road to the kentucky derby | Horse Racing Free Tips

White Abarrio Pulls Off 6-1 Upset In Holy Bull

C2 Racing Stable and La Milagrosa Stable's White Abarrio took advantage of a favorable pace scenario to win Saturday's Grade 3 Holy Bull Stakes by about five lengths, upsetting the nine-strong field as the fifth choice at odds of 6-1. Unraced since his third-place finish in the G2 Kentucky Jockey Club Stakes on Nov. 27, White Abarrio reiterated his preference for the Gulfstream surface over which the colt won his first two races.

The 3-year-old son of Race Day pressed the early pace and took command turning for home, pulling away under Tyler Gaffalione to complete 1 1/16 miles over Gulfstream's fast main track in 1:42.80. Trained by Saffie Joseph, Jr., White Abarrio's victory earned him 10 points on the Road to the Kentucky Derby.

After missing the break, Mucho Macho Man Stakes winner Simplification (7-2) rallied in the lane to hold the place over late-running 8-5 favorite Mo Donegal in third. Galt, the full brother to champion Songbird, finished fourth, while Cajun's Magic was fifth.

“It was a big performance,” Joseph said of his winner. “We were ahead of schedule all the time and then he got sick and we missed two works. We ended up going from being ahead of schedule to being behind. Quality horses overcome those things.

“He trains like a horse that will handle a distance, but until they do, you never know for sure. I thought the [Kentucky] Jockey Club was a great education. He showed he could get two turns and today he answered it emphatically.”

Breaking near the outside of the field, White Abarrio was very sharp out of the gate and was able to make it over to the two-path to stalk unexpected pacesetter Galt. Simplification, the speed of the race on paper, was forced to make his run from seventh after missing the start.

White Abarrio kept up the pressure on Galt through fractions of :23.93 and :47.31, drawing even with that rival around the far turn. In the short run to the first wire, Gaffalione kept White Abarrio busy as the colt easily pulled away from the field to win by about five lengths. Simplification made his way up to second, and while never threatening the winner he was game to hold off the very late run from favorite Mo Donegal and secure the place. Galt faded to finish fourth.

“It was an ideal trip,” Gaffalione said. “The horse broke sharply and put me where I wanted to be. He settled nicely on the backside and when I called on him, he gave me another gear and finished the job well.

“I don't think distance is going to be a problem. He was just hitting his best stride down the lane and, galloping out, I had a really difficult time pulling him up. I was calling for the outrider.”

Bred in Kentucky by Spendthrift Farm, White Abarrio is out of the unplaced Into Mischief mare Catching Diamonds, who is a half-sister to multiple Group 3 winner Cool Cowboy. Purchased for $7,500 as a yearling at the OBS Winter sale, the colt returned to the OBS ring in March to command a final bid of $40,000. Now a three-time winner from four starts, White Abarrio boasts earnings of over $240,000.

“I would say off this, the ball is in our court, why not go straight to the [G1] Florida Derby [April 2]?” Joseph suggested. “It gives him good spacing, and …if he makes the Kentucky Derby it will be his third race [this year]. That would be ideal right now, but we'll talk it over whether to go to the [G2] Fountain of Youth [March 5] or not.”

Additional Quotes from Placed Connections:

Jockey Javier Castellano (Simplification, 2^nd): “I'm not disappointed at all. I'm very satisfied the way he did it. I know we expected to be on the lead, but we learned something. He's starting to develop himself, and the good thing it seems to me that he doesn't have to be on the lead. He proved that he can come from behind, also. The first time going two turns, he did it and he did it really well. He finished up really good. The other horse, he got the jump and unfortunately we had the bad break.”

“He didn't break sharp out of the gate. There was so much noise and everybody screaming 'no' and he backed up a little bit. When he backed up they opened the gate. It was the wrong time when they opened the door and he didn't break sharp. But I don't have anything negative with the horse. I'm very positive on the horse. I think he's going to move forward. He was running at the end and he was galloping out good. I think he's a really nice horse. He put himself right behind horses and I let him feel the dirt in the face and then angled out a little bit to give him a little break and keep track of the horses. He did it really well.”

