Whitmore Stakes

The Whitmore Stakes is an American Thoroughbred horse race run annually at Oaklawn Park in Hot Springs, Arkansas. A race for horses age four and older, it is contested on dirt over a distance of 6 furlongs. From its inception in 1944 until 2021, the race was known as the Hot Springs Stakes.

Whitmore Stakes
Listed stakes race
LocationOaklawn Park,
Hot Springs, Arkansas,
United States
Inaugurated1944
Race typeThoroughbred - Flat racing
WebsiteOaklawn.com
Race information
Distance6 furlongs (3/4 mile)
SurfaceDirt
Trackleft-handed
QualificationFour-year-olds and up
Purse$200,000 (2022)

Historical notes

The February 28, 1944 inaugural running of the Hot Springs Stakes at six furlongs was run on a heavy track. The race was won by Momo Flag, owned and trained by Adelard Lamoureux.[1] [2] On November 15, 1944, Momo Flag showed he was far more than just a sprinter when he won the Exterminator Handicap at Pimlico Race Course over the marathon distance of two miles and 70 yards. Remarkably, after that gruelling distance to the finish line, Momo Flag only beat Miss Ruth McClanaghan's Harford by a nose.[3]

Wilbur M. Giles' gelding E J Harley won the race in three consecutive years (1998, 1999, 2000).[1] The 2014 winner Work All Week went on to win that year's Breeders' Cup Sprint and would be voted American Champion Sprint Horse.[4][5]

In September 2021, Oaklawn Park announced that the Hot Springs Stakes would be renamed after retired thoroughbred sprinter Whitmore.[6] Owned by the partnership group of Robert LaPenta, trainer Ron Moquett and Head of Plains Partners, Whitmore broke E J Harley's record with four consecutive Hot Springs Stakes wins between 2017 and 2020.[1]

References
  1. "Oaklawn 2020 Media Guide". Oaklawn Racing Casino Resort. 2020-08-10. Retrieved 2020-08-10.
  2. "Race Entries and Results - Oaklawn Park". Troy Record. 1944-03-01. Retrieved 2021-01-19.
  3. "Momo Flag Wins By Nose At Pimlico". The Courier-Journal, page 22. 1944-11-16. Retrieved 2021-01-19.
  4. "Event By Year". Breederscup.com. Retrieved June 2, 2012.
  5. "Eclipse Awards". NTRA. 2021-01-03. Retrieved 2021-01-03.
  6. Rampellini, Mary (8 September 2021). "Champion Whitmore to be honored by Oaklawn". Daily Racing Form. Retrieved 8 September 2021.


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