Eight take shot at Whitmore

HOT SPRINGS – No matter the distance, Whitmore has always been a contender in his 10-race career.

Last season as a 3-yearold, Whitmore finished third in the Arkansas Derby and second in both the Southwest and Rebel – all of which are graded stakes races around two turns.

But after a disappointing 19th-place finish in the Kentucky Derby, Whitmore has been placed in sprints.

He’s 3 for 3 sprinting since December.

“I have a lot of confidence,” Whitmore trainer Ron Mo- quett said. “I just want a good trip. That’s all I want.”

A good trip may be all Whitmore needs in today’s Count Fleet Handicap, a 6-furlong sprint for older horses. Whitmore is the 4-5 morning-line favorite.

“Whitmore – it’s going to take an awful good horse to beat him,” said Randy Morse, who trains Black Bear. “It’s probably going to take an off day by him and our best day. But when you line them up, you never know. We’re taking a chance that we can do it.”

A field of nine is entered for the 44th running of the event, a Grade III race with a purse of $400,000.

Moe Candy (3-1), trained by Southern California-based John Sadler, who won Friday’s Apple Blossom with Stellar Wind, and Holy Boss (5-1), trained by Steve Asmussen, who won Friday’s Fantasy Stakes with Ever So Clever, are listed as the top two challengers to Whitmore.

Moe Candy, who had won three consecutive 6-furlong races before placing second in the $200,000 Palos Verdes Handicap at Santa Anita on Feb. 4, will be making his first start outside of California.

Moe Candy, a lightly raced 5-year-old, has never finished worse than third in seven career races.

“He runs very good Rag numbers,” Sadler said, referring to the Ragozin rating service. “(He’s a) very fast horse.”

Holy Boss finished fourth to Whitmore in his last outing, the $125,000 Hot Springs Stakes on March 1. Holy Boss has won two of his four races over the Oaklawn track and is a five-time winner in 6-furlong races in 14 attempts.

Black Bear, who is 15-1 in the morning line, has also found success in Oaklawn sprint races. The 7-year-old has been in the money in 6 of his 7 Oaklawn races and he has logged six victories in 11 chances at the 6-furlong distance.

“He’s a very hard-working horse,” Morse said. “He’s one of those horses you would like to have a barn full of. … He always shows up.”