A familiar face will be leading the post parade Saturday for the GIII Whitmore S.–the race's namesake. Oaklawn announced in early September that Mar. 19 would be christened as 'Whitmore Day,' renamed the Hot Springs S. after the gelding, and even renamed his longtime home at the track, formerly the Count Fleet barn, after him.
Saturday's script calls for Whitmore to follow the field from the barn area to the track, then head into the horseshoe-shaped hedge infield winner's circle, traditionally used for stakes contests, as the horses are being saddled in the paddock. Whitmore, ridden by Laura Moquett, will then lead the post parade for the Whitmore S.
“I'm running horses that day and none of them are Whitmore, but at least I get to lead him over and all that,” said trainer Ron Moquett. “That's the thing. That's what this sport is about. I don't care if anybody knows me, but I'm so humbled that they know him.”
Fans attending Saturday will receive commemorative Whitmore baseball cards as they enter, and free Whitmore T-shirts, all while supplies last, can be redeemed on the north end of the first floor following the second race.
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