WHITE ABARRIO, originally purchased for $7,500 as a short yearling in January 2020 in Florida, powered to a big win in the $250,000 Holy Bull Stakes (G3) at Gulfstream Park on February 5 to earn 10 Kentucky Derby points. The 3-year-old colt by Race Day (Tapit) from the mare Catching Diamonds by Into Mischief broke alertly from the starting gate under Tyler Gaffalione to reach close stalking position behind pacesetting Galt around the first turn and along the backstretch, as two more highly regarded rivals by the bettors had to deal with less-than-ideal starts.
Galt set fractions of 23.93 and 47.31 seconds for the first half-mile, but relinquished the lead to White Abarrio while tiring on the turn into the stretch. Saffie Joseph Jr.-trained White Abarrio ($14) kicked on through the stretch under Tyler Gaffalione to win the 1 1/16 mile race by a comfortable 4 ½ lengths in 1:42.80. The colt earned a 97 Beyer Speed Figure from Daily Racing Form.
“It was an ideal trip. 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,” Gaffalione said. “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.”
Simplification, the 7-2 second betting choice who broke extremely slowly out of the starting gate, closed to finish a courageous second after making a steady and wide drive, a head in front of Mo Donegal, the 8-5 favorite trained by Todd Pletcher who raced in traffic several lengths behind the pace before offering a strong stretch kick.
Both colts ran strong races despite trouble.
White Abarrio is trained by Saffie Joseph, Jr. and owned by C2 Racing Stables LLC of Clint and Mark Cornett, and Antonio Pagnano’s La Milagrosa Stable LLC. He was bred by Spendthrift Farm in Kentucky.
After he was bought as a short yearling at the Ocala Breeders’ Sales Winter Mixed Sale by Jose Ordonez, the colt was offered in 2021 at the OBS March Two-Year-Olds in Training sale where he was purchased for $40,000 by Carlos Perez from Nice and Easy Thoroughbreds.
Perez trained the colt when he won his debut in September at Gulfstream by 6 3/4 lengths with an 81 Beyer Figure. The colt won again on Oct. 29 for Joseph, taking a one mile race by four lengths before finishing third in the Grade 2 Kentucky Jockey Club Stakes at Churchill Downs behind Smile Happy. The Holy Bull Stakes was White Abarrio’s first race since then.
“It was a big performance,” said Joseph, who hails from Barbados. “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.”
“I would say off this, the ball is in our court, why not go straight to the [G1] Florida Derby [April 2]? It gives him good spacing, and … if he makes the 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 [G2] Fountain of Youth [March 5] or not.”
Race Day, a multiple Grade 2 stakes winner, entered stud in 2016 at Spendthrift Farm but was moved to Korea in 2020.
White Abarrio’s dam is Catching Diamonds, who was unplaced in three races and this is her first foal. Her 2-year-old colt by Gormley, Cage Match, was recently bought by C2 Stable.
Catching Diamonds is from the winning mare Grand Breeze (Grand Slam), who is the dam of COOL COWBOY (Kodiak Kowboy) who earned over $800,000 and was a multiple Group 3 winner in Meydan and a stakes winner at Tampa Bay Downs.
In New York at Aqueduct, EARLY VOTING went from a big debut win to a front-running win in the Grade 3 Withers Stakes at 1 1/8 miles for Klaravich Stables and trainer Chad Brown. The dark bay colt earned 10 Kentucky Derby points.
Piloted to victory by Jose Ortiz, Early Voting broke sharply from post 9 and bounded away to take the early lead. With the field spread out through the first turn and into the backstretch, Early Voting was held in the three-path through an opening quarter in 23.57 seconds as Jerome-winner Courvoisier tracked in second with Ruben Silvera aboard.
With Constitutionlawyer backtracking from third after a half-mile in 48.04, Early Voting continued to widen his margin as he rounded the final turn and drove away strongly under urging from Ortiz. Gilded Age, with Kendrick Carmouche up, made steady progress on the far outside of a steadying Courvoisier to battle for second with the Victor Carrasco-piloted Grantham.
The race for second continued to unfold 6 1/2 lengths behind Early Voting, who kept to task under right-handed urging from Ortiz at the eighth pole as the Tony Dutrow-trained Un Ojo came up the rail from far off the pace under Trevor McCarthy to challenge Gilded Age and Grantham for place honors.
Early Voting secured his victory by 4 1/2 lengths, stopping the clock in a final time of 1:55.90 over the muddy and harrowed main track. Un Ojo continued to improve along the rail, besting Gilded Age by a head for second.
The winning Beyer Figure was 78. The colt was bred by Three Chimneys Farms and was a $200,000 Keeneland September sale yearling.
Early Voting is by Gun Runner from the mare Amour d’Ete by Tiznow. Amour d’Ete is a daughter of Canadian-bred champion SILKEN CAT (1995 Sovereign Award for Champion 2-Year-Old Filly) who was bred by Ferme du Bos Vert.
Silken Cat is the dam of champion of one of the world’s leading stallions, SPEIGHTSTOWN, and multiple graded stakes winner IRAP, a full brother to Amour d’Ete and a $1.6 million earner who suffered a fatal injury during his 3-year-old season.
Amour d’Ete’s first two foals to race are winners.
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