White Abarrio, after poor Whitney showing, could be done racing

SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. - After White Abarrio finished last in Saturday’s Grade 1 Whitney Stakes - his second straight poor performance - his connections are expected to meet this week to discuss the future of the 7-year-old horse, including the possibility of retiring him from racing.

Trainer Saffie Joseph Jr. said White Abarrio was sitting a good trip in the Whitney, “made a brief run for a second-and-a-half, and was completely empty,” Joseph said.

White Abarrio coughed many times after the race and an endoscopic examination revealed a trace of mucus in his tracheal.

“It’s disappointing for him to run like that, but I'm not disappointed in the overall achievement of the horse,” Joseph said. “You’re never going to be disappointed in that. He came back safe and sound, that’s the most important thing.”

White Abarrio’s showing came after his fourth-place finish in the Grade 1 Stephen Foster. Joseph said the owners, which include Mark Cornett’s C2 Racing Stable, Gary Barber and La Milagrosa Stable, will discuss the son of Race Day’s future. In June it was announced that White Abarrio would stand stud at Gainesway Farm in Lexington, Ky.

“If that is his last race - it is a high possibility - then the journey’s been a fun journey and he retires healthy and sound,” Joseph said. “He’ll have a new chapter for us to look forward to in the future and be excited about.”

If White Abarrio is done racing, he will retire with a record of 11-3-3 from 28 starts and earnings of $8,598,170. His career accomplishments include Grade 1 victories in the 2022 Florida Derby, the 2023 Whitney and Breeders’ Cup Classic, and this year’s Grade 2 Oaklawn Handicap.

Meanwhile, Joseph on Sunday worked his pair of older horses aiming for the Grade 1 Pacific Classic at Del Mar on Aug. 22. Forged Steel, who scratched out of the Whitney, worked a half-mile in 47.41 seconds over Saratoga’s main track. Navajo Warrior, coming off a win in the Cornhusker, worked a half-mile in 48.90 seconds.

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