White Abarrio stays strong in stretch to win the Florida Derby by 1 1/4 lengths

The Kentucky Derby image turned clearer on Saturday as no less than six horses possible certified for the world’s most well-known horse race.

Maybe essentially the most resilient efficiency was by White Abarrio, who break up horses within the stretch and held off Cost It to win the $1-million Florida Derby by 1 1/4 lengths at Gulfstream Park.

The texture-good story of the day, a filly beating the boys within the $1.25-million Arkansas Derby, didn’t occur as High quality Highway completed third behind Cyberknife and Barber Highway. Coach Wayne Lukas, who received the 1988 Kentucky Derby with a filly, Successful Colours, hoped to repeat historical past however it possible received’t occur.

A 3rd-place end will get you 20 factors, which possible received’t be sufficient to qualify for the Derby. However High quality Highway simply has sufficient factors in filly qualifying races to make the beginning area of the Kentucky Oaks.

The trail to profitable the Florida Derby didn’t go in accordance with a standard script for White Abarrio. After profitable the Holy Bull Stakes by 4 1/2 lengths on Feb. 5, coach Saffie Joseph Jr. was pressured to skip the Fountain of Youth, the conventional subsequent step between the Holy Bull Stakes and Florida Derby.

“Going into the Holy Bull … we had missed two works,” Joseph stated. “We have been giving up an enormous health edge. To see him win that day, I assumed it was exceptional. He ran such a giant race, we figured if he’s ok and in a position to win that race, he must be ok to offer him a great probability to win the Florida Derby.”

As soon as once more, issues didn’t go precisely as deliberate.

“All the things went excellent from then till 12 days in the past, and we had a hiccup,” Joseph stated of White Abarrio growing a slight fever. “At the back of your thoughts, you’re like, geez, we must always have run him within the Fountain of Youth, however it labored out.”

Jockey Tyler Gaffalione, using White Abarrio for the second time, was emotional after the race.

“I don’t even know what to say proper now,” Gaffalione stated. “I really feel like I’m on cloud 9. That is all my childhood desires come true. To win the Florida Derby, rising up down right here, it’s simply so wonderful.”

The highway to the Kentucky Derby is in its remaining levels with races price 100 factors to the winner and 40 factors for second. The winners undoubtedly have sufficient factors to make the 20-horse beginning area on Might 7. Forty factors is normally sufficient to additionally make the sphere. If Cost It, skilled by Todd Pletcher, goes to Louisville, he might be one of many few non-stakes winners within the race.

White Abarrio paid $7.80, $4.20 and $2.80. Simplification, the favourite, was third and Pappacap was fourth within the 11-horse race going 1 1/8 miles.

In Arkansas, Cyberknife paid $13.60, $7.00 and $3.60. Doppleganger, operating his first race for coach Tim Yakteen after being transferred from the barn of Bob Baffert, completed fourth.

Within the day’s different main stakes race, Tiz the Bomb ($5.20 to win) got here off the tempo to win the $600,000 Jeff Ruby Steaks at Turfway Park by 2 1/4 lengths over Tawny Port. The race isn’t normally a path to profitable the Kentucky Derby as a result of the race is run on an artificial floor, not like the grime tracks on the main qualifiers. Kenny McPeek was the profitable coach and Brian Hernandez Jr. was the jockey.

Subsequent Saturday would be the remaining three main qualifying races headed by the Santa Anita Derby, the place Forbidden Kingdom will meet Messier. The opposite main races for 3-year-olds that day are the Blue Grass Stakes at Keeneland and the Wooden Memorial at Aqueduct.