Northwest Arkansas Democrat-Gazette
WHITMORE, C Z ROCKET set for another Oaklawn fight.
HOT SPRINGS — The Arkansas Derby has competition for top billing today at Oaklawn Racing Casino Resort.
That’s because local superstar Whitmore and his newest rival, California shipper C Z Rocket, are poised to steal the show. The two will face-off for a third time in a talent-packed field of seven in the Grade III, $500,000 Count Fleet Sprint Handicap for horses 4 years old and up.
Post time for the 6-furlong Count Fleet, the 11th of 13 races on the card, is scheduled for 6:05 p.m.
“I’ve noticed the chatter on social media, and I’ve heard people talk about it,” said Ron Moquett, 49, of Hot Springs, the trainer of Whitmore throughout a career that began in 2015. “I had a guy as I was walking to my house from the backstretch fence over there yell, ‘We’re rooting for Whitmore.’ ”
The $1 million Arkansas Derby will follow the Count Fleet at 6:41 p.m.
Stars will shine throughout the day at Oaklawn in races including the $400,000 Oaklawn Mile for horses 4 years old and up, and the $250,000, 6-furlong Carousel Stakes for fillies and mare 4 years old and up.
Oaklawn President Louis Cella did not hesitate to say which race interests him most.
“I’ll answer that,” Cella said. “If you like thoroughbred racing, you will get your fill watching any one of the races [today], but if Whitmore pulls it off at his home track, that would be as good as it gets.”
The Arkansas Derby has contended for attention with no other race at Oaklawn since the superstar matchups of the 1980s and 1990s in the 11/8-mile Oaklawn Handicap. Those winners included the elite of North American horses such as Temperence Hill, Snow Chief, Lost Code and Cigar. Today changes that.
Whitmore, an 8-year-old son of Pleasantly Perfect, reached his career peak last season as the 2020 Eclipse Award winner as champion male sprinter. His accomplishments were led in significance by wins in the Grade I Breeders’ Cup Sprint, the Count Fleet for the third time and his fourth consecutive win in Oaklawn’s Hot Springs Stakes.
Whitmore has starred at Oaklawn since his first start at the track in 2016. His overall stakes record at Oaklawn stands at 14 8-5-1.
Whitmore’s top win to date came by 31/4 lengths in 1:08.61 over Peter Miller-trained C Z Rocket at the Breeders’ Cup at Keeneland in Lexington, Ky., on Nov. 7.
A bit over four months later, C Z Rocket shipped from Southern California to beat Whitmore by a neck in 1:09.04 in Oaklawn’s 6-furlong Hot Springs Stakes on March 13.
C Z Rocket is back as the 2-1 second choice on the morning line, but Whitmore — at 9-5 — and the other six horses in the field are ready, Moquett said.
“Every horse in the field is a legitimate horse,” he said. “This race is as good as you want to see, at least on paper, but Whitmore is right where we want him to be.”
Among the other five in the field are Empire of Gold, who finished fourth behind Whitmore and C Z Rocket in the Breeders’ Cup Sprint. Strike Power, a 6-year-old son of Speightstown from the barn of trainer Steve Asmussen, won an optional-claiming 6-furlong race against six others at Oaklawn in 1:08.91 on March 11. Tom Amoss trains No Parole, a 4-year-old son of Violence and the 9-2 morning-line third-choice.
Miller, 54, flew into Hot Springs on Friday for his first trip to Oaklawn.
“I’m looking forward to experiencing it,” he said. “I hear what a great place it is, how nice everyone is, and all that, but I have never experienced it.”
Since Miller’s start as trainer for C Z Rocket, the 7-yearold son of City Zip has won six of seven starts. Miller said C Z Rocket had a bleeding issue that has since been eliminated.
“We got him to stop bleeding, and he’s really run well for us since,” Miller said.
Miller said he understands the meaningfulness of the Count Fleet.
“I’m starting to get the idea that it’s a really cool kind of rivalry going with C Z Rocket and Whitmore,” Miller said. “[The Hot Springs] was one hell of a race, and I think this will probably be another one.”
Ricardo Santana Jr. is listed to ride Whitmore. Florent Geroux, as he was in the Hot Springs, is expected to ride C Z Rocket.
Cella said he can’t wait for the rematch, particularly after the 11 days of training missed by Oaklawn horses to record snowfall in February.
“It’s the rubber match,” Cella said. “You have Whitmore, who lost the training, whereas the other horses did not. He’s going to be as fit as Ron Moquett can get him. He’ll be in top shape, and it’s going to be one hell of a race.”