White Abarrio Put In Final Pegasus Drill; ‘TDN Rising Star’ Ferocious Preps For Sophomore Debut

[Wandering Eyes]

White Abarrio (Race Day), a three-time Grade I winner for C2 Racing Stable, Prince Faisal bin Khaled bin Abdulaziz Al-Saud and Antonio Pagnano, put in his final breeze Thursday morning for the GI Pegasus World Cup Invitational Jan. 25 at Gulfstream Park.

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

“He worked well,” said trainer Saffie Joseph Jr. “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 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.

“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.”

The trainer's other Pegasus candidate, MGSW Skippylongstocking (Exaggerator), is scheduled to put in his final work Friday morning at Palm Meadows.

 

Ferocious Has Bark and Bite For New Season

JR Ranch, Marquee Bloodstock, High Step Racing and OGMA's Ferocious (Flatter), who was named a 'TDN Rising Star' after his debut and was twice Grade I-placed last year, continues to work forwardly at Gulfstream Park for his highly anticipated sophomore debut.

The dark bay went :48.15 seconds over four panels on Gulfstream's main track Thursday–the fifth-fastest of 27 horses. Hall of Fame jockey Javier Castellano was up for the breeze, which was the colt's second since running fifth in the GI FanDuel Breeders' Cup Juvenile at Del Mar in early November.

“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 at OBS March, Ferocious was a popular 7 3/4-length winner of his unveiling at Saratoga Aug. 3. That effort scored him a 'Rising Star' merit badge. Over the same surface, the juvenile was the runner-up to Eclipse Award finalist Chancer McPatrick (McKinzie) in the GI Hopeful Stakes Sept. 2.

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 GI Claiborne Breeders' Futurity at Keeneland Oct. 5 to East Avenue (Medaglia d'Oro), who was ninth in the Juvenile.

Ferocious' season opener has yet to be decided, but the GIII Holy Bull Stakes Feb. 1 is a possibility.

“We're not really sure if we're going to make the race on February first,” said Delgado Jr. “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.

“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,” he said. “It will all depend on how he breezes back. He did pretty nice today.”

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

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

The post White Abarrio Put In Final Pegasus Drill; ‘TDN Rising Star’ Ferocious Preps For Sophomore Debut appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions.

View the full article