White Abarrio likely for Florida Derby, Make It Big heads to Sam F. Davis

HALLANDALE BEACH, Fla. - It was thumbs up all around on Sunday for trainer Saffie Joseph Jr.’s two top 3-year-old prospects White Abarrio and Make It Big. The former was in good order following his one-sided victory the previous afternoon in the Grade 3 Holy Bull, and the latter was confirmed for next Saturday’s Grade 3 Sam F. Davis Stakes at Tampa Bay Downs following a strong half-mile work earlier Sunday morning.

White Abarrio put his name squarely in the Kentucky Derby conversation after rallying to a 4 1/2-length victory over the slow-starting Simplification in the 1 1/16-mile Holy Bull. The performance was arguably even stronger than it looked on paper, considering White Abarrio had missed a couple of scheduled works in the weeks leading up to the race. Despite less-than-ideal preparations, White Abarrio posted far and away a career-best Beyer Speed Figure of 97 for his third victory in four starts. His lone loss came in his 2-year-old finale, a third-place finish in the Grade 2 Kentucky Jockey Club Stakes 10 weeks earlier.

“He definitely exceeded expectations with his performance yesterday, considering his preparations didn’t go according to plans and he missed not one but two scheduled works,” Joseph said after training hours on Sunday. “To be honest, I would have been happy if he’d finished second or third, beaten a couple of lengths, because I would have known he would have been good enough to win if everything had gone right coming into the race.”

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Joseph all but confirmed what he had pretty much suggested would be the case immediately after the race, that White Abarrio would bypass the Grade 2 Fountain of Youth and go straight to the Florida Derby on April 2.

“I spoke to the owners at dinner last night and I’m more convinced that waiting for the Florida Derby is the right move,” Joseph said. “He’s a horse who runs well with time between starts, it would give him about the same time he had coming into this race. Plus it would make the Kentucky Derby his third start if he were fortunate enough to get there, which theoretically should be his best.”

Make It Big is perfect in three starts but idle since capturing Remington Park’s Springboard Mile on December 17. The Sam Davis has always been the goal for his 3-year-old debut, although Joseph was having some second thoughts after a disappointing five-furlong work here last week.

But with jockey Jose Ortiz aboard, Make It Big breezed an easy half-mile in 49.18 over a drying-out track that still had some moisture in it when he came out shortly after 9 a.m. on Sunday, rating off a lesser mate before finishing well, his final quarter in :24.15 going totally on his own, before galloping out five furlongs in 1:01.93.

“He did everything he needed to this morning, I see no reason not to send him to the Sam Davis,” Joseph said. “I breezed him with a little easier work horse this week and he did it the right way, sat in the bridle early and finished up well.”

Ortiz, who rode Make It Big for the first time at Remington, will have the mount again in the Sam Davis.

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Trainer Antonio Sano said Simplification was also doing well the morning after his hard-luck, second-place finish in the Holy Bull. Simplification turned in a strong effort despite losing his best chance when breaking last, forcing him out of his comfort zone, and coming from off the pace after having won the one-mile Mucho Macho Man in wire-to-wire fashion four weeks earlier.

“My horse ran great,” Sano said after saddling the winner of the first race here Sunday. “The horse who won (White Abarrio) is an excellent horse, but if my horse broke better, the race is different. Javier (Castellano) did the right thing after that and my horse proved he can run well in front or from behind.”

Sano said Simplification would return in the Fountain of Youth on March 5.

“After this, he has to run in the Fountain of Youth,” said Sano, who will be hoping history will repeat itself in this year’s edition of the important Kentucky Derby prep. Sano sent out Gunnevera to finish second in the 2017 Holy Bull before returning to dominate the Fountain of Youth by nearly six lengths four weeks later, also with Castellano in the saddle.