Saratoga Notebook, Presented by NYRA Bets: Joseph Hoping For A Rebound From White Abarrio In Whitney

[Wandering Eyes]

SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. – Two years ago, the GI Whitney Stakes was a whiteout. As in White Abarrio (Race Day), who crushed the field by 6 1/4 lengths.

Fast forward to now and White Abarrio is back for another run in Saturday's $1 million Whitney, the premier race for older horses at the 40-day meet at Saratoga Race Course.

The 6-year-old horse will look to shrug off a disappointing fourth place finish in the GI Met Mile last month and prove to his trainer Saffie Joseph Jr. that he deserves a place among the elite of the older horse division.

“You just have to have a short-term memory and move forward,” Joseph said Wednesday morning at his Saratoga backstretch barn about White Abarrio's performance in the Met Mile. “He has been in that position before and has rebounded.”

White Abarrio, owned by C2 Racing Stable, Gary Barber and La Milagrosa Stable LLC, started the year with a resounding 6 1/4-length win in the $3 million GI Pegasus World Cup.

He followed that up with another score at his home track of Gulfstream Park, winning the GIII Ghostzapper Stakes by 5 1/4 lengths.

Then came the head scratcher in the Met Mile. The race was billed as a showdown between White Abarrio and Fierceness (City of Light), but they were both defeated by the since retired Raging Torrent (Maximus Mischief).

This was the second straight year that White Abarrio tossed in a clunker in the Met Mile. Last June, he was fifth, beaten 10 1/4 lengths by National Treasure (Quality Road).

Since that race, Joseph said that White Abarrio, who will be ridden by Irad Ortiz Jr., has trained well and looked like a horse about to give a solid performance.

Skippylongstocking working at the Spa | Sarah Andrew

“When he comes off a race that is below par, you are always a bit suspect,” Joseph said. “You are like,'what did we miss?' We are happy with him. At the quarter pole [in the Whitney] we will know if he is moving forward.”

Joseph will also run Skippylongstocking (Exaggerator) in the Whitney. The main goal for the 6-year-old, owned by Daniel Alonzo, is the $1 million GII Charles Town Classic Aug. 22 in West Virginia. It's a race he has captured the last two years.

Before winning the Charles Town last year, Skipplongstocking finished fifth in the Whitney. He will be ridden by Jose Ortiz on Saturday.

Make no mistake, Joseph is not using the Whitney as a prep race.

“If we did not think we could compete, we would not be running in it,” he said. “Is it a tough race? Yeah, it's a really tough race. Of course, you would like it to be easier, but he is here. He has run fast enough on some days to win a Grade I. This kind of Grade I? It's unlikely, but you've got to be in it to win it.”

 

Mo Plex Could be Pennsylvania Derby Bound

Following Mo Plex's (Complexity) fourth place finish in the GII Jim Dandy Stakes, trainer Jeremiah Englehart will be in no rush to bring his New York-bred back to the races.

His landing point could very well be Parx Racing for the $1 million GI Pennsylvania Derby Sept. 20.

“If I had to choose from a timing standpoint, that is perfect,” Englehart said while sitting in his office at his barn at the annex across from the Oklahoma Training Track Wednesday morning. “That would give him almost two months.”

Mo PLex between Sandman and Hill Road | Sarah Andrew

Mo Plex set the pace in the Jim Dandy before fading and being beat 10 1/2 lengths by Sovereignty (Into Mischief). Owned by Rick Higgins and Howard Read (R and H Stable), Mo Plex had won the GIII Ohio Derby in his prior start and that gave the group reason to try the big boys in the Jim Dandy.

Englehart hasn't given up on the idea that Mo Plex can compete with the better horses in the division. He said he does not want to run Mo Plex in the $200,000 Albany Stakes against state breds Aug. 21.

“He came out of [the Jim Dandy] fine,” Englehart said. “I don't think I want to run him back in three and a half weeks. I just want to be real smart with the next start.”

Englehart did some homework when researching the Pennsylvania Derby. The last two winners of the race, Seize the Grey (Arrogate) and Saudi Crown (Always Dreaming) ran in the Jim Dandy before heading to Parx.

Seize the Grey was fourth in last year's Jim Dandy and Saudi Crown finished second in 2023.

Englehart said he would change his mind about the Pennsylvania Derby if Sovereignty or GI Haskell Stakes winner Journalism (Curlin) decided to head that way. Hall of Fame trainer Bill Mott has not indicated any desire to go to the Pennsylvania Derby and Michael McCarthy has not said which way Journalism is going.

 

Mott Gives Updates on Arthur's Ride, Stars and Stripes

Sovereignty wasn't the only horse Hall of Fame trainer Bill Mott had his eye on last Saturday. The stable star did his thing when he rolled to his third straight win in the GII Jim Dandy.

About three and a half hours before Sovereignty won the Jim Dandy by a length, Mott saddled Arthur's Ride (Tapit) for his first start since last year's GI Breeders' Cup Classic when he finished 12th out of 14.

Stars and Stripes | Sarha Andrew

Mott was not happy with what Arthur showed him. The 5-year-old horse finished third in a 1 1/8-mile multi-conditional allowance race. He was defeated by 8 1/4 lengths as the 1-2 favorite.

“That was not acceptable, not happy,” Mott said.

Mott said he could not comment on what might be next for Arthur's Ride until he talks with the horse's owners.

Arthur's Ride is owned by Glassman Racing LLC (Karl and Cathi Glassman). He won four of his first nine starts, the biggest being last year's GI Whitney Stakes, his first graded stakes try. He was then fifth in the GI Jockey Club Gold Cup before the Breeders' Cup.

Another horse from the Mott Barn, Stars and Stripes (Not This Time), opened some eyes when he won an allowance race at Saratoga by 71/4 lengths on July 17. That came after he broke his maiden at Aqueduct on June 15 by 101/2 lengths. That was his second career start.

Owned by Frassetto Stables LLC, Stars and Stripes might not be seen for a while, Mott said.

“He grabbed a quarter pretty good in the [July 17] race,” he said. “I don't have anything picked out for him.”

The post Saratoga Notebook, Presented by NYRA Bets: Joseph Hoping For A Rebound From White Abarrio In Whitney appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions.

View the full article