T.D. Thornton | Horse Racing Free Tips

The Week in Review: The Old Man and the Sprint

The final chapters have yet to be penned in Whitmore (Pleasantly Perfect)’s book, but it’s safe to say the 7-year-old sprinter is in the autumn of his career. He’s a closer who has excelled in a division where out-and-out front-end speed often dominates, he’s run in three consecutive GI Breeders’ Cup Sprints that have each drawn as “loaded” affairs won by the eventual Eclipse Award champ, and he’ll seek his first Breeders’ Cup win in start number four over a host track (Keeneland) whose main-track profile has been tilted toward forwardly placed runners during both of its 2020 meets.

Nevertheless, trainer Ron Moquett wouldn’t trade horses or places with anyone leading up to the Nov. 7 Sprint. On Sunday morning at Churchill Downs, Whitmore bulleted a half mile in :46.80 (1/76) in his final serious breeze before the Breeders’ Cup.

“He’s just a cool dude. He’s very consistent, and I’m expecting good things out of him,” Moquett said in a post-workout video interview posted by the Kentucky Horsemen’s Benevolent and Protective Association. “We’ve always got a lot of pressure when Whitmore runs because a lot of people love him and follow him, and we’re kind of into that. So we want to put on a good show, and we want it more for Whitmore than we do for anything.”

Whitmore carries the colors of a partnership between Robert LaPenta, Head of Plains Partners, LLC, and Moquett. But he also shoulders the appreciative interest of admirers who like a good “throwback” campaigner–a reliable, road-tripping stalwart good for six to eight starts annually who hits the board more often than not (14-11-3 from 37 lifetime starts) while bankrolling $3.2 million in purse earnings.

If Whitmore finally breaks through and wins the Sprint (he’s been third, second, and eighth in his previous attempts), the victory would come five years and one day after he broke his maiden at first asking at Churchill, winning by a gaudy 7 1/4 lengths at 15-1 odds.

Whitmore doesn’t often crack double digits on the tote board these days. The only other times he’s gone off at that high a price were in the 2015 GI Kentucky Derby (30-1) and in his 2017 and 2019 Breeders’ Cup Sprints (20-1 and 19-1). And outside of his beginning-career route attempts on the Triple Crown trail and the one-turn 2019 GI Cigar Mile, Moquett has kept Whitmore at his sweet spot between six and seven furlongs.

Moquett believes part of Whitmore’s staying power is attributable to his running style. Closing sprinters, he said, “come from off the pace, and they’re not as fatigued at the end of a race where a lot of injuries can occur.”

Whitmore began his 7-year-old season with a second and two wins at Oaklawn Park. The COVID-19 pandemic contributed to a layoff until July 25 at Saratoga, where he ran into an absolute buzz saw of a winner named Volatile (Violence), who has since been retired with a hairline fracture. In that six-furlong GI Vanderbilt H., Volatile was allowed to get away with an unpressured first opening quarter mile in :23.46, but then ripped home through a final quarter in :22.94, the fastest in the race’s history. In a four-horse field while conceding two pounds to the winner, Whitmore was disadvantaged by the way the race unfolded, yet he still closed well enough to earn second, 1 1/4 lengths behind Volatile.

“That’s the slowest first quarter for a Grade I [sprint] I’ve ever seen, and he still made up ground and ran a really good race,” Moquett said.

Next up was a seventh-place try in the Saratoga slop over seven furlongs in the Aug. 29 GI Forego S. That race was run in a pelting rainstorm that made it a throwout for a number of competitors. Whitmore then took aim at the GII Phoenix Oct. 2 at Keeneland, in which he uncorked a six-wide bid off the turn against the grain of a speed-conducive track and lost a head bob for show, checking in fourth.

“It’s hard to win at Keeneland [with a closing sprinter],” Moquett said. “I was a little disappointed with the race. I wasn’t disappointed with him. I thought a lot of his races this year have been where if the pace was good enough, he could come get ’em. But being a closing sprinter, we are always concerned [with] pace scenarios.