Trainer Todd Pletcher (Mo Donegal, 3^rd): “I thought he finished really well, it just took him a little while to get out in the clear and get going. The last hundred yards he was making up a lot of ground. He just kind of ran out real estate at the end. I was happy with the way he closed. It actually kind of hurt us that [Simplification] didn't break well because it kind of altered the fractions of the race and there wasn't a whole lot of pace on and that's always a disadvantage at Gulfstream. I was pleased with the horse's performance. He ran well and finished up good.”

Jockey Irad Ortiz Jr. (Mo Donegal, 3^rd): “I had a little stumble out of there. It was the last thing I wanted to happen, but it happened. I went to Plan B after that. I tried to save some ground and try not to be too far and I had to keep on him to help him to improve my position the whole time. He still finished good. He was in some position by the second turn. I didn't want to be waiting by the three-eighths pole because I know my horse. I know he needs to go start going a little earlier but I had nowhere to go, so I had to wait and go around them into the clear and he was flying at the end, honestly. He ran a good race.”

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Early Voting Never Challenged In Aqueduct’s Withers

Seth Klarman's Early Voting delivered as the 6-5 post-time favorite in Saturday's Grade 3 Withers Stakes, leading the field from gate-to-wire to hit the Aqueduct finish line 4 1/2 lengths clear of his nearest rival. In just his second career start, the 3-year-old son of Gun Runner earned 10 points on the Road to the Kentucky Derby. Trained by Chad Brown and ridden to victory by Jose Ortiz, Early Voting ran nine furlongs over the muddy main track in 1:55.90.

“The plan was to sit second behind the one-horse [No. 1, Constitutionlawyer], but he broke sharply and I wasn't taking that away from him,” Ortiz said. “He finished well on a tiring track. One step at a time, but we're going the right way.”

Un Ojo closed from the back of the field to finish second at 28-1, earning 4 points, while Gilded Age (6-1) held third to earn 2 points. Grantham checked in fourth to earn the final point toward the Run for the Roses.

Debuting over a mile at Aqueduct on Dec. 18, Early Voting contested the early pace and drew away under steady urging in the stretch to win by 1 1/2 lengths. This time, Ortiz sent Early Voting a bit quicker out of the gate to take the lead around the clubhouse turn, and allowed the colt to pull away for a 1 1/2-length advantage down the backstretch.

After early splits of :23.57 and :48.04, Early Voting pulled away from the field by three lengths, then by as many as six at the head of the lane. Ortiz kept the colt to task down the stretch, and Early Voting crossed the wire much the best. Un Ojo rallied from well off the pace to be second, while Gilded Age made a big move on the outside around the far turn and was just out-finished for the place. Grantham was forwardly-placed throughout and managed to hold fourth.

Bred in Kentucky by Three Chimneys Farm, Early Voting is the third foal out of the unraced Tiznow mare Amour d'Ete. His dam is a half-sibling to millionaires Speightstown and Irap. A $200,000 yearling purchase at the Keeneland September sale, Early Voting now boasts earnings of over $190,000.

“He showed some speed in his first race, so we were pretty confident that he would stretch out even further to a mile and an eighth,” said Brown's assistant Dan Stupp. “He broke well and Jose [Ortiz] did the rest from there. I was confident in the mile and an eighth. He's out of a Tiznow mare, so he's bred to run all day. We were very confident in the distance.

“He's a horse that's going to progress with each race. Each race is going to propel him, and we've seen that in the morning with him. He was very impressive in his works. Especially, in his last two works leading up to this. He's an exciting horse and I was really ready to see him run today. I think he'll move forward nicely in his 3-year-old year.

