White Abarrio
Sunday dawned emotionally overcast for a racing world still trying to process Saturday's stunning, life-ending injury to the unbeaten New York-bred filly Maple Leaf Mel (Cross Traffic), who was steps from victory in the GI Test S. at Saratoga when she crashed to the track with a catastrophic injury to her right foreleg. She was euthanized on the spot, while jockey Joel Rosario escaped serious injury (three lip stitches) and was off his Sunday mounts. The very public, deep-stretch tragedy on a huge day of racing is comparable to the...
C Two Racing Stable and Antonio Pagnano's White Abarrio (Race Day), a 6 1/4-length winner in Saturday's GI Whitney S. at Saratoga, exited his victory in good order, according to trainer by Rick Dutrow, Jr. Sunday morning. "I don't know if it's sunk in yet," said Dutrow, Jr. who celebrated his 64th birthday Saturday. "I kept anticipating another horse to come challenge him. I felt extremely comfortable when he broke good and was laying off the speed horse--I felt any time that he wanted him, he could have him. I...
Welcome back, Babe. Trainer Rick Dutrow, Jr., on the sidelines for more than 10 years after having his license suspended by New York State racing regulators, enjoyed by far his biggest win since returning in the spring courtesy of White Abarrio (Race Day), a jaw-dropping 6 1/4-length, stalk-and-pounce winner of Saturday's 'Win and You're In' GI Whitney S. at Saratoga. Zandon (Upstart) completed the exacta while the heavily favored Cody's Wish (Curlin), looking for his first career win beyond one mile while drawn widest of all in post six, had...
Richard E. Dutrow, Jr., who in February regained his license to train horses in New York after sitting out a 10-year revocation imposed by the New York State Gaming Commission (NYSGC), is on the agenda for the Kentucky Horse Racing Commission (KHRC)'s license review committee meeting on Tuesday to try and regain his license in that state. The 63-year-old GI Kentucky Derby-winning trainer with the long and controversial history of racing infractions has a 1-1-1 record from three starts at Belmont Park since rebooting his career with fresh stock May...
White Abarrio (Race Day) has been taken away from trainer Saffie Joseph Jr. after his suspension by Churchill Downs during a week when two of his horses died from unexplained causes at the Louisville track, according to a Tweet posted by White Abarrio's owners, C2 Racing Stable. He was scheduled to arrive at his new trainer Rick Dutrow's barn at Belmont on Tuesday. Parents Pride (Maclean's Music) and Chasing Artie (We Miss Artie), both owned by Ken Ramsey and trained by Joseph, collapsed and died April 29 and May 2, respectively. Parents...
Tenacious to the end, Red Oak Stable and Madaket Stable's Mind Control (Stay Thirsty) closed out his career with a win in the 2022 GI Cigar Mile, his third Grade I win and his 11th black-type victory. In a remarkable 29 starts over five years, Mind Control amassed total winnings of $2,185,834. In that race, as in all of Mind Control's stakes wins, he beat an impressive field of competitors, including favored Zandon, White Abarrio, and Get Her Number. Big numbers, indeed. Numbers, as it turns out, will also be...
The catalog for the Ocala Breeders' Sales Company's March Sale of 2-Year-Olds in Training is now available at the OBS website at www.obssales.com. The 2023 iteration of the March Sale has been lengthened to three days and will take place Monday through Wednesday, Mar. 20-22, with sessions beginning at 11 a.m. daily. Hips 1-278 will be offered Mar. 20, Hips 279-566 on Mar. 21 and hips 567 through 833 on Mar. 22. Under-tack previews will take place over the course of four days, Mar. 14 (hips 1-208), Mar. 15 (209-416),...
Bruce Lunsford homebred Art Collector (Bernardini) sat the trip beneath Junior Alvarado and sprung a 15-1 upset in Saturday's $3-million GI Pegasus World Cup Invitational S. at Gulfstream. California invader Defunded (Dialed In), winner of last fall's GI Awesome Again S. and off as the 5-2 second choice, was 4 1/2 lengths back in second. Pacesetter Stilleto Boy (Shackleford) stayed on for third, the same position he filled in last year's renewal. Alvarado, who rode the Bill Mott-trained Olympiad (Speightstown) to four graded-stakes victories and a runner-up finish behind Flightline...
Gold Square LLC's MGISW Cyberknife (Gun Runner), last seen finishing a narrow second to Cody's Wish (Curlin) in the GI Big Ass Fans Breeders' Cup Dirt Mile, is scheduled to make the final start of his racing career Saturday at Gulfstream Park as the 5-2 morning-line favorite for the GI Pegasus World Cup Invitational. The Pegasus World Cup will headline a 13-race program also featuring the GI Pegasus World Cup Turf Invitational, the GIII TAA Pegasus World Cup Filly & Mare Turf, and four other graded-stakes races totaling $5.3 million...
C2 Racing Stable LLC and La Milagrosa Stable LLC's White Abarrio (Race Day) tuned up for his expected next start in the Jan. 28 GI Pegasus World Cup Invitational S. with a five-furlong move over the Gulfstream Park main track Friday morning that was timed in :59.24. "It was a good solid work. Tyler [Gaffalione] was on him this morning. He was in good order, finished well," said trainer Saffie Joseph, Jr. "He had a good gallop-out. We're pleased with where we're at. Things have gone well so far. We...
Cyberknife (Gun Runner) and two-time defending champion Colonel Liam (Liam's Map) top the invitational lists for the $3 million GI Pegasus World Cup Invitational and the $1 million GI Pegasus World Cup Turf Invitational respectively. The seventh running of the Pegasus World Cup, a 1 1/8-mile stakes for 4-year-olds and up, will be featured Jan. 28 at Gulfstream Park along with the $1 million Pegasus World Cup Turf Invitational, a 1 1/8-mile stakes for 4-year-olds and up, and the GIII Pegasus World Cup Filly & Mare Turf, a 1 1/16-mile...
Red Oak Stable and Madaket Stable's Mind Control (Stay Thirsty), who has competed in 27 stakes since his debut in 2018, closed out his career in style Saturday, scoring his 11th black-type victory and third at the highest level in Aqueduct's GI Cigar Mile. With GI Pennsylvania Derby runner-up Zandon (Upstart) bet down to 3-5, Mind Control was dispatched as the 3-1 second choice, a gift to his faithful fans in his career finale. Away quickest of all, the bay was outrun by 58-1 shot Outlier (Not This Time) and...