“I thought that that was how the track was playing, that weekend especially,” Moquett continued. “It was just kind of an odd deal, but my horse came back happy and I know that if the right [pace] scenario comes up, he can beat those kind of horses with ease. If the wrong scenario comes up, he can be a victim of the pace.”

Whitmore’s fourth Sprint bid isn’t a Breeders’ Cup record. Another venerable gelding, Kona Gold, ran in five of them between 1998 and 2002, winning the 2000 edition. Four other horses (Perfect Drift, Better Talk Now, California Flag, and Obviously) also competed in five Breeders’ Cup events each.

“There is no correct recipe for a Sprint winner. I’ve seen 3-year-olds win it. I’ve seen 8-year-olds win it,” Moquett said, adding that for Whitmore, “it’s always about who he’s run against. He’s pretty much the same.

“When we ran against Roy H [{More Than Ready}, in 2017 and ’18] we were running against a two-time [Sprint] winner and the world’s fastest horse at the time. And [Whitmore] ran his eyeballs out,” Moquett continued. “Then we came back and ran against Mitole [{Eskendereya}, in 2019], and in my mind, he definitely was one of the best we’ve seen in awhile. So it’s almost like, ‘What are the caliber of the horses we’re going to be chasing on [Breeders’ Cup] day, and are there a couple of the good ones who can go fast enough for us to come get them?'”

If not, there’s always the prospect of another campaign for Whitmore at age eight.

“With him, he gets to write his own book,” Moquett said. “If he comes [out of the Sprint] and says he wants to go out and run and play and have fun, then I’m going to let him. If he ever acts like he’s not interested or shows a sign of wear and tear, then he’ll get to go and live happily ever after. He owes us nothing, so we only want what he wants.”

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The Week in Review: The Pandemic as Positive Leverage to Revamp the Triple Crown

Now that the GI Kentucky Derby has been run on the first Saturday in September and we found out the world didn’t tilt off its axis because of the pandemic’s blow to tradition, it’s time to start leveraging the scheduling chaos caused by COVID-19 so it serves as a way to propel the sport forward instead of back to the perceived comforts of normalcy.

This year’s June 20 GI Belmont S., although shortened to nine furlongs as a nod to pandemic practicality, served its purpose as a fine “welcome back to big-time racing” event just as the sport was gearing back up after months of closure. The Sept. 5 Derby, although out of order as the second jewel of the Triple Crown instead of the first, unfolded in satisfying fashion with an intriguing, summer-long lead-up and an exciting finish that featured a stretch duel between two stars of the sophomore division. The GI Preakness S. on Oct. 3 now looms as the pivotal deciding race for the 3-year-old championship, and having four weeks of rest instead of the usual two could mean that more contenders from the Derby are likely to contest it.

For 2021, going back to what has been the traditional Triple Crown spacing for the last five decades (Derby first Saturday in May, two weeks to the Preakness, then three weeks to the Belmont) would be the easy thing to do. But positive change is rarely easy. Why not instead take advantage of the disorder imposed upon the sport’s showcase racing series in 2020 and use it as a springboard for creating a new Triple Crown template that better aligns with the realities of 21st Century racing in America?

The time has come for the Derby to be run on the first Saturday in May, the Preakness on the first Saturday in June, and the Belmont on the first Saturday in July. And the time to do it is now, with the bizarre pandemic scheduling of this season serving as a bridge to the transition.

This suggestion for spacing the races differently is neither new nor original. But it does make new sense in an era that is increasingly defined by equine welfare and a less-is-more approach to racing at the elite level.

You might recall that this May-June-July format was exactly what former Maryland Jockey Club president and CEO Tom Chuckas lobbied for in 2014. His idea was met with derision from those who perceived it as an attempt to make the Triple Crown easier to win. Chuckas was out of a job six months later, and the very next spring, American Pharoah finally broke the 37-year Triple Crown drought, lending an “if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it” aspect to the argument about tinkering with the series.

