Mufasa rebounds with upset of White Abarrio in Mr. Prospector

HALLANDALE BEACH, Fla. - Mufasa bounced back from a disappointing performance in the Breeders’ Cup Dirt Mile and did so in a big way, upsetting the odds-on, Pegasus Invitational-bound White Abarrio by 1 1/4 lengths to win the $165,000 Mr. Prospector Saturday at Gulfstream Park.

Mufasa punched his ticket into the Breeders’ Cup with a convincing and one-sided 4 1/4-length victory in the Grade 3 Vosburgh early this fall at Aqueduct. But the Chilean-bred could not replicate that effort in the Dirt Mile, where he was never a serious factor, finishing 11th of 13, after racing rankly around the opening turn.

Mufasa benefitted from an absolute picture-perfect trip in the Grade 3 Mr. Prospector under jockey Tyler Gaffalione, breaking alertly, then rating just off the early pace of Super Chow. Mufasa engaged the leader approaching the quarter pole, moved well clear while kept wide into the stretch before maintaining a safe advantage to the end.

White Abarrio, the 2-5 favorite, hesitated a bit at the start before dropping well off the early leaders in the run down the backstretch. The 2023 Breeders’ Cup Classic winner finally began to advance between horses on the turn, angled out to the center of the track to continue his rally at the top of the stretch, finished resolutely but was left with too much to do at the end. The 70-1 Little Vic, forwardly placed from the outset, continued willingly, finishing just another neck behind the heavy favorite to be third.

Mufasa is owned in partnership by Carlos Saavedra and Stud Vendaval Inc. Final time for the seven furlongs was 1:22.47 seconds over a fast track. He paid $10.20.

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“I saw the horse that I saw in the Vosburgh and I saw in the race at Colonial Downs,” Correas said. “I thought that was probably my mistake thinking it was better to go two turns (in the Breeders’ Cup) than stay sprinting. We talked with the owners and that was the decision we made. Probably not the right one. We’re going to keep him sprinting and see where he takes us.”

Trainer Saffie Joseph Jr. took White Abarrio’s surprising setback in stride.

“He didn’t break. Irad (Ortiz) said he (White Abarrio) raised his head right before the gate opened, they settled him again, and he did it again as they opened the gate,” Joseph said. “Last time he broke a little tardy, too. I don’t know if he wasn’t settled. But that’s racing.”

Joseph said that considering the circumstances he was pleased with his horse’s performance in a race that served as a final prep for White Abarrio’s next start in the 1 1/8-mile, $3 million Pegasus World Cup on Jan. 25.

“He came from an impossible position, in my opinion. He’s never been that far back in his life,” Joseph said. “You always want to win, but he ran hard. As much dirt as he took, I was happy to see him run through that. He looked like he was finishing as good as you can finish.”

Just a Care, purchased last month out of the Keeneland November Breeding Stock sale, returned quick dividends to her new connections, Victorian Farm LLC., when rallying off a rapid pace to a 1 1/2-length victory over Karaya in the $115,000 Abundantia Stakes. The same ownership group bought Stone Silent out of the same sale to capture the Abundantia a year earlier.

Just a Care, an Irish-bred daughter of Australia, won three of eight starts prior to going under the gavel at the Keeneland sale for $200,000 eight weeks ago. And like Stone Silent last winter, she was turned over to Brian Lynch, who prepared her for her victory in the Abundantia.

With Junior Alvarado aboard for the first time, Just a Care rated off a lively pace, 20.37 seconds and 42.60 for the opening quarter and half-mile, set by Shootoutthelights. Just a Care circled widest while commencing her bid on the final bend, switched leads a bit late, but finished full of run down the center of the course to readily overtake the tiring leader and win going away

Karaya raced about a half-dozen lengths off the early leader, also came wide with her bid into the stretch, finished willingly behind and outside the winner and was second-best. Shootoutthelights held on to finish third, 1 1/2 lengths in front of the 8-5 Twirling Queen, who was a disappointing fourth after being hung wide throughout.

Just a Care completed five furlongs over the firm course in 54.15 and returned $9.60.

“Everything worked out fantastic, I don’t know if it was by design, but she wound up in the right spot at the right time and had enough punch when she needed it,” Lynch said. “It got a little scary halfway around the turn, it looked like she wanted to drift out a little bit, but she showed how game she was. We were looking for a filly to replace (Stone Silent) and it looks like we found the right one.”

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