OAKLAWN BC Sprint gets reprise in Hot Springs

HOT SPRINGS, Ark. – It’s March madness!

There’s a Breeders’ Cup Sprint rematch on Saturday at Oaklawn Park, where champion Whitmore faces C Z Rocket in the $200,000 Hot Springs.

The horses finished a respective first and second in the BC Sprint in November at Keeneland and are renewing their rivalry in their seasonal debuts. Whitmore is based here, while C Z Rocket was a regular at the meet a year ago.

“Good horses come from Oaklawn,” said Ron Moquett, who co-owns and trains Whitmore. “Here’s a $200,000 race, and the last time we saw that horse was in a $2 million race. This is a listed stakes, and the last one was a Grade 1 that decided the championship.”

Whitmore, who has won the last four runnings of the Hot Springs, will break from post 6 under Ricardo Santana Jr. C Z Rocket starts from post 7, under Florent Geroux.

“It’s an exciting start to the year for both horses,” said Peter Miller, who trains C Z Rocket. “Good on Oaklawn for having the one-two finishers in the Breeders’ Cup Sprint starting off the spring season.”

The race Saturday will be run over the same six-furlong distance of the BC Sprint. The seven-horse field includes multiple stakes winners Flagstaff, Boldor, and Mr. Jagermeister.

Whitmore for years has been as much a beloved part of the Oaklawn scene as large crowds and corned-beef sandwiches. He has wintered at the track since he was 3, and when he launches his 8-year-old season Saturday it will be with a new title: champion. Whitmore, a gelding, earned it after winning the BC Sprint – in his fourth attempt – by 3 1/4 lengths.

“I’m very proud of him,” Moquett said. “He’s a horse that tries every time. We’d been close – second, third against these champions – and I’m happy for the horse to be able to do it. I love the fact that he was able to do something late in his career.”

Whitmore has been prepping for his return at Oaklawn, which lost 11 days of training from Feb. 12-21 due to a winter storm system.

“We were in the barn for a long time, and that’s something that’s never happened before another Hot Springs,” Moquett said. “I’m kind of curious of how much missing those two works cost. I would rather him run and get what he can get out of the race than I would working four or five times.”

C Z Rocket comes off a season in which he won last year’s Grade 2 Pat O’Brien at Del Mar and the Grade 2 Santa Anita Sprint Championship. The record made him one of the top choices in the BC Sprint.

“We were disappointed with the trip he got in the Breeders’ Cup,” Miller said. “He actually ran a lot farther than he got beat. We felt like he could have won that day.”

C Z Rocket has since been freshened.

“We backed off him and gave him an easy 30 days at the barn, and where I train, San Luis Rey, is somewhat like a farm,” Miller said. “It’s very quiet.

“This is really just kind of a jumping-off point,” Miller said. “This isn’t the end game. He’s 0 for 4 at Oaklawn. We think there’s some excuses, off tracks, route races, things like that. We’re hoping he runs well. We think he’s ready to run well.

“Whitmore’s obviously a great horse. We have tons of respect for the horse and his connections, and you know, we hope to see him again at Del Mar in November.”

But first, it’s Oaklawn in March.

BARBARA D. LIVINGSTON Whitmore wins the BC Sprint in his fourth attempt last fall at Keeneland. He tries for his fifth straight win in the Hot Springs.