Jockey Whitehall hot out of the gates

Jockey Antonio Whitehall and trainer Steve Keplin Jr. exploded out of the starting gate in the first week of the live racing season, and now Whitehall is going to have some tough decisions to make.

The three-time leading rider won impressively aboard two three-year-olds this week, both of which could be headed for the Manitoba Derby. Whitehall won the sixth race on Tuesday by 4 ¼-lengths aboard former Santa Anita runner Classico for trainer Mike Nault, and won the third race on Wednesday just as impressively by six lengths aboard former Oaklawn Park runner Prime Suspect for Keplin.

Whitehall declined to comment on which horse was better — for obvious reasons — and both could take slightly different paths to the $125,000 Manitoba Derby on Monday, Aug. 3. This should be fun to watch, as both horses appear to be loaded with talent.

Make sure to watch the replays on both horses, but especially on Prime Suspect, who looked like he was shot out of a cannon at the top of the stretch. Pay special attention to his action and watch how his legs devour the ground in the stretch. Imagine an excavator propelling itself forward at 40 m.p.h.

Whitehall won four races, one more than Sven Balroop, and Javaniel Patterson won a pair to put himself into third in the early standings. Three riders scored single victories, including 2025 leading riders Damario Bynoe, Tyrone Nelson and Shavon Townsend.

“Awesome,” said Whitehall when asked about his fast start. “Never a better feeling than that. Got to be thankful when all the hard work pays off.”

A three-time leading rider at the Downs, Whitehall isn’t afraid of work, and he’s been getting on horses in the morning here since March 23.

“I like to come to work,” he said. “I get to know my horses, get to build a relationship with them, and see where they’re at.”

Whitehall won the last of his three titles here in 2023. Is another one in the works?

“Why not?” he said. “I’ll take it if it comes. I’m just going to stay humble, stay working hard, put the rest in God’s hands. I just want to say thank you to everyone for having faith and confidence in me and trusting me with their horses.”

But on the two stars he rode? “No comment,” Whitehall said.

Last year’s leading trainer Keplin also got off to a hot start, winning five of the 12 races on the week. Trainer Wendy Anderson won two races to be second in the standings, with single victories going to trainers Demetris Topouzis, Jerry Gourneau, Eugene Burns, Mike Nault and Chance Dales.

Keplin’s winners all ran to their sort prices, and once they kicked it in down the stretch, there was no stopping them. Five-time leading trainer Gourneau won the first race of the meeting — the Don Gray Memorial — and also crossed the finish line first in another race, but his horse was disqualified and placed second for drifting out late.

Keplin was happy and humble about his fast start.

“You’ve got dead fit horses in the right spots, and you get a little racing luck,” he said.

But he’s proven he’s better than that. Last year, he saddled 40 winners at 31 per cent clip.

The longest shot of the week was saddled by Topouzis, who is an assistant to new Vancouver arrival Rob Maybin. Topouzis saddled Stilettos Only ($30.20) to win the first race on Wednesday in a close photo, but, “I only bet her to show,” he said.

Not that he lacked confidence in the mare, he just wasn’t sure what he was up against.

“I opened up the Form and saw we were up against horses from Woodbine and Fonner Park,” Topouzis said. “The only thing I knew is that we were fit. Never missed a day of training. If the track was closed, we went to the Equicizer.”

The result of all that preparation was a horse ready to fire first out.

“Stella was all heart,” he added.

Topouzis is one of a number of new trainers here from Hastings Park. He’s been around horses all his life. He started walking hots when he was 10 and never stopped. His family won the Manitoba Derby here with Langara Island in 1995.

“He was the first family horse we ever got,” said Topouzis. “The next year we had 30 horses.”

As for life at Assiniboia Downs, he’s still warming up to the Winnipeg climate.

“I like the facilities, I like the people,” said Topouzis. “I hate the weather. I hear June is nice, and that’s about it.”

He’s willing to give it a chance, though. He’s a winner now.

winnipegfreepress.com/georgewilliams