Saudi veterans White Abarrio, Book'em Danno on hold for now

White Abarrio and Book’em Danno were released from quarantine Thursday night following their trips to Saudi Arabia, and their trainers are not in a rush to return them to the races.

White Abarrio was certainly a major disappointment in the $20 million Saudi Cup on Feb. 24, finishing 10th, beaten 15 lengths by Senor Buscador, with no apparent excuse. The horse was expected to arrive Friday afternoon at Belmont Park, and trainer Rick Dutrow said he would wait to see how he trains before even thinking about picking a spot. White Abarrio has not been in New York since early September, when he shipped out to Santa Anita to prepare for the Breeders’ Cup Classic, which he won on Nov. 4.

“It’ll take a while to figure out how he’s doing,” Dutrow said Friday. “It wouldn’t make any sense to pick a race for him. He’s coming out of a horrible race out of the desert. The thing to do is let them lead the way. Once they’ve shown you that they’re ready to run, then you pick up a [condition] book and you look. That’s the way I want to do it with every one of my horses, always.

“I can’t wait to see him,” Dutrow added. “He was in a quarantine place we weren’t happy about; couldn’t get any training, don’t like that at all. We’ll get him this afternoon. I wish the track was open this afternoon because I’d send him to it. He’s going to have to wait till tomorrow, he must be bored out of his mind.”

The Saudi Cup was White Abarrio’s first start since the Breeders’ Cup Classic. Naturally, Dutrow was extremely disappointed in the result.

“I can’t come up with anything for you as far as an excuse goes,” Dutrow said.

On a different note, Dutrow confirmed he was allotted 12 stalls at Keeneland for the upcoming spring meet.

“We’re very happy about that, hopefully stay in Kentucky for a long time,” Dutrow said. “I’m very happy to have that in front of us. We’re very excited.”

Dutrow said his Keeneland division will include horses he has based in California and ones in New York who have not handled the Aqueduct surface.

Book’em Danno, beaten a head by Forever Young in the $1.5 million Saudi Derby, was going to spend a week at a farm in Kentucky before returning to trainer Derek Ryan’s barn at Tampa Bay Downs.

Ryan said Book’em Danno would likely get some time in a hyperbaric chamber when he arrives at the farm.

Ryan didn’t have a concrete plan for Book’em Danno, though he said he wants to make the two graded sprints this summer at Saratoga – the Grade 2 Amsterdam at 6 1/2 furlongs typically run in late July and then the Grade 1 H. Allen Jerkens, likely to be run on Aug. 24 on the Travers undercard.

Ryan said he wasn’t sure where and when the horse would run beforehand. Races like the Grade 1 Woody Stephens at Saratoga on June 8 and maybe something even earlier, such as the Grade 3, $200,000 Chick Lang on May 18 at Pimlico, are possible.

“We have lots of options,” Ryan said.

Regarding the Saudi Derby, Ryan said Book’em Danno and Irad Ortiz Jr. didn’t see Forever Young flying at him from the outside.

“We hit the front a little too soon, and that’s a long stretch,” Ryan said. “I warned [Ortiz] this is a long stretch. Everything went to plan except the photo finish.”

Book’em Danno has four wins and two seconds from six starts. He won the Smoke Glacken at Monmouth and the off-the-turf Futurity at Aqueduct, both at six furlongs. He was beaten three-quarters of a length when second in the one-mile Nashua Stakes on Nov. 5 at Aqueduct.

Prior to the Saudi Derby, Book’em Danno won the seven-furlong Pasco Stakes by 12 1/2 lengths at Tampa.