Whitmore, ridden by Laura Moquett, will then lead the post parade for the Whitmore Stakes. Whitmore returned to Oaklawn in early March and has been on the track this week as part of his continuing education for a possible transition from star horse to stable pony.īriefly replicating his former career, Saturday’s script calls for Whitmore to follow the field from the barn area to the track for the Whitmore Stakes, then head into the horseshoe-shaped hedge infield winner’s circle, traditionally used for stakes, as the horses are being saddled in the paddock. Probable post time for the Whitmore Stakes, which goes as the seventh race, is 4:04 p.m.Īnd, if all goes as a planned, fans also will see Whitmore, who was retired after suffering a leg injury during a fifth-place finish in the $600,000 Forego Stakes (G1) Aug. Free Whitmore T-shirts, while supplies last, can be redeemed on the north end of the first floor following the second race. Oaklawn also renamed the Count Fleet barn, Whitmore’s longtime home in Hot Springs, after the now-9-year-old gelding.įans attending Saturday will receive commemorative Whitmore baseball cards as they enter, while supplies last. It renamed the Hot Springs Stakes after the gelding, with the inaugural $200,000 Whitmore Stakes (G3) for older horses at 6 furlongs headlining the March 19 card. Oaklawn announced in early September that March 19 would be Whitmore Day. All my friends are pumped about it (Whitmore Day).” “I know that a lot of people like him,” said Ron Moquett, who also co-owned Whitmore throughout his racing career. Whitmore won Oaklawn’s Hot Springs Stakes a record four consecutive years (2017-2020) and its Count Fleet Sprint Handicap (G3) a record three times (2017, 20). Saturday is “Whitmore Day” at Oaklawn, which honors the now-retired 2020 Eclipse Award winner (champion male sprinter), seven-time Oaklawn stakes winner and among the most popular horses in its 117-year history. Whitmore and Moquett’s wife, Laura, also the gelding’s regular exercise rider, weren’t going to the track to prepare for a big race – they were preparing for a big day. Of course, the scene was much different than the previous five years. Trainer Ron Moquett was in his usual spot Wednesday morning at Oaklawn, preparing to watch Whitmore train following the second break to renovate the racing surface. Whitmore Returns to the Track to be Honored on Whitmore Day

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