But the Triple Crown chase has taken on a formulaic flavor. Top-level prospects have winter/spring campaigns mapped out that call for just two prep races prior to the Derby (maybe three if a horse is chasing qualifying points). The Derby winner is practically obligated to attempt the Preakness two weeks later, but many other top contenders sit it out. If the Derby winner wins the Preakness in strong fashion, that scares away even more competition for the Belmont. If the Derby winner doesn’t win the Preakness, there is practically zero shot he comes back in three weeks to try the Belmont.

Yes, there are myriad other factors (race-day medication usage and breeding trends that favor speed over stamina to name just two) that contribute to why the Triple Crown is a different beast today than it was in, say, 1948. But simply put, the five-week series of races for 3-year-olds at distances that are not the norm in U.S. racing is a potential stressor for the modern Thoroughbred. Few elite-level horses of any age are pointed toward campaigns based on that type of race spacing. The three entities that host the series–Churchill Downs, Inc., The Stronach Group (TSG), and the New York Racing Association (NYRA)–like to portray themselves as industry leaders when it comes to equine safety. Can they honestly say that asking horses to conform to a tradition that features such unorthodox race spacing is in everyone’s best interest?

But mitigating safety risk is only one component of the change. Think of the other plusses: The field for the Preakness is likely to get stronger, not weaker, with more time in between races. And if the Derby winner scores in the Preakness, the sport will enjoy an entire month of Triple Crown publicity leading into the Belmont, which theoretically would also feature a fresher, deeper field. The composition of undercard races on the day of each Triple Crown event would improve, as the supporting cast of horses that compete in other divisions would also benefit from the elongated spacing of those graded stakes.

One quirk of spreading the races out over 10 weeks is that depending on how the calendar falls each year, the gaps between the first Saturdays in May, June, and July will fluctuate between either four or five weeks. But is that really such a big deal?

The Triple Crown already tolerates changes that are beyond anyone’s control. When a huge downpour muddies the track and completely alters the complexion of one of the Classics, no one says the race wasn’t legitimate and shouldn’t count when compared to historical norms. Under the new proposal, in some years there will be five weeks between the Derby and Preakness; in others the five-week gap will fall between the Preakness and Belmont. In the championships of almost every other American sport, some teams routinely get more time off between playoff series than others. Yet no one claims that isn’t fair when comparing champions from one era to the next. The important thing is that even though the spacing will fluctuate in a small way from year to year, it will be the same for every Triple Crown aspirant in any given year.

Setting an anchor point for the first Saturday in each month could serve as the basis for a marketing campaign that underscores to even casual racing fans that that is when to expect the best racing the sport has to offer.

If other racetracks were cooperative, other important late-summer stakes for 3-year-olds could align with the revamped Triple Crown: The GI Haskell S. could shift several weeks later so Monmouth Park “owned” the first Saturday in August, and the GI Travers S. could be repositioned on the first Saturday of September as part of a blockbuster closing weekend at Saratoga. The result could be a May-through-September “first Saturday” showcase for sophomores that leads into the Breeders’ Cup Championships on the first weekend of November.

Pimlico is slated for a massive rebuild in the next few years and major upgrades to Belmont could be in the not-too-distant future. A rebranding of the premier races at each venue would be fitting.

By running the Preakness on the first Saturday in June, TSG would still steer clear of Memorial Day weekend. NYRA might not be crazy about carding the Belmont S. in years where the first Saturday in July coincides with Independence Day. But July 4 is traditionally an otherwise quiet time on the American sporting scene, and if a Triple Crown were on the line, horse racing would enjoy expanded media coverage without competition from the basketball and hockey championships that are generally going full-tilt in June.

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Week in Review: Faves Fail to Show on Saturday, but Excuses Abound

This past Saturday wasn’t a great day to be a favorite in an open stakes race at the nation’s premier race meets. Chalk horses went a collective one-for-seven at Saratoga and Del Mar, and the list of excuses included stutter-step starts, bumps leaving the gate, stretch-run roughhousing, getting disqualified, and being dueled into defeat in internal pace battles.

