vanderbilt | Horse Racing Free Tips

Moquett ‘Couldn’t Be More Pleased’ With Champion Whitmore Ahead Of July 31 Vanderbilt

Reigning Champion Sprinter Whitmore registered his final serious breeze Friday in preparation for the Grade 1, $350,000 Alfred G. Vanderbilt on July 31 at Saratoga Race Course.

The 8-year-old gelding, who won the Grade 1 Breeders' Cup Sprint in November at Keeneland, went a half-mile in 48.78 seconds over a fast main track at the Spa, 12 days after travelling the same distance in a swift 47.21 seconds.

Trained by Ron Moquett, Whitmore has amassed more than $4.4 million in lifetime earnings through a record of 41-15-13-4, which includes seven graded stakes victories at four different racetracks. Prior to the Breeders' Cup Sprint, his only other Grade 1 victory took place in the 2018 Forego at Saratoga, where he defeated subsequent Breeders' Cup Dirt Mile and Pegasus World Cup winner City of Light.

Whitmore was second in last year's Vanderbilt, finishing 1 ¼ lengths to Volatile ahead of a distant seventh in the Forego over a sloppy track.

“He went very well this morning,” Moquett said. “I told the rider I wanted 48 or 49 and he did it, and did it the right way so I'm very pleased. He's training well, doing well, and I like the way he's running. I couldn't be more pleased with how everything is right now. He likes the surface at Saratoga. It's a good track and it seems like he's settled right in.”

Whitmore has finished in the money in all three starts this year, beginning with a close second by a neck to C Z Rocket in the Hot Springs at Oaklawn, a race he won from 2017-20. Following another second beaten two lengths in the Grade 3 Count Fleet Sprint at the Arkansas oval in April, Whitmore was third by a head in the Grade 1 Churchill Downs on May 1.

Whitmore has won at six different racetracks dating back to November 2015 at Churchill Downs, capturing his debut by 7 ¼ lengths en route to three graded stakes placings at Oaklawn Park while on the Kentucky Derby trail.

While Whitmore is still going strong, most of his previous competitors from 2016 have gone off to the breeding shed. He finished second to 2021 freshman sire Cupid in the Grade 2 Rebel at Oaklawn Park two starts prior to finishing 19th in the Grade 1 Kentucky Derby, which was won by Nyquist – last year's leading first crop stallion.

“The funny thing is, I have a colt by Cupid, and Whitmore ran against Cupid in the Rebel as a 3-year-old,” Moquett said. “We're so grateful that he's with us and we're always amazed at the outpouring of affection and support for the horse. It's great to see how many people like and cheer for him.”

Moquett said Whitmore thrives at Oaklawn, where has posted nine wins, but has the ability to take his game on the road.

“He likes Oaklawn because that's where we're at when he comes back off his break. He always does well then,” Moquett said. “I know he likes Keeneland and Churchill and Saratoga. I don't know which one he likes the best, but he likes a fast track.”

Moquett said a repeat win in the Breeders' Cup Sprint is the main objective with the possibility of using the Grade 2, $250,000 Phoenix on October 8 at Keeneland as a springboard. Whitmore captured the 2017 Phoenix by a nose over Awesome Banner.

Jockey Ricardo Santana, Jr. has piloted Whitmore 17 times, including his last three starts, and will have the call for the Vanderbilt. He piloted last year's winner Volatile.

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‘More Than A Client’: Imperial Hint Owner Raymond Mamone Passes At Age 88

Trainer Luis Carvajal, Jr. announced via Twitter on Tuesday that his longtime owner and friend Raymond Mamone had passed away at the age of 88. According to bloodhorse.com, Mamone died after complications of COVID-19 on May 3, in his hometown of Somerville, N.J.

Mamone and Carvajal teamed up to win multiple Grade 1 races with their “Little Rocket,” Imperial Hint. The small-of-stature horse had an enormous heart and incredible speed, setting a track record for six furlongs at Saratoga when he won the G1 Vanderbilt in 2019 in a final time of 1:07.92.

Imperial Hint would have been a fourth generation homebred for Mamone, but that he gave the colt's dam, Royal Hint, to the facility that houses his breeding stock, Shade Tree Thoroughbreds, when she failed to produce much in her first several years. He later saw Imperial Hint as a 2-year-old at the farm, and paid $17,500 for the eye-catching youngster.

