They bet him like he couldn't lose, and multiple Grade I winner White Abarrio (Race Day) justified the confidence with a tour de force as the 1-5 favorite in the seventh race at Gulfstream Park.
Asked to settle behind a line of the eager in third after breaking sluggishly, the grey tracked an opening pace of :22.77, :45.98, and 1:11.43 from three off the rail. When he launched a rally at the quarter pole which saw him swiftly take command, it was 21-1 longshot Flying Liam (Liam's Map) who tried to mount a challenge. Despite that one's best efforts, the runner-up was ultimately left in the wake of the 2023 GI Breeders' Cup Classic winner, who won going away by 10 1/4 lengths. Flying Liam gamely held on to second and it was 8 1/4 lengths back to third place finisher Vladislav (Creative Cause).
White Abarrio was moved to Richard Dutrow Jr. from Saffie Joseph Jr. in the middle of the summer last year before going on to finish third in the GI Met Mile, and winning the GI Whitney Stakes and GI Breeders' Cup Classic. He made only two starts in 2024 and missed the board in both. He ran 10th back in February in the G1 Saudi Cup won by G1SW-KSA, MGSW Senor Buscador (Mineshaft), and then finished fifth in the GI Met Mile June 8 this season. He was returned to the barn of Joseph Jr. after that effort and was given an extended layoff to freshen up in the hopes it would turn his form around.
A triumphant return for WHITE ABARRIO as he easily wins the 7th race in Gulfstream Park this Friday, ridden by @iradortiz for trainer @SaffieJosephJr and the classic colors of @C2RacingStable
Retorno victorioso para WHITE ABARRIO, ganador de la BC Classic 2023, al galopar con… pic.twitter.com/50uQtyIizM
— Agentes305 (@agentes305) November 22, 2024
“It's a relief,” Joseph said. “That was an allowance race, but it was a Grade I for us and the whole connections. It was a very important race. This was the deciding factor for where he goes next as far as [if he'd be] retired. He had to do it well. We asked Irad to let him run a little bit at the end. We needed to see him quicken to see that he's back.”
Joseph added, “We didn't want to be fooled. We wanted to be sure that he's back, and he's back legit. If he was going to show up, we wanted to squeeze him a little bit. Irad didn't really want to do that because he was going so good, but he did and [White Abarrio] responded. The track's a little bit on the slower side but to go the last furlong in :11 4/5 [seconds], I don't think he could have gone any quicker.”
The comeback played well into Joseph's plans with the next target being the GIII Harlan's Holiday Stakes, which is the local prep for the GI Pegasus World Cup. White Abarrio finished eighth in the 2023 running of the latter.
“He does good with spacing. We'll all get together as far as [where he] heads and decide, but the Harlan's Holiday was supposed to be the next one and then from there we go. We're not going to get beyond ourselves. Let's make sure he comes back well first and talk it over.”
White Abarrio is his dam's first runner to the races, and by far her most accomplished. He has a winning 4-year-old half-brother named Cage Match (Gormley), an unplaced 3-year-old half-sibling Diamond Lord (Lord Nelson) with that one's 2-year-old full-brother Diamond Dealer being exported to the UAE this year. Catching Diamonds has most recently produced a yearling filly by Yaupon and went to Taiba for 2025. This is the extended family of GSW & GISP Mutasaabeq (Into Mischief).
7th-Gulfstream, $45,980, Alw (C)/Opt. Clm ($62,500), 11-22, 3yo/up, 7f, 1:23.52, ft, 10 1/4 lengths.
WHITE ABARRIO (h, 5, Race Day–Catching Diamonds, by Into Mischief) Sales history: $7,500 Ylg '20 OBSWIN; $40,000 2yo '21 OBSMAR. Lifetime Record: MGISW, 18-8-1-3, $5,213,350. Click for the Equibase.com chart or VIDEO, sponsored by FanDuel TV.
O-C 2 Racing Stable, Prince Faisal bin Khaled bin Abdulaziz Al-Saud and Pagnano, Antonio; B-Spendthrift Farm LLC (KY); T-Saffie A. Joseph, Jr..
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