White Abarrio wins $3 million Pegasus World Cup with dominant performance at Gulfstream

HALLANDALE BEACH, Fla. (AP) — White Abarrio won the $3 million Pegasus World Cup by 6 1/4 lengths at Gulfstream on Saturday.

He ran 1 1/8 miles in 1:48.05 under jockey Irad Ortiz Jr., who earned his third career Pegasus victory.

Sent off at 5-2 odds, White Abarrio paid $7.60, $3.80 and $3.

Locked returned $3.20 and $2.40, while Skippylongstocking was a neck back in third and paid $4.40.

Kentucky Derby winner Mystik Dan finished ninth in the 11-horse field, making him 0 for 4 since his biggest win last May.

White Abarrio hit the apex of his career in 2023, when he won the $6 million Breeders’ Cup Classic as well as the Whitney at Saratoga for trainer Rick Dutrow. The horse won the Florida Derby at Gulfstream in 2022.

The horse had been transferred when his Florida-based trainer Saffie Joseph Jr. was barred from racing at Churchill Downs and in New York after two of his horses died suddenly 48 hours apart in races at Churchill in the weeks leading up to the 2023 Kentucky Derby.

White Abarrio’s owners wanted to run him in the Met Mile at Belmont, so they chose the New York-based Dutrow to oversee him. Joseph was cleared and the horse went back to his barn last June.

“Today he was spectacular,” said a teary-eyed Joseph, who also trains Skippylongstocking. “I’m just thankful.”

In the $1 million Pegasus Turf, Spirit of St Louis edged Integration by a neck.

The 6-year-old gelding ran 1 1/8 miles on turf in 1:44.50, just off the track record of 1:44.45 set by last year’s winner Warm Heart. He paid $17.80 to win at 7-1 odds.

Spirit of St Louis was ridden by Tyler Gaffalione and trained by Chad Brown, who won the Eclipse Award as the nation’s outstanding trainer earlier in the week.

Chasing the Crown was third.

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AP horse racing: https://apnews.com/hub/horse-racing