Imperial Hint would go on to compete on the international stage and in two editions of the Breeders' Cup, retiring with a record of 14 wins from 25 starts and earnings of $2.2 million. Mamone sold him privately to stand at stud in Louisiana.

“My heart is breaking,” Carvajal told bloodhorse.com. “To me, he was much more than a client. He was a friend, an uncle, and a dad. Mr. Mamone was a very special man. He gave me opportunities I'd never had before, and he gave me the horse of a lifetime.”

Research Shows Horses More Susceptible To COVID-19 Than Other Species

New research shows that horses seem to be at greater risk of contracting COVID-19 than other species. Researchers believe their close relationship with humans may be to blame for a greater susceptibility.

Vanderbilt University utilized experts in virology, genetics, structural biology, chemistry, physiology, medicine, immunology and pharmacology worked together to create a tool that would predict animal susceptibility to COVID-19 infection. The scientists determined that horses and camels were most at risk and suggested that they be closely monitored and tested for infection.

The researchers identified five amino acid sites that indicate virus susceptibility or resistance; they then created an algorithm to predict susceptibility. Jacquelyn Brown, a staff scientist at the Vanderbilt Institute for Integrative Biosystems Research and Education, is an equestrian who initiated the project, noting that horses have a large respiratory system, and many are regularly have their mouths and nostrils touched by humans.

The research team is hopeful that their findings will help protect pets, food sources, wildlife and people. The algorithm the team created can be modified to predict susceptibility to other viruses; there is also hope that the research will be used to help develop drugs to inhibit virus transmission.

Drs. Matthew Alexander, Clara Schoeder, Jacquelyn Brown, Charles Smart, Chris Moth, John Wikswo, John Capra, Jens Meiler, Wenbiao Chen and Meena Madhur determined that there as an intermediate risk for COVID-19 susceptibility in cows, sheep and goats; the most susceptible animal is the rhesus macaque.

Read the full study here.

7-Year-Old Whitmore Returns To Saratoga For ‘Tough’ Edition Of Alfred G. Vanderbilt

Six-time graded stakes-winner Whitmore will return to historic Saratoga Race Course for the first time since winning the 2018 Grade 1 Forego when the veteran son of Pleasantly Perfect looks to notch his third straight victory during his 2020 campaign in the Grade 1, $250,000 Alfred G. Vanderbilt on Saturday.

Owned by Robert LaPenta, Southern Springs Stables and Head of Plains Partners, Whitmore has been a model of consistency in a career that started with a debut win in the fall of 2015. The 7-year-old is 14-10-3 with earnings of more than $3.14 million in 34 starts for trainer Ron Moquett. He came to prominence on the 2016 Kentucky Derby trail, where he ran second in both the Grade 3 Southwest and the Grade 2 Rebel while finishing third in the Grade 1 Arkansas Derby before a 19th-place performance in that year's Run for the Roses.

As he's gotten older, Whitmore has earned repeated trips to the winners' circle and has come close on other occasions, such as his runner-up effort to Roy H in the 2018 Grade 1 Breeders' Cup Sprint, and third behind champion male sprinter Mitole and Shancelot in last year's Grade 1 Breeders' Cup Sprint at Santa Anita.

Whitmore enters the Vanderbilt off back-to-back wins in the Hot Springs [which he captured for the fourth consecutive time] and a three-quarter length score last out in the Grade 3 Count Fleet Sprint in April at Oaklawn Park. Moquett said the layoff's benefit could be more pronounced near the end of the campaign with what he hopes is another Breeders' Cup appearance, scheduled for November in Keeneland.

“I don't think it's as beneficial for this race as the rest of the year,” he said. “It'll show up that we gave him a breather around October or November. He's doing good, now. He looks happy.”

Competing at the Vanderbilt's six-furlong distance, Whitmore is 12-6-2 in 21 career starts, with his only off-the-board finish coming when eighth in the 2017 Grade 1 Breeders' Cup Sprint at Del Mar. He will carry the co-highweight of 123 pounds on Saturday.

“Options are limited for a sprinter in North America this year due to the COVID-19 and all the changes, so we're adjusting. We always wanted to compete in this race with him,” Moquett said.

Whitmore's 2018 Forego win featured him besting City of Light, who would come back to win the Breeders' Cup Dirt Mile and the Grade 1 Pegasus the following January.

“It was a great race and one my favorite races of all time,” Moquett said. “I'd really would like to win the Vanderbilt now. There's a ton of quality horses running in it, so it's going to be a tough, but fun, race.”