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Weekend Lineup: Three Stops On The Road To Louisville

A trio of Kentucky Derby prep races are on the cards this weekend, including stakes at Gulfstream Park, Aqueduct, and Santa Anita.

Each offers the winner 10 points toward the Run for the Roses.

The Grade 3 Holy Bull at Gulfstream is perhaps the most contentious of the three, pitting G2 Remsen winner Mo Donegal against a pair of G1-placed runners, Tiz the Bomb and Giant Game.

Aqueduct's G3 Withers features a field of 11 topped by Jerome winner Courvoisier, while a field of five will contest Sunday's G3 Bob Lewis Stakes at Santa Anita.

Also on tap this weekend are four additional graded stakes at Gulfstream, a pair of G3 turf contests at Tampa Bay Downs, four other graded stakes at Santa Anita, and 10 Louisiana-bred stakes worth just shy of $1 million at Delta Downs.

Saturday

4:25 p.m. – G3 Withers Stakes at Aqueduct

Courvoisier will look to build on a 10-point triumph last out in the Jerome on New Year's Day at Aqueduct. The regally-bred son of Tapit, out of 2014 Champion 2-Year-Old Filly Take Charge Brandi, secured outside stalking position in the one-turn mile Jerome and matched strides with pacesetter Hagler around the far turn before pulling away to a 1 1/4-length triumph over the sloppy and sealed main track. Trainer Kelly Breen said the sizable Courvoisier, who is owned by Hill 'n' Dale Equine Holdings and James Spry, will appreciate a return to two turns.

Looking to contest Courvoisier once more are Jerome second, third, fourth and sixth-place finishers Smarten Up, Cooke Creek, Unbridled Bomber and Mr Jefferson.

Among the fresh faces is Klaravich Stables' Early Voting, who will see added ground following a triumphant career debut going a one-turn mile on December 18 at Aqueduct. Early Voting was forwardly placed from the outside down the backstretch and opened up in the stretch before fending off a late rally by Matt Doyle to win by 1 1/2 lengths as the heavy favorite.

Withers Entries

5:10 p.m. – G3 Holy Bull Stakes at Gulfstream

Donegal Racing's Mo Donegal is poised to make his 2022 debut in the $250,000 Holy Bull (G3) Saturday at Gulfstream Park, and his Hall of Fame trainer, Todd Pletcher, has opted for no soft spot for the son of Uncle Mo's highly anticipated return to action.

Although Mo Donegal, 3-1 on the morning line, will be put to the test in a field that includes two Grade 1 stakes-placed opponents, the Pletcher-trained colt has already passed the most rigorous test for all Triple Crown prospects – the two-turn test over 1 1/8-miles. The $250,000 purchase at the 2020 Keeneland September yearling sale enters the Holy Bull off a gutsy triumph in the 1 1/8-mile Remsen Stakes (G2) at Aqueduct Dec. 4.

Phoenix Thoroughbreds LTD's Tiz the Bomb rode a three-race winning streak into the Breeders' Cup Juvenile Turf, where he dropped back to 12^th while in traffic before rallying strongly to finish second behind Modern Games.

Giant Game made a four-wide move into contention in the Breeders' Cup Juvenile before settling for third in his stakes debut. The son of Giants Causeway, who will be ridden by Luis Saez for the first time Saturday, had previously finished third in the debut before graduating by three lengths at Keeneland in his two-turn debut.

Tami Bobo's Simplification, who won the Mucho Macho Man by four lengths in front-running style, is expected to set or attend the early pace while stretching out around two turns for the first time. The long-striding son of Not This Time broke his maiden at Gulfstream by 16 ¾ lengths at six furlongs in his second career start. He came back to finish a troubled third again at six-furlongs before impressively stretching out to a mile in the Mucho Macho Man.

Holy Bull Entries

6:06 p.m. – G2 Santa Monica Stakes at Santa Anita

Fresh off the biggest win of her career, the Bo Hirsch homebred Ce Ce heads a field of five older fillies and mares going seven furlongs in Saturday's Grade 2, $200,000 Santa Monica Stakes at Santa Anita.

