Maybe this will work out well, after all, for White Abarrio and jockey Irad Ortiz, Jr.
Nearly five months after Ortiz was briefly aboard White Abarrio’s back after being unseated from his own horse, Mindframe, in the Jockey Club Gold Cup (G1), the nation’s top rider will be aboard the 7-year-old gray horse from the start in the Pegasus World Cup (G1).
A winning combination? It’s happened before. With Ortiz aboard rather than his brother Jose Ortiz (the horse’s rider in nine of his last 10 starts), White Abarrio won the 2023 Whitney Stakes (G1) and Breeders’ Cup Classic (G1).
White Abarrio is one battle-tested warrior. He won the Pegasus World Cup a year ago (with Jose aboard) and has earned more than $7.1 million with 10 victories from 24 career races.
However, it’s been a hectic few months for White Abarrio. He was heavily impeded in the bumping that took place in the Jockey Club Gold Cup with Edgard Zayas aboard, but managed to finish fifth. And then, as if to add insult to injury, he was scratched out of the Breeders’ Cup Dirt Mile (G1) on Nov. 1 just minutes before the race by track veterinarians.
Since then, Florida-based trainer Saffie Joseph, Jr., who also will send out Skippylongstocking in Saturday’s race, has worked hard to get White Abarrio back in winning form. He’s worked five times at Gulfstream since, most recently working 4 furlongs in a leisurely 51.86 on Jan. 18. A week earlier, he put in a 4-furlong work in a sizzling 48.88.
“He never stopped training. It isn't like it's a layoff,’’ Joseph said. “It's not ideal to come into a race like this without running in five months, but we do know he runs well fresh.”
White Abarrio can win or finish somewhere in the middle of the pack, but at 4-1 and with Irad Ortiz, Jr. in the irons, wouldn’t it be cool to see this striking nearly-white trooper cross the finish line first? A top Pegasus contender.
Notes: There’s a backstory, too. White Abarrio was trained by Joseph from the start, but was moved to Rick Dutrow, Jr. (who had been recently reinstated after a 10-year suspension) from May 2023 until June 2024. During that time, White Abarrio won the 2023 Whitney Stakes and BC Classic (with Irad aboard), but after running 10th in the 2024 Saudi Cup (G1) and fifth in the Met Mile (G1), the owners transferred him back to Joseph.
Richard Rosenblatt is an award-winning journalist and former Associated Press Horse Racing Editor. Currently, he serves as the news editor at US Racing, overseeing exclusive content from contributors worldwide.
