White Abarrio continues prep for Saudi Cup

With a month to go before a start in the richest race of his career, White Abarrio was pronounced fit for the $20 million Saudi Cup by trainer Richard Dutrow, Jr., on Friday.

White Abarrio worked five furlongs in 1:00.40 under exercise rider Emily Ellingwood at Santa Anita on Friday, the 5-year-old’s sixth workout since Christmas Eve for the Saudi Cup at about 1 1/8 miles on dirt in Saudi Arabia on Feb. 24.

“He is ready right now and he’s been ready,” Dutrow said. “It’s all just easy, good stuff. There is nothing we have to catch up on. There is nothing we have to worry about other than how he takes the plane flight.”

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White Abarrio, the winner of the Breeders’ Cup Classic at Santa Anita last November in his most recent start, worked alone under Ellingwood.

“She told me that he felt unbelievable,” said Dutrow, who remained on the East Coast on Friday. “I’ve got all the videos” of the work.

“I’m as happy as I can be,” he said. “It’s thrilling to watch him do his thing. He looks so fluid and so happy and so into it.”

White Abarrio is scheduled to be flown to Saudi Arabia on Feb. 13 and will have additional works at Santa Anita before departure. Specifics of those workouts were not a concern for Dutrow on Friday.

“It looks like two more,” he said. “I haven’t done all the XYZ’s. It doesn’t matter.”

Having White Abarrio ready a month early could be beneficial. There are forecasts for rain in California next weekend.

White Abarrio finished second to Cody’s Wish in balloting for 2023 Horse of the Year, a ceremony held in Florida on Thursday evening.

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