A handy 2 ½ length winner of the G1 Breeders' Cup Filly & Mare Sprint going seven panels at Del Mar Nov. 6, Ce Ce will be bidding for her third consecutive graded stakes win in what will be her first start at age six on Saturday.

Bob Baffert will be represented by a pair of distaffers, recent Grade 1 winner Kalypso and Merneith, who ran a big second in the ungraded Kalookan Queen at 6 ½ furlongs Jan. 2 following a nearly one year absence. A winner of last year's Santa Monica, Merneith, a 5-year-old mare by American Pharoah, will be ridden for the third consecutive time by Edwin Maldonado, who was aboard for last year's Santa Monica score.

Hronis Racing's Park Avenue, who had a two-game winning streak snapped when a well beaten second in the G3 La Canada Stakes going a mile and one sixteenth on Jan. 1, will shorten up out of five consecutive routes in what will be her second stakes engagement.

Santa Monica Entries

7:10 p.m. – G2 San Pasqual at Santa Anita

In what shapes up as an important prep to the Grade 1 Santa Anita Handicap on March 5, C R K Stable's Express Train heads a field of six older horses going a mile and one eighth in Saturday's Grade 2, $200,000 San Pasqual Stakes at Santa Anita.

A game nose winner over A-List sophomore Hot Rod Charlie in the G2 San Antonio Stakes going a mile and one sixteenth on Dec. 26, Express Train is the defending champ in the San Pasqual and he'll be seeking his fourth graded stakes win on Saturday.

A newly turned 4-year-old, Twin Creeks Racing Stables' Law Professor prevailed in a protracted stretch battle with Grade 1 winner Beyond Brilliant to take the G2 Santa Anita Mathis Mile by a half length on Dec. 26 and he has the look of a “now horse” as he bids for his third consecutive victory.

With John Velazquez riding him back, Bob Baffert's Eight Rings, who went to the front in the opening day San Antonio and nearly dead heated with Hot Rod Charlie for the place while beaten a half length by Express Train, rates a big chance in what will be his 14th career start. A Grade 1 winner here at two, Eight Rings is a 5-year-old horse by Empire Maker seeking his second graded stakes win and his fourth overall.

In a dominant gate to wire performance, trainer George Papaprodromou's American Theorem took a second condition allowance at a mile an one sixteenth by 2 ¼ lengths over Shooter's Shoot on Jan 2 and was flattered by the fact the runner-up came back to post a big second here in Saturday's G3 Palos Verdes Stakes.

San Pasqual Entries

Sunday

7:12 p.m. – G3 Robert B. Lewis Stakes at Santa Anita

Second at 1-2 in his most recent stakes assignment, Messier will be out to make amends and stamp himself an “A-List” Derby hopeful as he heads a field of five sophomores going 1 1/16 miles in Sunday's Grade 3, $200,000 Robert B. Lewis Stakes at Santa Anita.

An important prep on the road to both the Santa Anita and Kentucky Derbies, the Lewis will provide the winner with 10 Kentucky Derby qualifying points and the second, third and fourth place finishers with four, two and one point respectively. However, the Bob Baffert-trained colt is not eligible for those points due to Churchill Downs' ban of the Hall of Fame trainer.

Messier's primary rival certainly appears to be the Simon Callaghan-trained Sir London, who crushed four rivals in breaking his maiden by 10 lengths as the 1-5 favorite on Dec. 4 at Los Alamitos. Second in a pair of maiden sprints on Oct. 3 at Santa Anita and Nov. 13 at Del Mar, Sir London led every step of the way in breaking his maiden at a flat mile Dec. 4 and seems very well spotted in Saturday's Lewis as he retains the services of Flavien Prat.

