Whitmore Racing in the Right Direction

Does anyone remember the name Whitmore? I do. I believed this gelded son of Pleasantly Perfect could be a major threat in the 2016 Kentucky Derby, but boy was I wrong. Whitmore finished 19th in the 2016 Kentucky Derby, beaten by 37 ¼ lengths by winner Nyquist.

However, don’t let that 19th place finish make you think this horse is a lemon. Whitmore has raced nine times, relatively lightly for a horse entering his third season on the track. In those nine starts, his only other off the board finish was a fifth in the 2016 Delta Downs Jackpot, which could have been due to the sloppy conditions. Seven of Whitmore’s races have seen him finish in the top three, with four of those seven being winning efforts.

“The only route races he has ran have been against graded...He is a very versatile horse, but I like him sprinting,” trainer Ron Moquett commented.

Whitmore is a son of Pleasantly Perfect, who won the 2003 Breeders’ Cup Classic and the 2004 Dubai World Cup. In addition, the stallion also won the 2004 Pacific Classic. So one would think this gelded son of the Classic winner could extend himself two turns. Not quite.

Whitmore has won four times, none of which has come at distances further than six and one half furlongs. He has won those four races by a combined 14 ¾ lengths. While Whitmore has placed in races up to nine furlongs, he has never won any.

“The question now is, can he defeat graded [company] at six furlongs,” commented Moquett.

Pleasantly Perfect, sire of Whitmore, was sold in 2014 to stand in Turkey. Before his exportation, the stallion sired Breeders’ Cup Filly & Mare Turf winner Shared Account, and stakes winners Cozie Rosie and Nonios. Additionally, he sired Rapid Redux, a gelding who strung together 22 wins from 2010-2012.

Turf could be a possibility for Whitmore, but Moquett seems to think the gelding is content on the dirt and will likely not change what seems to be working.

“He is actually pretty well bred for the turf, but I won’t go doing too much, as long as he is consistent on the dirt,” Moquett confessed.

Whitmore is out of Melody’s Spirit, a daughter of Scat Daddy. Scat Daddy is a young broodmare sire who died in 2015 at a young age of 11.

The pedigree behind Whitmore also includes inbreeding to Raise a Native (5S X 5D), Mr. Prospector (4D X 5D), Storm Cat (4D X 5D), Yarn (4D X 5D). Influences of Seattle Slew, Forty Niner, Ogygian, Ribot, and the Bold Reason branch of the Bold Ruler sire line.

As for possibilities for Whitmore, they are endless. Ron Moquett is perfectly capable of training a top racehorse. Ron Moquett won the Grade 1 Stephen Foster Handicap with Seek Gold in 2006, the 2015 Southwest Stakes with Far Right, and placed in 2013 Breeders’ Cup Sprint with Gentleman’s Bet.

“He is filling out nicely and mentally, he is putting it all together.” The next stops for the Moquett barn include Kentucky and New York.