Tight finishes in several stakes elevated the interest level, although the results in general did not lend clarity to the nationwide divisional races with the GI Kentucky Derby inside the five-week mark and the Breeders’ Cup Championships now three months out.

At the Spa, faves went zero-for-five, with the GI Personal Ensign S. setting the tone early in the day. The 9-1 Vexatious (Giant’s Causeway), who hadn’t won since scoring in a 1 3/8 miles turf stakes at Del Mar two summers ago, ran the race of her life at age six while attending the pace over nine furlongs on dirt. She got first run on a tiring speedster, then braced for the onslaught of heavy favorite Midnight Bisou (Midnight Lute). Last year’s distaff champ looked like she’d inhale the determined bay, but Vexatious dug in for a spirited fight, shifting outward and exchanging bumps in deep stretch before prevailing by a neck and surviving a foul claim and inquiry.

The win was a first Grade I triumph for both Vexatious and trainer Jack Sisterson, who also picked up his first career win at Saratoga in the Personal Ensign. Vexatious earned an automatic entry to the GI Breeders’ Cup Distaff Nov. 7 at Keeneland, where Sisterson is primarily based.

In the nine-furlong GI Whitney S., the 3-1 Improbable (City Zip), who has a history of getting hot and bothered in the starting gate, held up the start. The Bob Baffert trainee eventually settled down, but the delay might have contributed to the unraveling of even-money favorite Tom’s d’Etat (Smart Strike), who missed the break and came out four lengths behind the field. This altered the pace complexion of the Whitney, leaving 29-1 long shot Mr. Buff (Friend or Foe) sailing solo on the lead through soft splits with Improbable tracking in second and Tom’s d’Etat relegated to the back of the pack.

Improbable, on his way to a 106 Beyer Speed Figure, swatted away Mr. Buff at will on the far turn, opening up by two lengths in the stretch under steady urging. By My Standards (Goldencents) picked up the pieces in second. Tom’s d’Etat checked in third, ending his four-race winning streak, but with an asterisk attached because of his trip woes.

The 7-1 upset by Echo Town (Speightstown) in the seven-furlong GI H. Allen Jerkens S. Presented by Runhappy didn’t at all seem fluky despite another favorite–the 2-1 No Parole (Violence)–faltering. The Jerkens was a deep 11-horse affair, and Echo Town broke with alacrity and was initially within three lengths of a hotly contested lead. But he settled nicely at the tail of the main flight on the inside, then edged outward for clear passage, commencing a rally a half-mile out that quickly picked off most of the pack.

The leaders lined up four across the track at the sixteenth pole, but Echo Town’s widest bid included a deep-stretch resurgence that none of his peers could match, and the Steve Asmussen trainee ended up drilling a pretty good bunch of 3-year-old sprinters by 3 1/2 lengths.

Shifting, drifting, bumping, and grinding through the final furlong of the GII Bowling Green S. at 11 furlongs on the turf affected five of the six starters, and the stewards placed the blame on Sadler’s Joy (Kitten’s Joy), who was DQ’d from his neck win and placed fourth. New York-bred Cross Border (English Channel) was elevated to victory after crossing the wire second. The result could portend a nice August start at the Spa for New York-breds, as fellow state-bred Tiz the Law (Constitution) figures to start heavily favored in this Saturday’s GI Runhappy Travers S.

In the nightcap, 4-1 Cariba (Cairo Prince), completed the stakes blanking of Spa faves with a half-length tally in the Caress S. over 5 1/2 furlongs on the lawn.

Meanwhile, on the Left Coast…

Honor A. P. (Honor Code) looked flat and unmotivated when checking in second at 1-5 odds in the Shared Belief S. at Del Mar. But even before he encountered trip trouble on the track, the pre-race vibe signaled that this could be a “trap” race for the top West Coast candidate for the Kentucky Derby.

