White Abarrio's Cornett Brothers Boost Woodbine Presence

Not long before owner MARK CORNETT successfully bid $140,000 on a pretty Malibu Moon two-year-old filly at the Ocala Breeders’ Sales April auction on Wednesday, he was in conversation with Canadian Thoroughbred, discussing their very successful C2 RACING STABLE which he owns with his brother Clint, and their interest in racing a few horses at Woodbine in 2024.

Mark, who is from Naples, Florida, and Clint, from Flower Mound, Texas, have been longtime racegoers and have owned horses for a couple of decades. They started up C2 Racing Stable, which races horses solely or in partnership, in 2021.

You may know the Cornett’s top horse currently – the brilliant WHITE ABARRIO, winner of the 2023 Breeders’ Cup Classic (G1) at Santa Anita and earner of over $5 million. One of Thoroughbred racing’s top horses in the last decade, White Abarrio, who is co-owned by Prince Faisal and La Milagrosa Stable and trained by Rick Dutrow, is currently being pointed to a return at the Belmont meeting at Saratoga in early June.

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While perusing the two-year-olds at the Ocala sale, Mark Cornett said they are sending a couple of fillies to Woodbine with Martin Drexler, who was second in the trainer standings at Woodbine last year.

“I love Woodbine’s options in their stakes program, particularly for fillies,” said Mark. “They have races on synthetic and the turf at six furlongs up to 1 1/8 miles. And they have the one-turn [grass races] options.”

Cornett said they will be looking to add to Drexler’s C2 runners as the Woodbine season, which begins April 27, gets underway.

“I was watching Marty down here in Florida and his horses looked very impressive,” said Mark. “I saw how well he did with new acquisitions and how well he can bring a horse along for a race; his horses run for him.”

Mark noted that since he and Clint began the C2 Racing Stable they have a 27 percent win rate and have had over 100 stakes horses for themselves and their partners. They pick out their horse acquisitions carefully and prefer to buy horses privately rather than claim.

While the Cornett brothers have not been to Woodbine yet, but plan to soon, they had a couple of nice fillies race here last season. Their top three-year-old filly MYSTIC LAKE (Mo Town) is due back at Woodbine this week to join the Canadian string of trainer Saffie Joseph for projected starts in the Star Shoot Stakes on opening day, April 27, and Ontario Colleen Stakes (G3) in July. Mystic Lake, co-owned by Stefania Farms, LLC, won her maiden at Woodbine last fall and was second in the Glorious Song Stakes and third in the Mazarine Stakes (G3).

Last April, the Cornetts sent Blind Spot to the Star Shoot Stakes and watched her win the race by a hard-fought neck, only to be disqualified and placed second.

The two fillies in Drexler’s barn are the promising maiden filly Literate, by the red-hot sire Oscar Performance, and multiple winner Queen Macha.

“We’re pretty excited,” said Mark about the C2 horses set to race at Woodbine.