The race was won by Momo Flag, owned and trained by Adelard Lamoureux and ridden by Cuban jockey Jorge Alfonso.
[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 grueling distance to the finish line, Momo Flag only beat Miss Ruth McClanaghan's Harford by a nose.
[3] The following year the event was run in early December as the Hot Springs Handicap for two-year-olds over a distance of one mile and seventy yards.
The event was scheduled earlier in the Oaklawn Park season and it became a preparatory race for the Arkansas Derby.
[9] In 1965 Earl Allen's Swift Ruler would also win the Hot Springs Handicap,[10] the Rebel Stakes (introduced for three-year-olds in 1961) and the Arkansas Derby.
[5] In 1967 Dr. Keith Knapp's Roman K. set a new track record for the six furlongs distance of 1:09 flat defeating seven other three-year-olds.
[16] 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.