C2 Racing Stable and La Milagrosa Stable's Grade 1-winner White Abarrio breezed five-eighths in 59.02 Friday at Belmont Park in preparation for the Grade 1, $1 million Hill 'n' Dale Metropolitan Handicap on June 10 at the same track.
The Hill 'n' Dale Metropolitan Handicap offers a “Win and You're In” berth to the Grade 1 Breeders' Cup Dirt Mile in November at Santa Anita.
Trained by Rick Dutrow, Jr. and piloted through the work by Irad Ortiz, Jr., the 4-year-old Race Day colt was caught by NYRA clockers through splits of 24.30 seconds and 35.72 before galloping out in 1:11.74.
“Irad said he worked good. He was happy with that,” Dutrow, Jr. said. “He's a nice horse. He liked the track and Irad said he was going good. He said he really didn't ask him for anything – just galloping out he just wanted to keep his mind on his business and he couldn't be happier with him. So, I kind of feel the same way.”
White Abarrio, who won the G1 Florida Derby last year, last worked a half-mile in 50.68 seconds on May 21 at Gulfstream Park when in the care of previous conditioner Saffie Joseph, Jr. before being transferred to the Dutrow, Jr. barn last week.
Dutrow, Jr. said that graded-stakes winner Master Piece, who was also transferred to his care from the Joseph, Jr. barn, will miss the G1, $750,000 Resorts World Casino Manhattan on Belmont Stakes Day.
“He came in here and had some kind of bellyache,” said Dutrow, Jr. who sent the 7-year-old Mastercraftsman ridgling to the Cornell Ruffian Equine Clinic briefly for evaluation. “He's back now and he looks like a different horse since he's been back. He's happy enough. So, I guess he'll go back to the track in a couple of days. They wanted him to walk for three days here, so he's still under doctor's care which is good.”
Dutrow, Jr. said Master Piece is scheduled to walk the shed row over the next two days before resuming any serious training. Owned by Michael and Julia Iavarone, Nicholas Zoumas, Vapewh, Frank Argano and Ten Twenty Racing, Master Piece made the grade in the Grade 2 Eddie Read in July at Del Mar when trained by Michael McCarthy.
Dutrow, Jr. said Sanford Goldfarb, Matthew Morrison and Crown Stable's stakes-placed New York-bred Prince of Pharoahs came out of his seventh-place finish in Monday's Commentator here in good order.
The 6-year-old American Pharoah gelding provided Dutrow, Jr. with his first victory since returning from suspension when he captured an open-company allowance mile on May 6 at Belmont.
“He looks good. I thought he ran a big race yesterday. He was just in the wrong place, that's all,” Dutrow, Jr. said. “We can re-group and we know not to try that again, but he ran his ass off. I'm happy with that horse.”
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