Honor A. P., who previously performed like a more-distance-the-better type of 3-year-old, was cutting back half a furlong to 1 1/16 miles from his GI Runhappy Santa Anita Derby score on June 6, and the dynamics of the four-horse Shared Belief meant that the ridgling would have be closer to the pace than was ideal for his running style. It didn’t help that Cezanne (Curlin) swerved directly into him at the gate break, and jockey Mike Smith (as he often does aboard odds-on favorites in route races) guided Honor A. P. to the back and outside of trouble, even though this meant giving up three paths of real estate into the clubhouse bend.

Thousand Words (Pioneerof the Nile), meanwhile, broke fluidly and settled in at the fence to be the 9-1 pacemaker. Entering the backstretch, Honor A. P. advanced under his own power to shadow the speed a half-length back, but Cezanne again became a pesky presence about a half mile out when he pushed up from between rivals to claim second, causing Honor A. P. to lose a position while edging outward again for another three-deep journey through the far turn.

Cezanne narrowly led off the bend, but Thousand Words punched back under urging at the rail while Honor A. P. couldn’t gain any traction on the outside. Honor A. P. re-engaged late to finish second, three-quarters of a length behind Thousand Words. But his resurgence had more to do with Cezanne backpedaling out of the picture than it did with Honor A. P. finding that unmatchable late gear he displayed in his Santa Anita Derby win.

In the aftermath of the Shared Belief, Thousand Words (104 Beyer) has regained some of his early-season luster after the Bob Baffert trainee fell off the Derby radar for a stretch between March and June. But Honor A. P. is likely to emerge as the more dangerous threat heading to Louisville, because trainer John Shirreffs didn’t have him fully cranked for his final Derby prep, and nothing about his taxing trip worked in his favor.

Later on the card, the 19-10 Collusion Illusion (Twirling Candy) emerged as the lone unscathed favorite on Saturday’s slate of national stakes, rallying from out of the clouds (or out of the Del Mar fog, to be more precise) to nail a GI Bing Crosby S. photo-finish win by a nose after patiently watching a six-way scramble for the lead disintegrate. The Mark Glatt trainee was the lone 3-year-old in the six-furlong field of nine.

Turfway Park Update

During the same earnings conference call last Thursday in which Churchill Downs, Inc. (CDI) chief executive officer Bill Carstanjen detailed long-term plans for the gaming corporation’s desire to rid itself of Arlington International Racecourse, Carstanjen also provided an update to the redevelopment of Turfway Park and its “extension” betting facility a dozen miles to the northeast in Newport, Kentucky, that will be generating purse money for the track’s Dec. 2-31 holiday meet.

“We finished demolishing the existing grandstand at Turfway Park in the second quarter, and the racetrack itself with a new state-of-the-art artificial racing surface called Tapeta will be completed by the end of August,” Carstanjen said. “During the second quarter, we completed the architectural design and site development plans. We will begin construction of the new horse racing machine (HRM) and grandstand facility as soon as we obtain the required permits and complete the necessary site improvements. The updated design reflects a floor plan of approximately 155,000 square feet and includes a simulcast facility, a racing grandstand and event space for groups and banquets, racehorse owner and VIP player accommodations; 44,500 square feet of gaming floor that can accommodate up to 1,200 HRMs, and three food and beverage venues, including a sports bar designed to accommodate sports wagering in the event it is approved in Kentucky.

“Based on the finalization of the design for the facility, total project capital for Turfway Park is projected to be approximately $200 million, which includes the Turfway Park acquisition costs and other previously approved capital. This capital investment will be completed over the next 15 to 18 months. The increase of approximately $45 million over previously provided estimates is primarily driven by increased site work requirements and a larger racing and gaming facility. Our team completed an additional analysis of the Northern Kentucky market and believes that the market demographics and competitive landscape can clearly support this level of investment and will generate a strong return on capital for our shareholders.

“With respect to our Turfway Park extension in Newport, Kentucky, we’ve made excellent progress on this project. Our team has completed all of the site work and the structural improvements needed to the building. We anticipate that the additional interior construction will be completed by the end of September in preparation for a grand opening [with up to 500 HRMs] by early October. This timing will provide two months of operations to generate much needed purse money for Turfway Park’s December live Thoroughbred race meet.”

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