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White Abarrio Fires Bullet In Florida Derby Tune-Up

White Abarrio, winner of the Holy Bull Stakes (G2) last month, continued to train sharply for a scheduled start in the $1 million Curlin Florida Derby (G1), breezing five furlongs Sunday morning at Gulfstream Park in the fastest clocking recorded at the distance.

C2 Racing Stable LLC and Milagrosa Stable LLC's 3-year-old son of Race Day was timed in :59.49 under jockey Tyler Gaffalione, quickest of 15 timed moves at the distance, in preparation for Gulfstream's signature Triple Crown prep.

“He galloped out in 1:12. It was a good solid work,” trainer Saffie Joseph Jr. said. “He'll probably comeback next week at five-eighths in company.”

Sunday's breeze was his third workout since his dominating victory in the Feb. 5 Holy Bull (G3) at Gulfstream in his 2022 debut. Simplification, who finished second in the Holy Bull, came back to romp to a 3 ½-length victory in the March 5 Fountain of Youth (G2).

“No second thoughts about (skipping the Fountain of Youth) at all. Going into the Holy Bull he had missed a couple of works, so he kind of ran as a fresh horse, which can take a toll on them,” Joseph said. “Since the Holy Bull, he's shown everything you would want a horse to show. He's going in the right direction – how you would want a 3-year-old to go this time of year.”

White Abarrio debuted with an impressive 6 ¾-length victory at Gulfstream Sept. 24 before being purchased privately by his current connections, for whom he scored a four-length optional claiming allowance victory Oct. 29. He concluded his juvenile campaign with a third-place finish behind Smile Happy and Classic Causeway in the Nov. 27 Kentucky Jockey Club (G2) at Churchill Downs.

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Classic Causeway Bound For Blue Grass

Classic Causeway earned a Beyer Speed Figure of 84 for his Lambholm South Tampa Bay Derby (G2) victory Saturday, four weeks after receiving an 88 in winning the Sam F. Davis Stakes (G3) and will be pointed to the Toyota Blue Grass (G1) at Keeneland Race Course next month.

His time of 1:44.90 for the 1 1/16 miles on a track rated as good after a morning drenching was more than a second slower than that of 4-year-old colt Scalding, who won the Michelob Ultra Challenger (G3) three races earlier.

Analysts and handicappers will assign varying degrees of importance to that information as Classic Causeway continues his march on the road to Louisville for the 148th running of the Kentucky Derby (G1) May 7 at Churchill Downs. It is worth noting that while Classic Causeway was in complete control throughout, Scalding was pushed to his utmost by Cody's Wish, who finished a neck back.

The purpose here is not to denigrate the performance of Classic Causeway, the first horse since Destin in 2016 to win both Tampa Bay Downs showcase races for Triple Crown candidates, but to point out how opinions about top 3-year-olds proliferate in the spring like dandelions. As his trainer, Brian Lynch, pointed out, Classic Causeway's time and speed numbers were likely impacted by other factors.

“There was a very strong headwind going up the backstretch, and he was geared down late (by jockey Irad Ortiz Jr., with the victory assured),” Lynch said Sunday morning. “I thought his Beyer might have been a little higher, but he did it so nicely it's not something I'm worried about.

“I really look forward to sitting down tonight and having a real good look at the replay. But visually, to my eyes, he ran a 110 Beyer.”

Classic Causeway earned 50 “Road to the Kentucky Derby” points for the triumph, moving him into first place with 66 points in the competition to help determine the field of 20 for the Run for the Roses.

The objective now is to have the son of Giant's Causeway out of the Thunder Gulch mare Private World prepared to run his career-best race in eight weeks. Toward that end, Lynch says his final prep race will likely take place April 9 in the Blue Grass at a 1 1/8 miles.

It's an exciting time for Lynch and the colt's breeders and owners, Patrick O'Keefe of Kentucky West Racing and Clarke Cooper, one in which they believe their hand is as strong as anyone else's.

“This is a place I've never been and I'm going to enjoy it,” Lynch said. “I'm glad (Classic Causeway) is on my team and we're not playing against him.”

Certainly, Classic Causeway had things his own way in both Tampa Bay Downs stakes (mostly due to excellent breaks from the gate), and his connections would love to see that continue. There is also a good chance that sometime soon, a rival if going to be just as keen about grabbing the lead when the gate opens, giving Classic Causeway another chance to prove himself as a horse that can rate off the pace and still come running late.

Here is what Lynch really likes.

“One of the difficult things with horses is to keep that 'want-to' in them, when you're not forcing them as much to do it. He seems to have plenty of 'want-to,' ” Lynch said. “This colt is very good at what he does, and he looks so comfortable doing it. At every stage of the race, he looked like a winner.”

Ortiz, who has enjoyed a tremendous career over the last four weeks at Tampa Bay Downs, winning nine times from 18 mounts, including six stakes, three of them graded, also deserved plenty of credit for both of Classic Causeway's victories.

There is no truth to the rumor Lynch plans to keep the rider under lock and key until Classic Causeway's next start.

