If there is such a thing as home-course advantage in horse racing, then it is no surprise that White Abarrio won the $3 million Pegasus World Cup Invitational on Saturday at Gulfstream Park. He accelerated easily in the stretch to win by 6¼ lengths.
It was White Abarrio’s ninth win in 20 starts, including a win in the 2023 Breeders’ Cup Classic at Santa Anita. He has won seven times in nine races at Gulfstream Park. The previous Gulfstream highlight came in 2022 when he won the Florida Derby. The Pegasus World Cup is the richest race in the country, outside of the Breeders’ Cup. White Abarrio, ridden by Irad Ortiz, Jr. paid $7.60 to win.
Locked was second, followed by Skippylongstocking, also trained by Saffie Joseph Jr., Mixto, trained by Santa Anita-based Doug O’Neill, Saudi Crown, Steal Sunshine, Crupi, Power Squeeze, Kentucky Derby winner Mystik Dan, Santa Anita Derby winner Stronghold, trained by Phil D’Amato, and Newgrange.
Read more: After an up-and-down career, White Abarrio takes victory in Breeders’ Cup Classic
“He needed to break,” Joseph said about White Abarrio. “He didn’t break the last couple times and the break was going to be important. And he was able to get his dream trip. Once he gets into the clear, that’s when he really runs normally his best race. Everything aligned today. I’m just thankful to experience this”
It was also the second big win of the day for trainer Joseph, who also won the $500,000 Pegasus World Cup Filly and Mare Turf Invitational with Be Your Best ($16.80 to win).
This is the second go-around for Joseph, who had the horse through March 2023 when he was moved to trainer Rick Dutrow, who won the Classic with the 6-year-old horse. But two bad starts in the Saudi Cup (10th) and Met Mile (fifth) caused the owners to move the horse back to Joseph.
Saudi Crown broke on top and held the lead in the 1 1/8-mile race until the top of the stretch when White Abarrio easily dispatched him by widening lengths.
Spirit of St. Louis ($17.80) won the $1 million World Cup Turf Invitational for trainer Chad Brown by a neck. There were three Southern California horses in the race, none of which hit the board. Mi Hermano Ramon, for Mark Glatt, was fourth; Balnikov, trained by Phil D’Amato was 10th and Formidable Man, for Michael McCarthy was 12th and last.
Be Your Best finished a nose in front in the 1 1/8-mile race Filly and Mare Turf Invitational. The 5-year-old mare ran just off the leader and then made her move with about a sixteenth of a mile to go and just got up at the wire.
Watchtower, trained by Richard Baltas, was the only Southern California entrant in Turf Invitational. She finished ninth in the 11-horse race. Watchtower’s best race was in October at Santa Anita, where she won the Autumn Miss Stakes.
Read more: Southern California-based horses pull off a triple-win at Eclipse Awards
D’Amato had one other horse run on Saturday. Rockemperor finished 11th in the 12-horse William L. Knight Stakes for horses going 1 ½ miles on the turf. Goldeneye was a scratch for trainer Peter Eurton.
O’Neill’s Mucho Del Oro was bumped at the start and was never really involved in the race finishing sixth in the Gulfstream Park Turf Sprint. The 10-time winner (in 20 races) was the third betting favorite in the five-furlong race.
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This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.
