White Abarrio Breezes; G3 Mr. Prospector Next

Thursday’s Rainbow 6 Jackpot Pool Estimated at $350,000
Edgard Zayas Notches Four-Win Day at Gulfstream

HALLANDALE BEACH, FL – White Abarrio, the 2023 Breeders’ Cup Classic (G1) winner, breezed at Gulfstream Park Sunday for the first time since making an eye-catching return from a 5 ½-month layoff last month. The 5-year-old son of Race Day breezed three furlongs in 37 seconds with the $3 million Pegasus World Cup Invitational (G1) Jan. 25 at Gulfstream being the primary goal.

White Abarrio, who returned to trainer Saffie Joseph Jr.’s barn after back-to-back off-the-board finishes in the Saudi Cup (G1) and Met Mile (G1), became a prime candidate for the 1 1/8-mile Pegasus with his dominating comeback victory Nov. 22. He stalked the early pace before drawing clear by 10 ¼ lengths in a seven-furlong optional claiming allowance.

Although the Dec. 21 Harlan’s Holiday (G3), a 1 1/16 stakes for 3-year-olds and up, was being targeted as a prep for the Pegasus, Joseph has decided to bring White Abarrio back in the Mr. Prospector (G3), a seven-furlong stakes Dec. 28.

“That kind of brought him back in form last year – the [seven-furlong] allowance and the [one-turn] Met Mile,” Joseph said. “It’s a similar thing. Two one-turn races back into a two-turn race. It worked last year.”

White Abarrio won the 1 1/8-mile Whitney (G1) and 1 ¼-mile Classic for trainer Richard Dutrow off a pair of one-turn races.

White Abarrio, who is owned by C2 Racing Stable LLC, Prince Faisal bin Khaled bin Abdulaziz Al-Saud, and Antonio Pagnano, has a history of big-race success at Gulfstream, where Joseph saddled him for a victory in the $1 million Curlin Florida Derby (G1) in 2022.

Also on Sunday’s worktab at Gulfstream: West Point Thoroughbreds and Jimmy Kahig Inc.’s Cugino tuned up for a scheduled start in next Saturday’s $140,000 Tropical Park Derby (G1), a 1 1/16-mile stakes for 3-year-olds on turf, while breezing a half-mile in 47.97 seconds, the third fastest clocking of 63 recorded at the distance. Shug McGaughey-trained Cugino is coming off a third-place finish in the Hill Prince (G3) at Aqueduct.

Thursday’s Rainbow 6 Jackpot Pool Estimated at $350,000

The 20-cent Rainbow 6 Jackpot Pool is expected to grow to an estimated $350,000 Thursday at Gulfstream Park, where the popular multi-race wager went unsolved Sunday for the eighth racing day following a Nov. 24 mandatory payout.

The Rainbow 6 carryover pool is only paid out when there is a single unique ticket sold with all six winners. On days when there is no unique ticket, 70 percent of that day’s pool usually goes back to those bettors holding tickets with the most winners, while 30 percent is carried over to the jackpot pool. On mandatory-payout days, the entire Rainbow 6 jackpot pool is paid out to the bettor or bettors with the most winners in the wager’s six-race sequence.

Who’s Hot: Edgard Zayas continued his solid start of the Championship Meet Sunday while riding four winners, scoring aboard Light the Torch ($13.80) in Race 4, Woke Up Quick ($3.40) in Race 6, Forward Deployed ($26.20) in Race 7, and Portofino ($8.40) in Race 10.