Joel Rosario, aboard during Whitmore's runner-up finish in the Grade 2 Phoenix in October at Keeneland, as well as his seventh-place effort in the Grade 1 Cigar Mile in December at Aqueduct Racetrack, will return to ride from post 2.

“I try to stick with familiarity with him as much as I can, and Joel is a quality rider,” Moquett said.

Mr. Amore Stable's Firenze Fire has four wins in his last five starts dating to November. Off a nearly four-month layoff, and with Kelly Breen taking over the training duties, the 5-year-old son of Poseidon's Warrior ran fourth in the Grade 1 Carter, a seven-furlong sprint on Belmont Park's main track on June 6, before roaring back three weeks later to win the Grade 2 True North on June 27.

After registering his 10th career stakes win, Firenze Fire, who ran fifth in last year's Breeders' Cup Sprint, will get another crack at the Vanderbilt after running fourth in last year's edition won by Imperial Hint. He will carry 122 pounds.

Irad Ortiz, Jr. has won his last three starts aboard the veteran with $1.93 million in earnings, having piloted him to the True North score as well a four-length win in the Grade 3 in February at Laurel Park and the Fabulous Strike in November at Penn National. He will exit from post 3 on Saturday.

“We got Irad back, everything is doing well,” Breen said. “We just need things to keep going smooth. I believe the distance will suit him really well. He's doing as well as he was into his last race.”

Volatile has shown the form that made him a big-priced purchase for the 2017 Keeneland September Yearling Sale, winning four of his first five career starts. Hall of Fame trainer Steve Asmussen saw the Violence colt win two of his three starts as a sophomore. After a 7 ½-length win against allowance company started his 4-year-old year on April 24 at Oaklawn, the $850,000 purchase was moved up to stakes company for the first time, where he dominated the six-horse field for an eight-length win in the Aristides at the Vanderbilt distance on June 6 at Churchill Downs, garnering a 112 Beyer Speed Figure.

Owned by Phoenix Thoroughbred Partners and Three Chimneys Farm, Volatile will make both his Saratoga and graded stakes debut, carrying 121 pounds from post 4 with Ricardo Santana, Jr. retaining the mount for the fifth straight start.

Red Oak Stable and Madaket Stables' Mind Control has the potential to post a Grade 1 win as both a juvenile, 3-year-old and now a 4-year-old if he can win the Vanderbilt for trainer Gregg Sacco.

Both of the Stay Thristy colt's Grade 1 scores have come at Saratoga, starting with the seven-furlong Hopeful in 2018 and last year when he edged Hog Creek Hustle by a nose in the H. Allen Jerkens on Runhappy Travers Day. After starting 2020 with back-to-back Grade 3 wins at Aqueduct in the Toboggan and Tom Fool, respectively, Mind Control returned off a three-month layoff to run sixth in the Grade 1 Runhappy Carter.

Sacco will ship him up from his base a Monmouth Park to the friendly confines of Saratoga. Drawing the outermost post 5 carrying the co-highweight of 123 pounds, Mind Control will look to reach a special accomplishments for his connections, including the Brunetti family and Sol Kumin.

“He's 2-for-2 there, so he does have an affinity for Saratoga and we're excited to get him back there and hope he performs well,” Sacco said. “To go for Grade 1 wins at 2, 3 and 4 would be special for him and our team and the Brunettis and Sol Kumin. It's very exciting to bring him back, but we expect a very tough race and we're just hoping Mind Control gives us his top performance.”

Hall of Famer and three-time Vanderbilt-winning jockey John Velazquez will be in the irons.

Calumet Farm's Lexitonian, winner of the 2019 Grade 3 Chick Lang at Pimlico, will be making his first Grade 1 appearance since running 10th in the 2019 Woody Stephens at Belmont.

Trained by Jack Sisterson, Lexitonian defeated optional claimers last out on May 29 at Churchill and will cut back from seven furlongs. The 4-year-old Speightstown colt will carry 116 pounds, drawing post 1 with Tyler Gaffalione aboard.

The 36th running of the Vanderbilt is slated as Race 10 on Saturday's 11-race card, which will also offer the Grade 2, $200,000 Ballston Spa for older fillies and mares on the turf in Race 3. First post is 1:10 p.m. Eastern. Saratoga Live will present daily television coverage of the 40-day summer meet on FOX Sports and MSG Networks. For the complete Saratoga Live broadcast schedule, and additional programming information, visit https://www.nyra.com/saratoga/racing/tv-schedule.

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