C2 Racing Stable and La Milagrosa Stable's White Abarrio (Race Day), a well-beaten third most recently in the GII Kentucky Jockey Club S. Nov. 27, pressed, pounced and pulled away to dominate by 4 1/2 lengths in Saturday's GIII Holy Bull S. at Gulfstream. Expected pacesetter Simplification (Not This Time), a last out, front-running winner of the Mucho Macho Man S., completely missed the break, made a big sweeping move and did very well to hold second over favored GII Remsen S. winner Mo Donegal (Uncle Mo).
“It was a big performance,” winning trainer Saffie Joseph, Jr. said. “We were ahead of schedule all the time and then he got sick and we missed two works. We ended up going from being ahead of schedule to being behind. Quality horses overcome those things.”
Joseph continued, “I would say off this, the ball is in our court, why not go straight to the [GI Curlin] Florida Derby [Apr. 2]? It gives him good spacing, and if he makes the GI Kentucky Derby, it will be his third race [this year]. That would be ideal right now, but we'll talk it over whether to go to the [GII Fasig-Tipton] Fountain of Youth [Mar. 5] or not.”
White Abarrio, hustled out by Tyler Gaffalione from his wide draw in post eight, sat a dream trip in second behind Galt (Medaglia d'Oro), a last out Gulfstream maiden winner and full-brother to the brilliant Songbird, through fractions of :23.93 and :47.31. He stuck his head in front at the five-sixteenths marker and blew the race apart from there to win for fun. White Abarrio earns 10 points on the road to the Kentucky Derby for the victory.
“It was an ideal trip,” Gaffalione said. “The horse broke sharply and put me where I wanted to be. He settled nicely on the backside and when I called on him, he gave me another gear and finished the job well. I don't think distance is going to be a problem. He was just hitting his best stride down the lane and, galloping out, I had a really difficult time pulling him up. I was calling for the outrider.”
Purchased privately from Clap Embroidery and trainer Carlos Perez after a 6 3/4-length debut romp sprinting here in September, White Abarrio aired when stretched to a one-turn mile by new conditioner Joseph, Jr. in optional claiming company Oct. 29. He was most recently third, beaten six lengths by unbeaten 'TDN Rising Star' Smile Happy (Runhappy), in the Kentucky Jockey Club at Churchill Downs.
“He trains like a horse that will handle a distance, but until they do, you never know for sure,” Joseph said. “I thought the [Kentucky] Jockey Club was a great education. He showed he could get two turns and today he answered it emphatically.”
It was a pair of disappointing efforts from GI Breeders' Cup Juvenile Turf runner-up Tiz the Bomb (Hit It a Bomb) and GI Breeders' Cup Juvenile third Giant Game (Giant's Causeway), who finished seventh and eighth, respectively.
Pedigree Notes:
White Abarrio, a $40,000 OBS March breezer (:10 2/5), becomes the seventh stakes winner and first graded winner for young sire Race Day. White Abarrio is the second graded winner out of an Into Mischief dam. The other is GII Prioress S. heroine Cilla (California Chrome), who was also a winner in Saturday's LA Bred Premier Matron S. at Delta Downs. White Abarrio's dam Catching Diamonds, a maiden of three career starts and $425,000 KEESEP yearling purchase by Spendthrift, is also responsible for the 2-year-old colt Cage Match (Gormley) and a yearling colt by Lord Nelson. She was bred back to the latter for 2022. Catching Diamonds is a half-sister to MGSW Cool Cowboy (Kodiak Kowboy) and Downside Scenario (Scat Daddy), the dam of GSW & GISP Mutasaabeq (Into Mischief).
Saturday, Gulfstream Park
HOLY BULL S.-GIII, $250,000, Gulfstream, 2-5, 3yo, 1 1/16m, 1:42.80, ft.
1–WHITE ABARRIO, 120, c, 3, by Race Day
1st Dam: Catching Diamonds, by Into Mischief
2nd Dam: Grand Breeze, by Grand Slam
3rd Dam: Breeze Lass, by It's Freezing
1ST BLACK-TYPE WIN, 1ST GRADED STAKES WIN. ($7,500 Ylg
'20 OBSWIN; $40,000 2yo '21 OBSMAR). O-C2 Racing Stable
LLC and La Milagrosa Stable, LLC; B-Spendthrift Farm, LLC (KY);
T-Saffie A. Joseph, Jr.; J-Tyler Gaffalione. $148,800. Lifetime
Record: 4-3-0-1, $240,850. Werk Nick Rating: A++. Click for
the eNicks report & 5-cross pedigree.
2–Simplification, 122, c, 3, Not This Time–Simply Confection, by
Candy Ride (Arg). 1ST GRADED BLACK TYPE. ($50,000 RNA
Wlg '19 KEENOV). O-Tami Bobo; B-France Weiner & Irwin J.
Weiner (FL); T-Antonio Sano. $48,000.
3–Mo Donegal, 124, c, 3, Uncle Mo–Callingmissbrown, by
Pulpit. ($250,000 Ylg '20 KEESEP). O-Donegal Racing;
B-Ashview Farm & Colts Neck Stables (KY); T-Todd A. Pletcher.
$24,000.
Margins: 4HF, HD, 1. Odds: 6.00, 3.70, 1.70.
Also Ran: Galt, Cajun's Magic, Spin Wheel, Tiz the Bomb, Giant Game, Eloquist. Click for the Equibase.com chart, the TJCIS.com PPs or the free Equineline.com catalogue-style pedigree. VIDEO, sponsored by TVG.
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