“He's got a great set of hands and horses settle for him and respond when he calls for them,” Lynch said. “He is a very gifted, talented young man.”

Michael Maker, the trainer of Lambholm South Tampa Bay Derby runner-up Grantham, was proud of the colt's effort, worth 20 “Road to the Kentucky Derby” points. “He ran well, no doubt about it,” said Maker, who added that Grantham's next start will likely come in the Blue Grass or the Kentucky Utilities Transylvania Stakes (G3) on the turf on April 8 at the Lexington track.

Shipsational ran well to finish third, following his second-place effort in the Sam F. Davis, and picked up 10 points. Trainer Edward Barker said the plan is to keep the New York-bred on the Kentucky Derby trail, with his next start in either the $1-million Curlin Florida Derby (G1) on April 2 at Gulfstream Park or the $750,000 Wood Memorial (G2) on April 9 at Aqueduct. With 14 points currently, it is highly probable Shipsational needs another top-three finish to be an automatic Kentucky Derby qualifier.

“Our horse ran a tremendous race – we just lost too much ground on the turns,” Barker said. “(Classic Causeway) is a very good horse, but he had it all his own way and we only got beat (2 ½ lengths). We'll meet him again, I think.”

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Secret Oath Points To Arkansas Derby, ‘Ethereal’ To Blue Grass

After weeks of speculation, Hall of Fame trainer D. Wayne Lukas confirmed Sunday morning that his star 3-year-old filly, Secret Oath, would challenge males for the first time in the $1.25 million Arkansas Derby (G1) at 1 1/8 miles April 2 at Oaklawn Park.

Gary Stevens, the retired Hall of Fame rider turned jockey agent at Oaklawn, broke the news Saturday afternoon in his on-site role as an analyst for Fox Sports' “America's Day at the Races.”

The move to run Secret Oath in the Arkansas Derby, widely expected, means Lukas' top 3-year-old male, Ethereal Road, will be re-routed from the Arkansas Derby to the $1 million Blue Grass Stakes (G1) at 1 1/8 miles April 9 at Keeneland. Ethereal Road finished second, beaten a half-length, in the $1 million Rebel Stakes (G2) Feb. 26, which is the final major local prep for the Arkansas Derby.

Secret Oath, who is from the first crop of deceased champion Arrogate, has been among the most dominant horses at the 2021-2022 Oaklawn meeting after winning a Dec. 31 allowance race by 8 ¼ lengths, $200,000 Martha Washington Stakes Jan. 29 by 7 ¼ lengths and the $300,000 Honeybee Stakes (G3) Feb. 26 by 7 ½ lengths. Secret Oath already has secured a spot in the Kentucky Oaks – the nation's biggest race for 3-year-old fillies – after collecting 60 points for victories in the Martha Washington and Honeybee. Both races were 1 1/16 miles.

Secret Oath had been a candidate for Oaklawn's final Kentucky Oaks prep, the $600,000 Fantasy Stakes (G3) at 1 1/16 miles April 2, before Lukas opted for the Arkansas Derby, with the blessing of Robert and Stacy Mitchell, who bred and own the filly.

“Wayne and I talked about it before the Honeybee,” Robert Mitchell said Saturday afternoon. “We wanted to see what her performance looked like in the Honeybee and we wanted to see what the Rebel looked like and then we wanted to see kind of how she did in her first workout after the Honeybee. We feel like we ought to give her a chance to run against the boys and see how that goes. That's kind of how we thought about it.”

Lukas won the 1984 Arkansas Derby with Althea, a week after she finished second in the Fantasy. Lukas and Stevens teamed to win the 1985 Arkansas Derby with Tank's Prospect and the 1988 Kentucky Derby with another filly, Winning Colors. Lukas now bids for his third Arkansas Derby victory with yet another filly, Secret Oath.

“We don't make these decisions, meaning the owners and myself, we don't make these decisions easily,” Lukas said. “We consider all the things.

“First of all, you want to absolutely think that you are as good as any of the other 3-year-olds that might show up and you don't really know who is going to show up. And then second, you consider that she's here at home. If you're going to step out of the box, that's probably a good spot to do it. She's been successful on this racetrack. The third thing is a million, two-hundred fifty thousand is probably the most attractive purse she'll ever run for. I was thinking the other day that it will be hard to imagine she's going to run for a bigger one, expect in the Breeders' Cup. So, we factored that in.”

Another hook, Lukas said, was timing. The Arkansas Derby had been three weeks before the Kentucky Derby in 1996-2021. It's five weeks this year, a change coinciding with Oaklawn's expanded 66-day racing calendar (Dec. 3-May 8) in 2021-2022. The Kentucky Oaks, which is run May 6, the day before the Kentucky Derby, remains Secret Oath's major spring target, Lukas said.

The Arkansas Derby and Blue Grass will offer 170 points (100-40-20-10) to their top four finishers toward starting eligibility for the Kentucky Derby. A top-two finish in the Arkansas Derby likely would secure Secret Oath a spot in the Kentucky Derby, which is limited to 20 starters.

