White Abarrio Puts in Final Breeze Ahead of $3M Pegasus (G1)

G1-Placed Ferocious Preps Thursday for Sophomore Debut
Million Dollar Estimates for Pegasus Day Multi-Race Wagers

HALLANDALE BEACH, FL – C2 Racing Stable, Prince Faisal bin Khaled bin Abdulaziz Al-Saud and Antonio Pagnano’s three-time Grade 1 winner White Abarrio put in his final breeze Thursday morning for the $3 million Pegasus World Cup Invitational (G1) Jan. 25 at Gulfstream Park.

In company with regular workmate Silver Moonlight, White Abarrio went four furlongs in 48.34 seconds over Gulfstream’s main track, ranking eighth of 27 horses. It was his second work of 2025 following a bullet half-mile move in 47.81 Jan. 9.

“He worked well,” trainer Saffie Joseph Jr. said. “I thought it was a very good work. He did a lot last week so we kept him in hand this time, just a little off the horse inside and he finished up well. We never really let him out today. We were very happy with it.”

Silver Moonlight is a 4-year-old Liam’s Map filly also owned by C2’s Mark and Clint Cornett that has strung together three consecutive wins starting with a maiden triumph Oct. 20 and a Dec. 27 starter allowance in her most recent start.

“He’s been working Silver Moonlight since before he came back for his allowance race,” Joseph said. “He’s done well doing it and she’s won three in a row doing it, so we’re just keeping things the same. It’s perfect.”

White Abarrio has won six of eight lifetime starts at Gulfstream including the Holy Bull (G3) and Florida Derby (G1) in 2022. He spent the summer and fall of 2023 with trainer Rick Dutrow Jr., winning the Whitney (G1) and Breeders’ Cup Classic (G1), returning to Joseph after running fifth in the Met Mile (G1) last June.

Making his first start in 168 days, White Abarrio romped by 10 ¼ lengths in a seven-furlong optional claiming allowance Nov. 22 at Gulfstream to set him up for the Dec. 28 Mr. Prospector (G3). Also at seven furlongs, he got off slowly and raced far back before making a dramatic late run to come up 1 ¼ lengths short of multiple graded-stakes winner Mufasa.

“We’re nine days out and in horse racing that’s a lot of time, but we’re quite happy,” Joseph said. “Hopefully we can win a Pegasus.”

Joseph’s other Pegasus candidate, Daniel Alonso’s multi-millionaire Skippylongstocking, is scheduled to put in his final work Friday morning at Palm Meadows, Gulfstream’s satellite training facility in Palm Beach County.

G1-Placed Ferocious Preps Thursday for Sophomore Debut

JR Ranch, Marquee Bloodstock, High Step Racing and OGMA Investments’ Ferocious twice Grade 1-placed as a 2-year-old, continues to work forwardly at Gulfstream Park for his highly anticipated sophomore debut.

Ferocious worked four furlongs in 48.15 seconds Thursday over Gulfstream’s main track, fifth-fastest of 27 horses. Hall of Fame jockey Javier Castellano was up for the breeze, the Flatter colt’s second since running fifth in the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile (G1) Nov. 5 at Del Mar.

“The horse is doing good,” assistant trainer Gustavo Delgado Jr. said. “He started about four [or] five weeks ago galloping and getting ready to roll again. He looks good. Everybody was happy with him.”

Purchased for $1.3 million as a 2-year-old in training last March, Ferocious was a popular 7 ¾-length winner of his unveiling Aug. 3 at Saratoga, where he returned to finish second behind Eclipse Award finalist Chancer McPatrick in the Hopeful (G1).

Prior to his run in the Breeders’ Cup, Ferocious was second as the favorite after being fractious at the gate and encountering some early trouble in the Breeders’ Futurity (G1) Oct. 5 at Keeneland to East Avenue, who was ninth in the Juvenile.

Ferocious’ season opener has yet to be decided, but the $250,000 Holy Bull (G3) Feb. 1 is a possibility. The 1 1/16-mile Holy Bull is the next step on Gulfstream’s road to the $1 million Florida Derby (G1) March 29.

“We’re not really sure if we’re going to make the race on February 1st. It will all depend on a breeze that is scheduled for next Thursday. If we are happy with what we see we will decide then, but we are not in a rush with him,” Delgado Jr. said.

“We are of the opinion that we need maybe two or three weeks more, but he did so good today that he might make it. It will all depend on how he breezes back,” he added. “He did pretty nice today.”

Unlike Thursday, Ferocious will have a workmate for next week’s scheduled breeze.

“Today he was going solo. We want to see him in company next week and we’ll take it from there,” Delgado Jr. said. “He’s a nice horse. You can recognize him on the track. His stride and he way he goes, few horses do that.”

Million Dollar Estimates for Pegasus Day Multi-Race Wagers

In addition to a blockbuster program featuring 10 stakes, seven graded, worth more than $5.5 million in purses, Gulfstream Park will offer a trio of estimated $1 million multi-race pools on Pegasus World Cup Day Jan. 25.

The Pegasus World Cup Day program will consist of 13 races, starting at 11 a.m. EST. Post time for the $3 million Pegasus World Cup Invitational (G1) for 4-year-olds and up going 1 1/8 miles is 5:40 p.m. EST.

A pool of $1.25 million is estimated for the Early Pick 5 covering Races 1-5. The Late Pick 5 (Races 9-13) will have an estimated pool of $2.5 million, while the Late Pick 4 (Races 10-13) has its pool estimated at $1.5 million.

There will also be an estimated pool of $250,000 for the Tropical Turf Pick 3, with the races to be determined.

The 20-cent Rainbow 6, which has been solved for three six-figure payouts since the Championship Meet opened Thanksgiving Day, Nov. 28, will have a mandatory payout Sunday, Jan. 26.