Count Fleet a showcase for Whitmore’s sprint talent

Whitmore was a capable 3-year-old two-turn horse last year at Oaklawn Park, finishing third in the Arkansas Derby. This year at Oaklawn, Whitmore has burst forth as the leading sprinter on the grounds – if not in the country.

Whitmore won a January allowance race by 2 3/4 lengths and a strong edition of the $125,000 Hot Springs Stakes on March 11 by six lengths, and so dominant were those two performances that Whitmore is the 4-5 morning-line favorite among nine horses entered in the Grade 3, $400,000 Count Fleet Sprint Handicap on Saturday. Whitmore is highweighted at 122 pounds and gives his rivals four to nine pounds while racing six furlongs.

If Whitmore duplicates his Hot Springs performance, a visually striking showing that produced a 104 Beyer Speed Figure, the extra weight should make no difference. But trainer Ron Moquett said he isn’t looking past Saturday’s race.

“The name of my barn at Oaklawn is the Count Fleet, all right? So, this is a big race for me,” said Moquett.

Whitmore is a gelded son of Pleasantly Perfect and is perfect in races run around a single bend. Some consider him an Oaklawn specialist, but among Whitmore’s 5-for-5 sprint record are easy wins at Churchill and Aqueduct. Whitmore in his route races last year dropped far behind the early leaders, but he has plenty of speed and is tactically versatile. In his Oaklawn allowance win, he contested a strong pace and still got his last two furlongs in 12.14 seconds and 11.98, fast times coming home. And after bulling between horses in upper stretch of the Hot Springs, Whitmore zipped through two furlongs in 11.58 and 12.04.

“He’s got a whole lot of stay in him going short,” said Moquett, who believes Whitmore is coming into the Count Fleet an even stronger horse than he was last month.

Whitmore, who will have Ricardo Santana in the irons, will be too short a win price for anyone other than the most dedicated chalk players, but bettors might squeeze value out of exotic wagers.

Moe Candy is the 3-1 morning-line second choice but appears to have no decided edge on some longer-priced entrants. In from California for trainer John Sadler, Moe Candy won three races in a row before finishing second to St. Joe Bay while making his stakes debut in the Grade 2 Palos Verdes at Santa Anita. But there were only four horses in that race, and as he has done in previous starts, Moe Candy, after a good run around the turn, failed to change leads and lost momentum in the final furlong.

“He’s kind of a tough horse to make switch leads in the afternoon, but he does it in the morning,” Sadler said.

Holy Boss broke from the rail and got into a speed duel before fading to fourth in the Hot Springs, but he has a better outside draw Saturday and is capable of a much better performance. There are other pace players in the Count Fleet, however, and Wabel looks like an interesting proposition to run into the exacta.

In a March 23 allowance win at Oaklawn, Wabel rallied from last of seven, going his final two furlongs in 11.51 and 12.18 following a fast second quartermile in 22.77.

“He’s a talented horse, but he’s just kind of weird,” said trainer Brad Cox. “Just when you think you’ve figured him out, he changes things up with the way he runs. He’s doing great right now. He comes off a huge number. I just hope this is enough time.”

Warrior’s Club in Northern Spur

Warrior’s Club didn’t enjoy going toe to toe with divisional heavyweights, but he should hit hard in the $150,000 Northern Spur on Saturday.

For 3-year-olds at 1 1/16 miles, the Northern Spur is a less-lucrative and less-challenging

alternative for sophomores who aren’t quite up to Arkansas Derby snuff – horses like Warrior’s Club.

Fourth in the Smarty Jones and 11th in the Southwest, Warrior’s Club turned class relief into a solid first-level allowance victory March 18 at Oaklawn. Warrior’s Club had reached a similar level in several previous starts and should be able to repeat a performance that would make him a major Northern Spur player.

John Sadler, who is 4-0-1-0 with Oaklawn shippers over the last five years, sends out 2-1 morning-line favorite Cistron, whose best form has come on turf.

“He’s a nice horse that has trained well on dirt, and I think he can handle it,” Sadler said. “We’re there to see if we have more options than grass.”

Cistron has drawn the rail, and since he has speed and is not used to taking kickback, he figures to go for the lead under Tyler Baze. There are other pace factors, however, and Cistron seems worth trying to beat. Balandeen and Total Tap, also-rans March 26 in the Sunland Derby, are worth a second look.