“Still Too Early to Think”: Days After Major Grade 1 Stakes Victory, Equestrian Trainer Worth $37,136,615 Reveals Future Plans

On Saturday in Saratoga, the Grade 1 Whitney Stakes was won by a flying pegasus without wings. White Abarrio, a four-year-old, swept by the rest of the field in the first turn and continued to lead the Grade 1 equestrian race until the final stretch. The achievement the horse accomplished gave jockey Irad Ortiz Jr. and trainer Richard Dutrow Jr. another huge triumph. Former trainer Saffie Joseph Jr., who has a staggering $37,136,615 in career earnings and is responsible for turning White Abarrio into a Grade 1 stunner, was the happiest person in the room.

Everyone connected with the horse felt a sense of pride when it won the Grade 1 Whitney Stakes. The beautiful horse has accomplished a great deal in just 14 races, but its future remained unclear until its former trainer provided an explanation.

Distance can’t break their strong bond

Trainer Saffie Joseph Jr.’s relationship with multiple Grade 1 stakes winner White Abarrio is complicated. Sanctions imposed on Joseph by Churchill Downs and the New York Racing Association (NYRA) led to the separation of the horse and his equestrian trainer. Despite their physical distance from one another, the trainer nevertheless enjoyed seeing his horse win races without him. This spring, the million-dollar trainer was hit with sanctions when two of his horses died at Churchill Downs, the site of the Kentucky Derby. But on Saturday, months later, Joseph witnessed his former student win the Grade 1 stakes with ease.

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Joseph began his talk with DRF by emphasizing the horse’s first Grade 1 stakes victory, which came in last year’s Curlin Florida Derby presented by Hill ‘n’ Dale Farms at Xalapa (Gr. 1). The trainer didn’t discount the stallion’s future potential and called the victory “well deserved.” He elaborated on how he lost the horse because of penalties in the 2022 Kentucky Derby but said he was fine with it because “this was all part of the process.” In addition, Joseph emphasizes the stallion by calling him a “steady kind of horse.” As the conversation comes to a close, the equestrian trainer says, “He’ll come back here with us at Saratoga, although it’s still too early to think about what we might do with him next.”

The Grade 1 victory was a significant boost to the horse’s already impressive record. Expectations and wagers on the horse would be quite high after his next race because of his promising future.

A remarkable equestrian race

On Saturday at Saratoga, the Grade 1 Whitney Stakes was anticipated by the equestrian community. The 1 1/8-mile race was about to begin, and the prize money was a whopping $1,000,000. The starting gates opened, and Giant Game took the lead until the first turn, when White Abarrio passed him. These two horses fought for some time, as neither was willing to give up the lead.

Giant Game and White Abarrio were neck and neck for first place up to the very end. White Abarrio, on the other hand, sped up and pulled ahead of his rival in the last stretch of the 1 1/8-mile race. White Abarrio picked up the slack as Giant Game faded, and he crossed the finish line first to win the Grade 1 stakes by 6 1/4 lengths.

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