Lewis Entries

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Constitutionlawyer Could Provide Uplifting Weekend For Ray Handal Barn

Trainer Ray Handal will be in search of his first graded stakes win when he saddles Perrine Time Thoroughbreds and West Paces Racing's Constitutionlawyer in Saturday's Grade 3, $250,000 Withers at Aqueduct Racetrack.

The Constitution colt enters the nine-furlong test for sophomores, which offers 10-4-2-1 Kentucky Derby qualifying points to the top-four finishers, from an impressive gate-to-wire maiden score under Dylan Davis in a race contested at the Withers distance over a muddy and sealed main track on Jan. 2 at the Big A.

The $170,000 Keeneland September Yearling Sale purchase kept good company in his first two outings, overcoming slow starts to finish fourth on debut traveling 1 1/16-miles at Belmont Park in a race won by eventual G2 Remsen winner Mo Donegal. He followed with a third-place effort on Dec. 2 at the Big A, finishing within 3 1/2-lengths of Jerome-winner and Withers rival Courvoisier.

Handal said he schooled Constitutionlawyer at the gate multiple times to prepare for his recent front-running triumph from post 1 and has followed that method into Saturday's test where the colt will again exit the inside post under new rider Jose Lezcano.

“I had really been schooling him. He missed the break in his first start and I thought it was just a young horse thing because he broke and then was a little hesitant,” Handal said. “In his second start, he did the same thing and was hesitant and got himself shuffled back. So, I did a lot of schooling with him and three days out from the race, I popped him out of the gate and broke him out and went one furlong with him as a refresher and he really sharpened up.

“Since the last race he's matured a lot mentally. He might have just been doing it on talent at the beginning, but after winning I think he's realized what his job is and the proverbial light has come on,” Handal added. “He's a little more aggressive in the morning and is willing to do whatever we ask him to. We're excited about Saturday but we drew the one post again, so I took him back to the gate yesterday and popped him out again to make sure he had his mind on racing and he came out real good.”

Handal said he expects a forward trip for Constitutionlawyer in an 11-horse Withers field that includes potential speed threats in the Chad Brown-trained Early Voting as well as Courvoisier.

“We need to come out of there running because I don't want to be getting caught in traffic from the one-hole in a big field going two turns. We'll use a little gas up early and see where the dust settles and go from there,” Handal said.

Although focused on preparing his Derby hopeful for Saturday's test, Handal noted his thoughts are with his longtime assistant Jose Mejia, who incurred multiple injuries during a training accident Sunday at Turfway Park.

Handal's traveling assistant was unseated from his mount who stumbled and landed on top of him, causing the 33-year-old Mejia to incur 10 broken ribs and four broken vertebrae.

Handal said Mejia has undergone surgery but currently has no feeling below his ribcage.

“He's a great guy and has given us so much. He's like a brother to me,” Handal said. “He's been with me since I started training about six years ago. He's the first rider I hired when I started. He's a tough guy and no matter what he's always going to be a part of the Handal racing team.”

In addition to assistance from The Jockey Club's Safety Net Foundation, a GoFundMe campaign has been launched to assist with Mejia's recovery. The GoFundMe page can be found at https://gofund.me/e7043f0a.

Handal said he is also forming plans with some of his owners for an online auction to raise further funds for Mejia.

“Jose has been so important to the barn and has put so much into the horses that race for us. It's good to see people coming together to help,” Handal said.

Handal will also be represented in Saturday's opening race – a seven-furlong sprint for state-bred sophomore fillies – by first-time starter Menily, who will exit post 3 under Jalon Samuel.

A dark bay daughter of Malibu Moon out of the Empire Maker mare Comme Chez Moi, Menily breezed in company with maiden winner Mischievous Diane on January 13, covering a half-mile over the Belmont dirt training track in 48.50 seconds.

“She's a big, rangy type of filly and she's shown a bit of talent in the morning,” Handal said. “I gave her a real strong one with Mischievous Diane, who broke her maiden pretty impressively. Mischievous Diane outworked her that day but she was only just outworking her, so it gives me confidence this filly will run pretty well.”

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