Jockey change for White Abarrio: Zayas will replace Santana

SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. - In a rare move, the connections of White Abarrio have made a day-of-race jockey change on White Abarrio in Sunday’ s $1 million Jockey Club Gold Cup at Saratoga, electing to ride Edgard Zayas instead of Ricardo Santana Jr., who had been named at time of entry last Sunday.

Saffie Joseph Jr., the trainer of White Abarrio, said he and the owners felt “more comfortable” riding Zayas than Santana. Joseph and Zayas have enjoyed a lot of success together in Florida. Zayas, who won three races at Saratoga on Saturday - including one for Joseph - was named on four horses at Kentucky Downs (after scratches) on Sunday as well as two at Gulfstream Park. Two of his calls at Kentucky Downs were for Joseph.

Zayas rode White Abarrio twice as a 2-year-old in 2021, winning an allowance race at Gulfstream and finishing third in the Grade 2 Kentucky Jockey Club at Churchill Downs, his first two starts for Joseph following a private purchase and transfer.

The owners of White Abarrio, Mark Cornett’s C2 Racing, Gary Barber and La Milagrosa, agreed to pay a double jockey’s mount fee, meaning whatever White Abarrio earns in the Gold Cup, the same percentage that would go to Zayas will go to Santana.

“We’re more comfortable with Edgard, that’s basically it,” Joseph said. “Ricardo will be paid double jocks’ fee, as is fair to him.”

According to P.J. Campo, the agent for Santana, some of the owners and Joseph met with Santana on Saturday and following that meeting they told Campo they were not confident Santana would ride the horse the way they wanted him to be ridden.

“We’re a little disappointed, but at the end of the day we knew it was a one-shot deal,” Campo said. “We wish them luck and hope the horse runs well and move on.”

Santana, who did work White Abarrio once, is enjoying a terrific Saratoga meet having ridden 37 winners, good enough for fourth in the standings heading into the final two days of the meet.

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