakoa Stakes (G3) Feb. 17 in her 2020 debut. McGee said Friday morning that Go Google Yourself is at Fair Grounds, her winter base, but she will ship to Churchill Downs in “two to three weeks” to continue preparations for the 1 1/16-mile Apple Blossom, one of the country’s most prestigious two-turn races for older fillies and mares.

“I’ll ship her from Churchill to Oaklawn, probably just a couple of days out,” McGee said.

A homebred for Samantha Siegel, Go Google Yourself has a 7-5-3 record from 19 lifetime starts and earnings of $639,625. The 5-year-old daughter of super sire Into Mischief won an allowance race last year at Oaklawn before claiming the $125,000 Groupie Doll Stakes Aug. 11 at Ellis Park and the $200,000 Locust Grove Stakes (G3) Sept. 14 at Churchill Downs. Go Google Yourself, in her final start last year, finished second to Mylady Curlin in the $300,000 Falls City Stakes (G2) Nov. 28 at Churchill Downs.

“We’ve always kind of spaced her races out,” McGee said after Go Google Yourself’s neck victory over Whoa Nellie in the Bayakoa. “She’s always run well for us. The one and only time we wheeled her back on a two- or three-week layoff, she threw craps. So, ever since then, me and Samantha have said, ‘Let’s space her races out.’ ”

The Azeri is the final major local prep for the Apple Blossom. Early probables for the 1 1/16-mile Azeri, according to the Oaklawn racing department, are Awe Emma for trainer Dallas Stewart, Lady Apple (Steve Asmussen), Mylady Curlin (Brad Cox), Serengeti Empress (Tom Amoss) and Street Band (Larry Jones).

Lady Apple, Serengeti Empress, Street Band and Mylady Curlin – all 4-year-olds – finished 1-2-3-4, respectively, in the $300,000 Houston Ladies Classic (G3) Jan. 26 at Sam Houston. They were separated by a length at the wire in the 1 1/16-mile race.

Lady Apple is unbeaten at Oaklawn (3 for 3), including last year’s $500,000 Fantasy Stakes (G3). Serengeti Empress won the $1.25 million Kentucky Oaks (G1) last year at Churchill Downs. Street Band won the $1 million Cotillion Stakes (G1) last year at Parx. Whoa Nellie won the $100,000 Pippin Stakes Jan. 25 at Oaklawn in her 4-year-old and stakes debut.

Also on Saturday’s card is the $1 million Rebel Stakes (G2) for 3-year-olds at 1 1/16 miles and the $350,000 Essex Handicap (G3) for older horses at 1 1/16 miles. Post positions for the three races will be drawn Wednesday.

Double Vision

Oaklawn began double loading horses into the starting gate in mid-February, said Jed Doro, Oaklawn’s vice president of racing.

Doro cited faster loading times and safety as primary reasons behind the move. A typical loading sequence now, Doro said, has horses in post positions 1 and 7 loaded at the same time, followed by 2-8, 3-9, etc. Traditionally, Oaklawn had loaded horses – one at a time – in post position order.

“Mainly, it’s about safety,” Doro said.

Hall of Fame trainer D. Wayne Lukas was among the Oaklawn-based trainers who applauded the move.

“That’s done all over the United States,” Lukas said. “I don’t see any reason why not to do it. It shortens the time horses stand in there. Probably lessens the opportunity for them to react or get somebody hurt. I like the whole situation better.”

Finish Lines

Defending riding champion David Cohen rode three winners Saturday, Day 26 of the scheduled 57-day season, to become the fourth jockey at the meet to surpass $1 million in purse earnings. All three of the victories were for leading trainer Robertino Diodoro. Cohen won the second race aboard Ghostly Who ($9.60), third race aboard Aqwaam ($14.40) and the fifth race aboard favored One for Richie ($5). Cohen entered Sunday with $1,083,337 in purse earnings, joining Ricardo Santana Jr. ($2,178,612), Joe Talamo ($1,385,785) and Martin Garcia ($1,107,617) at seven figures. Santana also topped the standings in victories (30) through Saturday. Cohen was second with 26. The triple gave Diodoro – Oaklawn’s second-leading trainer the past three years – 31 victories, seven more than Hall of Famer and perennial local leader Steve Asmussen. Two of Saturday’s winners for Cohen and Diodoro were for two-time defending leading owner M and M Racing (Mike and Mickala Sisk). M and M has 99 career Oaklawn victories, including a meet-high 16 this year. It set a single-season Oaklawn record last year with 61 victories. … Martin Garcia also had a riding triple Saturday, including a front-running maiden special weights score in the fourth race with favored Liam’s Pride ($5) for trainer Doug O’Neill. Liam’s Pride became the first Oaklawn winner sired by Liam’s Map, who will also be represented by Grade 1 winner Basin in next Saturday’s $1 million Rebel Stakes (G2) for 3-year-olds. Garcia was Oaklawn’s fourth-leading rider through Saturday with 20 victories. … Jockey Luis Quinonez entered Sunday with 599 career Oaklawn victories. Quinonez, Oaklawn’s leading rider in 2007, is named on three horses Sunday. … Locally based horses scheduled to run in next Saturday’s $350,000 Essex Handicap include Bravazo, Night Ops and Pioneer Spirit. The Oaklawn racing department said Grade 1 winners Higher Power and Improbable are also candidates for the 1 1/16-mile race for older horses.