MGISW White Abarrio Posts Work For Pegasus World Cup

[Wandering Eyes]

C2 Racing Stable, Prince Faisal bin Khaled bin Abdulaziz Al-Saud and Antonio Pagnano's multiple Grade I winner White Abarrio (Race Day) breezed Thursday morning at Gulfstream Park ahead of his next scheduled start in the GI Pegasus World Cup Invitational Jan. 25.

With regular exercise rider Vicente Gudiel aboard, White Abarrio went four furlongs in 47.81 seconds over the main track, the fastest of 23 horses at the distance. It was the first work for 5-year-old earner of more than $5.2 million since his runner-up finish in the GIII Mr. Prospector Stakes Dec. 28.

“We were kind of looking for a steady kind of half with a long gallop out, and it kind of went beyond our expectations,” said trainer Saffie Joseph Jr. “It went really, really well. He worked super with an even longer gallop out than we wanted, but he did it the right way. We're very pleased with where he's at. If he can hopefully stay this kind of form into the Pegasus, he'll be very tough.”

Making his first start in 168 days, White Abarrio romped by 10 1/4 lengths in a seven-furlong optional claiming allowance Nov. 22 at Gulfstream to set him up for the Mr. Prospector. Also at seven furlongs, he got off slowly and raced far back before making a dramatic late run to come up 1 1/4 lengths short of multiple graded-stakes winner Mufasa (Chi) (Practical Joke).

“Obviously you always want to win, but you try to look for the positives in every situation,” said Joseph. “We felt like we ran a winning race without winning. He got a lot of education as far as taking dirt and it was a gallant effort. He's in good order right now. We need it to continue like this and we feel like we're bringing a horse in with a very good chance.”

White Abarrio will put in his final work next week for the Pegasus.

“We worked today so it gives us options,” he said. “Now we can work next week anywhere between Thursday and Sunday. We'll kind of decide next week when we're going to do it.”

Joseph's other Pegasus candidate, Daniel Alonso's multi-millionaire Skippylongstocking (Exaggerator), is scheduled to put in his penultimate work Friday morning. Following his sixth-place finish in the GI Big Ass Fans Breeders' Cup Dirt Mile Nov. 2, the 5-year-old has breezed four times since mid-December at Palm Meadows.

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