“I've got the Oaks, anyhow,” Lukas said. “That's where I'm going. We have no plan to run in the Derby now. That's not chiseled in stone, either, but that's the way the Mitchells feel. They don't want to run in a 20-horse field. They feel like the Oaks is every bit as prestigious.”

Secret Oath, in her first work since the Honeybee, breezed a half-mile in :48.40 Tuesday morning. Lukas said she'll likely work at least twice more in advance of the Arkansas Derby. Ethereal Road will continue to train at Oaklawn before shipping to Keeneland April 5, Lukas said. Luis Contreras will retain the mount on both horses, Lukas said.

Ethereal Road ranks ninth on the Kentucky Derby leaderboard with 20 points after his runner-up finish in the Rebel, according to the official list released Saturday by Churchill Downs.

With Secret Oath headed to the Arkansas Derby, trainer Mike Puhich said Sunday morning that Call Me Jamal “probably” will make his next start in the Blue Grass. Call Me Jamal has two 1 1/16-mile victories at the meeting, including a sharp entry-level allowance score Feb. 26. Puhich said the following morning that Call Me Jamal's next start – Arkansas Derby or Blue Grass – would be dictated by Secret Oath's path. Puhich had a pretty good idea then which path Secret Oath would take.

“It's either going to be the Arkansas Derby or the Blue Grass,” Puhich said, referring to Call Me Jamal. “I don't know if I'm interested chasing Wayne's filly around there or not. I guarantee you she'll be in there. He got his Oaks points yesterday. Now, he's got to get his Derby points.”

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We The People To Aim For Major Kentucky Derby Prep

We the People, a promising 3-year-old colt owned by a partnership that includes WinStar Farm, scored a second impressive win Saturday from as many career starts, both at Oaklawn Park, and is headed to a major Kentucky Derby (G1) points race, but when and where haven't been decided, trainer Rodolphe Brisset said Sunday morning.

Ridden by Florent Geroux, the son of WinStar stallion Constitution scored by five lengths from five overmatched rivals in Saturday's fourth race, a 1 1/16 mile allowance optional claiming event. He pressed soft fractions of :23.88 and :48.70 for the first half mile and wrested command by a head as six furlongs went in 1:13.32 before drawing clear through the stretch. Time was 1:43.66 on a fast track. He earned an 83 Beyer Speed Figure.

We the People came in to the Saturday's race off a 5 3/4-length triumph under a hand ride from Geroux his career debut Feb. 12 at the Hot Springs, Arkansas track, going one mile 1:38.93 while upstaging 10 competitors.

“That was the whole plan, be able to gain some seasoning, some experience,” Brisset said. “He broke maybe a step slower than last time and then he didn't make the lead. But Flo got him into the race pretty good and let him do his thing. He didn't use the whip, got him to work through the wire and even an extra sixteenth. Now, we're going to see how he came out of it this morning and the next couple of days we'll have to make some plans, I guess.”

Brisset said the $1.25 million Arkansas Derby (G1) April 2 and $1 million Blue Grass Stakes (G1) April 9 at Keeneland “would be our first choice,” with the $750,000 Santa Anita Derby (G1) April 9 and the $750,000 Wood Memorial Stakes (G2) April 9 at Aqueduct also on the table. All four 1 1/8-mile races will offer 170 points (100-40-20-10) to their top four finishers toward starting eligibility for the May 7 Kentucky Derby. We the People likely would need a top-two finish to secure a spot in the May 7 Kentucky Derby, which is limited to 20 starters.

“We're right in the middle,” Brisset said. “Oaklawn's right in the middle, so we can go left or we can go right. But I think we're going to let the horse tell us. Three weeks to the Arkansas Derby can be a little tricky, but after that we've got five weeks for the big one if he does run 1-2. The four weeks, four weeks is not a bad thing, either, for the Blue Grass. Now, we have to ship him back home. He knows the track there.”

Bred in Kentucky by Henley Farms Inc., We the People is out of the Tiznow mare Letchworth, whose dam is Grade 1 winner Harmony Lodge. Offered at the 2021 Fasig-Tipton Florida March sale of select 2-year-olds in training by Eddie Woods, he was bought for $230,000 by Kenny Trout's WinStar Farm, which campaigns him with partners CMNWLTH (Brian Doxtator and Chase Chamberlin) and Siena Farm (Anthony Manganaro).

Brisset said Yuugiri, his top Kentucky Oaks (G1) prospect, worked well Friday (a half-mile in :48.20) and he's “taking a strong look” at the $600,000 Fantasy Stakes (G3) at 1 1/16 miles April 2. Yuugiri, in her 2022 debut, finished third in the $300,000 Honeybee Stakes (G3) at 1 1/16 miles Feb. 26. The Honeybee and Fantasy are Oaklawn's final two major preps for the Kentucky Oaks.

Yuugiri has 14 points to rank 16th on the official Kentucky Oaks leaderboard released Saturday by Churchill Downs. The Kentucky Oaks, the nation's biggest race for 3-year-old fillies, is limited to 14 starters.

The Fantasy will offer 170 points (100-40-20-10) to its top four finishers toward starting eligibility for the May 6 Kentucky Oaks.

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