White Abarrio, the 2023 Breeders' Cup Classic (G1) winner, is scheduled to make a long-awaited return to action Nov. 22 at Gulfstream Park. The 5-year-old son of Race Day, who captured the 2022 Florida Derby (G1) at Gulfstream, is entered in a seven-furlong optional claiming allowance, in which he is scheduled to make his first start since returning to trainer Saffie Joseph Jr.'s stable.
White Abarrio has raced without success in two starts this year for trainer Rick Dutrow, finishing 10th in the Feb. 24 Saudi Cup (G1) and fifth in the June 8 Metropolitan Handicap (G1) at Saratoga Race Course. He won the 2023 Whitney Stakes (G1) at Saratoga and the Breeders' Cup Classic at Santa Anita Park after being transferred from Joseph to Dutrow earlier that year.
White Abarrio had been transferred to Dutrow over eligibility concerns for Joseph in Kentucky and New York after two of Joseph's trainees collapsed and died mysteriously during Kentucky Derby (G1) week at Churchill Downs in 2023. An investigation that took a couple of months cleared Joseph of any rule violations.
"Obviously, we're glad to have him back. He's a top-class horse—those are the kind of horses you want to train," Joseph said. "He's coming off a couple of disappointing runs, but hopefully, he'll rebound. When you come off those kind of runs, you're always a little bit reserved to have a strong opinion, but he seems to be working well enough. It's time to get him back started. Hopefully, he'll get a win and go on to bigger things from here."
Owned by C2 Racing Stable, Prince Faisal bin Khaled bin Abdulaziz al-Saud, and Antonio Pagnano, White Abarrio has breezed seven times in preparation for his return, including two works at Saratoga and five at Gulfstream.
Irad Ortiz Jr., who won the Championship Meet title at Gulfstream in five of the past six seasons, has the call on White Abarrio.
Joseph will also be represented in Friday's five-horse field by Mish, a stakes-winning 4-year-old son of Field Commission owned by C2 Racing Stable.
Other entries in the short field, the featured seventh race, include Anthony Margotta-trained Flying Liam, who registered back-to-back wins last season at Gulfstream; the Carlos David-trained Gatsby, a stakes-winning son of Brethren; and Carlos Rondon-Mora-trained Vladislav.
White Abarrio was privately purchased following his debut victory at Gulfstream on Sept. 24, 2021, and went on to win the 2022 Holy Bull Stakes (G3) and Florida Derby in his first stint with Joseph. He finished 16th in the 2022 Kentucky Derby (G1).
