What a long strange trip it's been.
Returning in February 2023 from a 10-year ban imposed on his occupational license by New York regulators who called him “obnoxious,” among other things, Rick Dutrow is back. In a big way.
After having an underachieving 4-year-old colt transferred to him from a trainer who also was under scrutiny by regulators, Dutrow showed he can still train a racehorse. On Saturday at Santa Anita in Arcadia, Calif., the sport's one-time “bad boy” won the biggest prize in American racing, the $6-million, Grade 1 Longines Breeders' Cup Classic with C2 Racing Stable and La Milagrosa Stable's White Abarrio. Ridden by Irad Ortiz Jr., the gray colt by Race Day got a dream trip behind dueling frontrunners Arabian Knight and Saudi Crown, taking command in midstretch and drawing out for the win. Japanese-bred Derma Sotogake finished second, a length behind the winner, with Proxy another 1 1/4 lengths back while edging Arabian Knight for third.
They were followed by a second Japanese runner, Ushba Tesoro, Bright Future, Senor Buscador, Dreamlike, Zandon, Saudi Crown, Clapton, and Missed the Cut. Arcangelo, who came into the Classic off G1 victories in the Belmont Stakes and Travers, was scratched.
“It's incredible,” Dutrow said on the NBC telecast after White Abarrio's triumph. “Incredible stuff what I'm going through right now.”
“Everything came out perfect,” said Ortiz. “We handicapped that race perfectly as we thought Saudi Crown and Arabian Knight would be on the lead and we should be third. I saved all the ground on the first turn and then I was able to get in the clear on the backside. After that, it all about the horse. To be honest, I just let him do his thing and I don't get in his way. When I turned for him, I started to ride him and kept responding.”
White Abarrio paid $7.20 to win as the favorite after completing 1 1/4 miles on a fast track in 2:02.87. Fractions set by second betting choice Arabian Knight were quick: :22.46 for the opening quarter mile, :45.23 for the half, 1:10.28 for six furlongs, and 1:35.29 for the mile.
“After a half in 45 and change, we were happy and we were just hoping that our horse was going to run his race at that time,” said Dutrow. “And he did. It set up really good for him.
“I felt that he was a winner all of the way around the track. He broke good. He was setting off a couple of horses in front of him, which he liked. He came up on the outside of them. When he did that I knew we had nothing in our way, it was only a matter of someone coming to catch us. I felt good.”
The win was the seventh in White Abarrio's career from 15 starts. Bred in Kentucky by Spendthrift Farm and a $40,000 OBS March 2-Year-Old Sale graduate, he is out of the Into Mischief mare Catching Diamonds. The near white horse began his career at Gulfstream Park with trainer Carlos Perez, winning by 6 3/4 lengths at first asking in August of his juvenile season. That victory attracted the attention of Clint and Mark Cornett, who purchased majority interest in White Abarrio privately and transferred him to Saffie Joseph Jr. in South Florida. Antonio Pagnano's La Milagrosa Stable, the original owner, retained an interest
After a third-place finish in the G2 Kentucky Jockey Club Stakes at Churchill Downs, White Abarrio won the G3 Holy Bull Stakes in his 3-year-old debut in 2022, followed by a victory in the G1 Florida Derby, making him a major contender for the Triple Crown. A disappointing 16th-place finish in the G1 Kentucky Derby began a six-race losing streak – all graded stakes – that didn't end until an allowance/optional claiming win at Gulfstream in March 2023.
Joseph was planning White Abarrio's 4-year-old campaign when two of his horses suffered sudden deaths at Churchill Downs, prompting officials there to put him under suspension. The New York Racing Association followed suit. The Cornetts, unclear on how long the suspension would last and whether he would be eligible to train in other states, opted to transfer the horse to Dutrow, who was scraping to put together a stable after his lengthy forced absence from the game.
“Churchill Downs, we had an issue where they scratched our horse,” said Mark Cornett. “NYRA decided they weren't going to accept the entries, nominations, and I wanted to run in the Met Mile. So I had to make a trainer switch. I've known Rick a long time. I know exactly what he's capable of. This horse was tailor made for him. The horse at the time, in the middle of May, had blossomed like a horse I'd never seen — physically, girth, shoulder, hip — everything came together for this horse. … I called and talked to Rick. We probably talked for 30 minutes, and I decided to pull the trigger. So that's how that happened.”
Dutrow immediately began pointing White Abarrio for the G1 Metropolitan Handicap at one mile on Belmont Stakes day, with the colt finishing third behind Cody's Wish and Zandon after stumbling at the start. He came back two months later with an impressive 6 1/4-length win over Zandon and Cody's Wish in the G1 Whitney going 1 1/8 miles.
Dutrow then opted to train White Abarrio up to the Breeders' Cup Classic, thinking the horse ran best with plenty of time between races. He shipped the horse to Santa Anita early and began to blossom, buoying Dutrow's confidence. But a final workout before the Classic was delayed by veterinarians for several days after White Abarrio demonstrated some tenderness in a foot. That hurdle was cleared and White Abarrio's five-furlong breeze on Oct. 27 in :59.80 – his fifth drill over the Santa Anita surface – drew raves from clockers.
This was Dutrow's second Classic win, the first coming in 2005 with Horse of the Year Saint Liam, and his fourth overall in Breeders' Cup races.
“I don't feel that I am back at the top, but I feel that the white horse is,” Dutrow said. “I'm just hanging around him. As soon as I get stables like Todd (Pletcher) and Chad (Brown), then I'll feel like I'm back on the top. Right now I just feel like I'm lucky to be around him. I feel he's on the top, and I love being around good horses like that. It just makes you feel like a good horseman, and that's always what I wanted to be.
“I don't have a stable packed with good horses, and that's really what I want, and I'm going to be striving for it,” the trainer added. “I'm going to be calling everybody tomorrow when I get done with Disneyland and say, 'Hey, I am ready for some horses here. Can you guys send me some horses?' Believe me.”
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