White Abarrio Breezes Five Furlongs for G3 Mr. Prospector

Meets Calif. Vet Requirement on Road to G1 Pegasus World Cup

HALLANDALE BEACH, FL – White Abarrio breezed five furlongs in 1:00.35 Thursday at Gulfstream Park in preparation for a planned start in the $150,000 Mr. Prospector (G3) Dec. 27 as a steppingstone to the $3 million Pegasus World Cup Invitational (G1) Jan. 24.

It was the second workout for the multiple Grade 1 stakes-winning star since being a veterinarian scratch from the Nov. 1 Breeders’ Cup Dirt Mile (G1) at Santa Anita.

“Today was his work for the vet’s list. He had to work five-eighths. He worked five-eighths. He came back well. He jogged off sound,” trainer Saffie Joseph Jr. said. “They pulled his blood and we have to wait for the blood to come back to be cleared. So that was a big hurdle today that he had to get through.”

The 6-year-old son of Race Day was sent to the racetrack shortly after 9 a.m. following the renovation break to work in company. Ridden by Irad Ortiz Jr., the Saffie Joseph Jr. trainee worked outside an unraced 2-year-old Munnings colt before finishing a few lengths clear at the finish line and galloping out six furlongs. His workmate was credited with a half-mile in 47.66 seconds, the fastest of 11 recorded at the distance.

“Ideally, we didn’t want to go five-eighths today, but California requires you to go five-eighths. If I wasn’t training him to get off the vets list, he wouldn’t have gone five-eighths. He probably would have worked three-eighths,” said Joseph, who worked White Abarrio an easy three furlongs Nov. 23. “We didn’t want to take the chance to wait until next week to work him five-eighths, because we have to wait for information on the blood to come back. With the holidays, the blood might not come back (in time). So, our schedule was kind of forced to work five eighths, because that’s the requirement. We got through that hurdle, so we’re trying to go forward from here now.”

C2 Racing Stable LLC, Gary Barber and La Milagrosa Stable LLC’s White Abarrio, whose greatest achievements have all been around two turns, finished a late-closing second in last season’s seven-furlong Mr. Prospector prior to his 6 ¼-length victory in the 1 1/8-mile Pegasus World Cup Invitational, which will celebrate it’s 10th anniversary Jan. 24.

White Abarrio, who has earned $7.1 million in purses-won, most recently raced in the Jockey Club Gold Cup (G1) at Saratoga Aug. 31, when he finished fifth after being bumped by a rival, nearly unseating Ortiz, and was placed fourth.

In addition to winning the Pegasus World Cup, White Abarrio has provided his trainer with three other career-boosting Grade 1 victories in the $1 million Curlin Florida Derby in 2022 at Gulfstream, the 2023 Whitney at Saratoga and the 2023 Breeders’ Cup Classic at Santa Anita.