Barbara D. Livingston
White Abarrio finished fifth in Saturday's Metropolitan Handicap at Saratoga.
SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. - White Abarrio, the 2023 Breeders’ Cup Classic winner who finished a well-beaten fifth in Saturday’s Grade 1 Metropolitan Handicap at Saratoga, is being transferred back to trainer Saffie Joseph Jr. and will be pointed to the Grade 2, $200,000 John Nerud Stakes at Aqueduct on July 6, co-owner Mark Cornett said Sunday.
White Abarrio, purchased by Cornett’s C2 Racing and partners after a debut win at Gulfstream in September 2021 when trained by Carlos Perez, made 11 consecutive starts for Joseph before being transferred to Rick Dutrow in May 2023. That transfer came after Joseph was barred from racing at Churchill Downs and later the New York Racing Association after two of his horses died suddenly 48 hours apart in races at Churchill in the week leading up to the 2023 Kentucky Derby.
Since the owners wanted to run White Abarrio in the Grade 1 Met Mile at Belmont Park, they transferred the horse to the New York-based Dutrow, who had just returned from a 10-year suspension. White Abarrio finished third to Cody’s Wish in the Met Mile, but would go on to win the Grade 1 Whitney at Saratoga and three months later the Breeders’ Cup Classic at Santa Anita.
In two starts this year, White Abarrio finished 10th of 14 in the $20 million Saudi Cup and fifth, beaten 10 1/4 lengths by National Treasure, in Saturday’s Met Mile.
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“The only reason we switched to Rick in the first place is what happened at Churchill, obviously,” Cornett said Sunday at Saratoga. “He ran so good with Rick, how are you going to give the horse back to Saffie at that point? This feels like the right time to do it now.”
In spring 2023, after White Abarrio finished eighth in the Pegasus World Cup, White Abarrio was cut back to seven furlongs and won a second-level allowance in what turned out to be his last start for Joseph.
“I’m going back to basics,” Cornett said. “It turned the horse around the last time. Only the last time was a conditioned allowance race, this time it’s going to be in the [seven-furlong Nerud]. The main thing about this horse now is getting a good race under his belt and try to determine how much that Saudi trip knocked out of him or where we’re at.”
White Abarrio had appeared to be training well leading into the Met Mile. In the race, he was third down the backside, but when Irad Ortiz Jr. asked him to pick it up, White Abarrio stayed in neutral.
Cornett said White Abarrio came out of the race perfect. Cornett said he was just waiting on the results of bloodwork taken on the horse.
“He just didn’t fire for whatever the reason was,” Cornett said. “It’s one of those horse-racing deals. He’s done this before. He did it in the Haskell and bounced back and he did it in the Pegasus and came back. We’re just going to treat it as a throw-out and move forward and run him back in 30 days in that spot and see where we’re at.”
Joseph said considering his circ*mstances last year, he understood the decision by Cornett and his partners to transfer the horse to Dutrow.
“When we lost him, I knew it was the right choice for his career," Joseph said. " They were rewarded for it, and I was glad to see him ultimately prove he was the quality horse we always knew he was. The owners have supported me strongly ever since and to ask me to take him back again makes me feel all the more appreciated.”
National Treasure likely for Whitney
National Treasure, who won the Met Mile by 6 1/4 lengths, was scheduled to ship back to Southern California on Tuesday, but it is quite possible he could return to Saratoga for the Grade 1 Whitney Stakes on Aug. 3, trainer Bob Baffert said Sunday.
“Right now, I’d say the Whitney could be possible as long as he comes back well,” Baffert said. “He likes that time between races.”
The Whitney affords National Treasure eight weeks between races. The Whitney is run at 1 1/8 miles around two turns, the same configuration as the Pegasus World Cup at Gulfstream, which he won in January. Last year, National Treasure won the Preakness at 1 3/16 miles.
“He’s a two-turn horse,” Baffert said.
Prior to the Met Mile, National Treasure finished fourth, beaten 1 1/2 lengths, in the $20 million Saudi Cup, a race run at 1 1/8 miles around one turn.
In the Met Mile, National Treasure, under Flavien Prat, dueled on the lead with Hoist the Gold, put that one away after six furlongs and drew well clear of second-place finisher Post Time.
National Treasure earned a 102 Beyer Speed Figure for the performance.
Baffert’s pair of 3-year-olds, Prince of Monaco and Imagination, finished second and seventh, respectively, in the Grade 1 Woody Stephens. Prince of Monaco will return for the Grade 1 H. Allen Jerkens on Aug. 24. Plans for Imagination are undetermined.
“I got to hit the reset button on Imagination,” Baffert said.
-additional reporting by Mike Welsch
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