mark cornett | Horse Racing Free Tips

Cornett Brothers Back in a Big Way

HALLANDALE BEACH, FL–While C2 Racing Stable is in its infancy, its founders, brothers Clint and Mark Cornett are not new on the racing scene. In fact, Mark Cornett has worked as a racing manager and bloodstock agent for over 25 years and even put together the partnerships that owned champions Blind Luck and Dubai Majesty. He and Clint campaigned horses a decade ago under a different banner.

The Cornett brothers returned to the game just last year under their new moniker with the goal of running in the GI Kentucky Derby. That dream could come true if their colt White Abarrio (Race Day) runs well Saturday in the GI Curlin Florida Derby at Gulfstream.

“We have actually been in racing a while,” said Texas-based Clint Cornett, who was in Hallandale Beach to attend his colt's big race, as well as Wednesday's Fasig-Tipton Gulfstream Sale. “We used to run under Turf Express in the early 2000s. In 2021, we decided to get back in the game and started C2 Racing Stable. We had been out of it since 2010.”

He continued, “I called Mark in the middle of 2021 and said let's get back in. I had a personal goal to run on the First Saturday in May and I told Mark to find us a horse. Little did I know, the second one we purchased is potentially going to be the horse.”

The Cornett brothers grew up in Texas and traveled to Louisiana to attend the races in their youth.

“Out of high school in the late eighties, we would head to Louisiana Downs from Dallas to watch the races,” Clint Cornett said. “It peaked our interest in becoming owners and we are pretty passionate about it.”

Their current stable is comprised of about 10 horses, most based at Gulfstream with Saffie Joseph, Jr. However, they do have a few at Oaklawn with Chris Hartman.

“Most of them are private purchases,” Clint Cornett said of their string. “We claim a few here and there and bought a filly [Wednesday] at the Gulfstream auction.”

That filly was Hip 83, a $250,000 daughter of the late Laoban. Consigned by Randy Bradshaw, she breezed in :10 1/5.

“Mark identified her and we were lucky enough to get her,” Clint Cornett said. “She will go to a training facility in Ocala until about August and then come back to the track.”

White Abarrio was one of the Cornett brothers' private purchases after he opened his account with a 6 3/4-length score at Gulfstream in his Sept. 24 debut, earning an 81 Beyer Speed Figure.

“Mark was at the track and saw him break his maiden at Gulfstream,” Clint Cornett said. “He called me and said, 'I just saw this horse run and I think we need to pull the trigger on him.' We talked to the owners and we were able to put together a private purchase. Luckily they were willing to sell.”

Part of the original ownership group, La Milagrosa, stayed in for a small piece and the colt was transferred to Joseph. He wired a one-mile optional claimer at Gulfstream in his first start for C2 Racing Stable Oct. 29 and finished third next out in the GII Kentucky Jockey Club S. at Churchill Downs Nov. 27.

“He won his first start for us at Gulfstream, then we shipped him up to Churchill to run in the Jockey Club because we wanted to get him a run over that track,” Clint Cornett said. “That was his first time going two turns as well. He did not have the cleanest of trips. He got in some trouble, but we were pleased with the effort. It showed us everything we needed to know going forward.”

White Abarrio called it a season after that effort and made his sophomore debut back in Hallandale Beach in the GIII Holy Bull S. Feb. 5. Dispatched at 6-1, the gray pressed the pace early and drew off to win by 4 1/2 lengths over next-out GII Fasig-Tipton Fountain of Youth S. victor Simplification (Not This Time), who also runs back here (video).

“He ran very well in the Holy Bull,” Clint Cornett said. “You have to have some racing luck and he got a clean trip. Prior to that race, he missed two works because he got ill, so we did not know how he was going to perform. He came out of that race well, but we decided to give him a few weeks off since he had been a little sick prior to the Holy Bull. We wanted to give his body time to recover. That is one reason we skipped the Fountain of Youth, but he has been training well into the Florida Derby.”

The businessman added, “He had a slight fever about a week and a half ago for a day or two, but that broke. He did a quick little blowout on Tuesday [3f in :34 4/5] for the race on Saturday.

Cornett said he is raring to go ahead of Saturday's big race and feels good about White Abarrio's chances.

“We feel pretty confident,” he said. “We feel he is a versatile horse with good tactile speed. We have Tyler [Gaffalione] aboard him and have all the confidence in Tyler that he will put him in a great position to be successful.”

The post Cornett Brothers Back in a Big Way appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions.

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Holy Bull Winner White Abarrio Likely To Await Florida Derby

C2 Racing Stable LLC and La Milagrosa Stable LLC's White Abarrio, a thoroughly professional and dominating winner of Saturday's $250,000 Holy Bull (G3) is likely to return on the Road to the Triple Crown in the $1 million Curlin Florida Derby (G1) April 2 at Gulfstream Park in Hallandale Beach, Fla.

“We talked it out over at dinner [Saturday] night, and I'd say it's not set in stone, but he's going to straight to the Florida Derby. We don't have to decide now, but everyone was kind of on the same page to go straight to the Florida Derby,” trainer Saffie Joseph Jr. said. “The spacing works well. He runs well fresh, and hopefully, it will set him up for the Kentucky Derby (G1) to run his best.”

