Bob’s Edge piloted by Luis Quinonez weaves through the field from last to victory. (Coady Photography)
HOT SPRINGS, Ark.– It was a beautiful Spring’s Eve at Oaklawn Park as a crowd of 37,500 watched Whitmore parade under his regular exercise rider Laura Moquett wife of his trainer Ron Moquett.
The fans were also treated to an exciting race as the tenacious Bob’s Edge wove his way through a field of nine to take the inaugural $200,000 Whitmore Stakes (G3).
In the Whitmore, 5-2 favorite Hollis, who earlier in the meet set a track record, grabbed the early lead and proceeded to set the pace of :21 4/5 and :45 for the first half mile. Bob’s Edge was swung five wide by jockey Luis Quinonez turning for home and he quickly took control through the stretch to finish one length in front of late running Tulane Tryst in 1:09 2/5 for six furlongs over a fast track. Greeley and Ben edged Hollis by a neck for third.
Bob’s Edge, a 4-year-old Competitive Edge gelding trained by Larry Jones, won Oaklawn’s $150,000 King Cotton Stakes for owners Michael and Patricia Freeny and Jennifer Grayson Taylor last month. Saturday he scored his first career graded stakes and improved his career record to 6-1-4 in 13 starts and he has earned $516,428. He returned $7.60, $3.80 and $3 as the 5-2 second choice.
“I think Bob is getting smart on us. He’s figured out it’s better to run a quarter mile than it is five-eighths. So, he just waits until the quarter-pole and says, ‘Here I come.’ We thought he would be behind that first tier, but he just kind of sat back today and waited. We’ve learned with Bob, don’t hustle him,” Larry Jones commented.
The Whitmore Stakes, formerly the Hot Springs Stakes, is named in honor of the 2020 Champion Sprinter and seven-time Oaklawn stakes winner Whitmore, who won the Hot Springs four times. Whitmore, who was retired last August, made a special appearance on the track and led the post parade for the race.
Live racing resumes Sunday with a 1 p.m. first post.
Whitmore Quotes:
Trainer Cherie DeVaux, second with Tulane Tryst: “There was a lot going on in front of him and he was quite wide, so Brian (Hernandez Jr.) tried to get a clear path. Really pleased with him. It’s a step up. It was really a tough bunch of horses. He ran one time in stakes company and it was not as good of a result. He’s doing so well and just improving each start. Can’t be disappointed.”
Jockey David Cabrera, third on Greeley and Ben: “He broke sharper than what I expected, and I thought he would sitting a little bit off of it. But he broke so well, and I’ve seen him run big races on the lead, so I just kind of let him run. He kept digging back in, but those other horses kept coming.”
Trainer Johnny Ortiz, favorite Hollis, fourth: “It was a great trip. He broke sharper than I thought he would. I thought we were going to have a little bit more speed in front of us, but he sat right where he needed to be. I thought we were the winner turning for home. I thought we still had a shot in the last sixteenth. I think the distance is just a little bit too far, but he’s going to get it eventually.
By Robert Yated (Edited)