The Holy Bull, which headlined a program with five-graded stakes for 3-year-olds, was the first graded stakes on the Road to the Curlin Florida Derby. The $400,000 Fasig-Tipton Fountain of Youth (G2) will be the final prep for Gulfstream's premier Triple Crown prep March 5.

Making his first start since finishing third in the Nov. 27 Kentucky Jockey Club (G2) at Churchill Downs, White Abarrio was obviously ready for his return to action despite missing a pair of workouts in preparation for the 1 1/16-mile Holy Bull.

“I'm very excited that he won as nicely as you could ask a horse to win a race, and it was the prep with the most depth so far. To be able to come out victorious, it was amazing,” Joseph said. “We had a little setback going into the race. We missed a couple works. You would think he should improve off that. He got a 97 Beyer [Speed Figure]. Just to think he could improve off of that – it's a good feeling.”

The son of Race Day broke sharply to obtain ideal position outside pacesetter Galt into the first turn and rated nicely under Tyler Gaffalione as the longshot pacesetter set fractions of 23.93 and 47.31 seconds for the first half mile. White Abarrio took over on the turn and pulled away to score by 4 ½ lengths over Simplification, the 7-2 second choice who rallied gamely after missing the break and trailing the field early. Mo Donegal, the 8-5 favorite, made a late surge to finish third after breaking slowly and racing in traffic early.

“When you have speed like that and can stay well, you put yourself in a good spot,” Joseph said. “Speed kills in dirt racing. To have that and also have the stamina to go long, it's a strong combo to have.”

After running 1 1/16-miles in 1:42/80, White Abarrio galloped out strongly under Gaffalione, who called on an outrider for assistance in pulling the winner up.

“That's what you want to see when a horse goes two turns, because you've got to get a mile and a quarter. He's done everything so far that it seems like it's within his reach,” Joseph said.

White Abarrio was purchased privately by brothers Mark and Clint Cornett following his eye-catching Sept. 24 debut victory at Gulfstream, in which he scored by 6 ¾ lengths at 6 ½ furlongs.

“Mark Cornett called and said he bought a horse. I said, 'Wow, you bought that horse? He was very impressive,'” Joseph recalled. “He said, 'I bought him and vetted him already, just go pick him up when everything is cleared.' He didn't tell me he was going to buy him.”

The gray Kentucky-bred colt went on to win a mile optional claiming race by four lengths on the lead at Gulfstream before finishing third behind Smile Happy and Classic Causeway in the 1 1/16-mile Kentucky Jockey Club.

“He's an athletic horse. He's very light on his feet. He's a beautiful-moving horse. It carries over to race day, which is the main test. He saddles very professionally – cool, calm,” Joseph said. “He can get a little keen in the morning. When he gallops, he can get a little keen in the morning, but when you work him in company, he'll relax. It's a good attribute to have – to have speed but the ability to rate.”

Trainer Antonio Sano reported that Simplification had a 'very good' morning following his remarkable recovery from a horrible start, in which he broke last as he tossed his head as the gates opened. The son of Not This Time, a front-running winner of the Jan. 1 Mucho Macho Man, raced three and for wide to work his way up to second under Hall of Famer Javier Castellano.

“In the front or behind, he's a good horse. The horse that won is an excellent horse. If my horse breaks good, the race could be different,” Sano said. “The good news after the race is that he is a good horse, on the front or from behind.”

Simplification will be pointed to the Fountain of Youth. Sano saddled Gunnevera for a second-place finish in the 2012 Holy Bull before his stretch-running winner of $5.5 million went on to win the Fountain of Youth.

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Florida Derby Likely Next for White Abarrio

C2 Racing Stable and La Milagrosa Stable's White Abarrio (Race Day), winner of Saturday's GIII Holy Bull S., will likely make his next start in the Apr. 2 GI Curlin Florida Derby, trained Saffie Joseph, Jr. confirmed Sunday morning.

“We talked it out over at dinner [Saturday] night, and I'd say its not set in stone, but he's going to straight to the Florida Derby,” Joseph said. “We don't have to decide now, but everyone was kind of on the same page to go straight to the Florida Derby. The spacing works well. He runs well fresh, and hopefully, it will set him up for the [GI] Kentucky Derby to run his best.”

A two-time winner at Gulfstream last fall, White Abarrio was making his first start since finishing third in the GII Kentucky Jockey Club S. last November.

White Abarrio was purchased privately by brothers Mark and Clint Cornett following an eye-catching 6 3/4-length debut win going 6 1/2 furlongs at Gulfstream Sept. 24.

Joseph continued, “He's an athletic horse. He's very light on his feet. He's a beautiful-moving horse. It carries over to race day, which is the main test. He saddles very professionally–cool, calm. He can get a little keen in the morning. When he gallops, he can get a little keen in the morning, but when you work him in company, he'll relax. It's a good attribute to have–to have speed but the ability to rate.”

Tami Bobo's Simplification (Not This Time), who recovered from a poor start and a wide trip to finish second in the Holy Bull, will likely start next in the Mar. 5 GII Fasig-Tipton Fountain of Youth S. The bay colt was coming off a wire-to-wire victory in the Jan. 1 Mucho Macho Man S.

“In the front or behind, he's a good horse,” Sano said. “The horse that won is an excellent horse. If my horse breaks good, the race could be different. The good news after the race is that he is a good horse, on the front or from behind.”

The post Florida Derby Likely Next for White Abarrio appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions.

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