Photo:

Jason Moran / Eclipse Sportswire

At this time last year, White Abarrio was one of the best horses in America if not the very best. After an extremely forgettable 2024 season, we may have seen the 5-year-old showing signs of coming back to life with a sharp allowance performance Friday afternoon at Gulfstream Park.

Always a bit of an enigma, the near white son of Race Day admittedly faced little in the allowance race. It’s too early to get overly excited. On the other hand, the way the 2023 Breeders’ Cup Classic winner sprinted down the stretch of his home track lends optimism for what lies ahead.

The victory also marked White Abarrio’s first start back in the stable of Saffie Joseph Jr. An interesting runner on numerous levels, it was the second time he has moved to the South Florida-based trainer from another barn.

Purchased by Clint and Mark Cornett’s C2 Racing and partners after an impressive debut win back in September of 2021 for trainer Carlos Pérez, he ran 11 times in his first stint for Joseph.

When his trainer was temporarily barred from both Churchill Downs and New York Racing Association tracks after two of his horses died suddenly just days apart in the lead up to the 2023 Kentucky Derby, the ownership team moved their best horse to the barn of Rick Dutrow in May 2023. After two dull performances early this year, they returned him to Joseph this June.

Unbeaten in one career start for his original trainer, the horse who once sold for only $7,500 as a yearling has been good for each of his barns but not always consistent.

It was Dutrow who brought out the absolute best of White Abarrio with a romping win in last year’s Grade 1 Whitney at Saratoga and a clear-cut score in the $6 million Breeders’ Cup Classic at Santa Anita.

The 4-year-old version of White Abarrio fell just short to the popular miler Cody’s Wish in the race for older dirt-male champion as well as horse of the year, but certainly more big things were expected from the White Abarrio, who would stay in training in 2024.

A perusal of his past performances tells the tale of a brilliant runner but one who does not always bring his best on race day. We first saw evidence of this when White Abarrio returned to Churchill Downs for the 2022 Kentucky Derby.

Solid victories early in the season in the Holy Bull Stakes (G3) and the Florida Derby (G1) under the care of Joseph made him one of the horses to watch in the run for the roses, but amid the hoopla that is the Derby, he never ran his race and finished 16th of 20.

Perhaps that experience brought out the mental demons of the talented horse as it was the first of six consecutive losses in graded-stakes competition. There were a few good efforts in there, like a near miss in the 2022 Cigar Mile (G1), but the Grade 1 winner became a largely forgotten horse after a poor performance in the 2023 Pegasus World Cup Invitational (G1).

It’s fair to call White Abarrio a horse-for-course at Gulfstream Park. Friday’s return score was his sixth victory in seven starts there, but that flop in the Pegasus was more reason to wonder what happens to him on certain days.

It’s also interesting to note that while Gulfstream is clearly his favorite track, his two biggest career victories in the Whitney and Breeders’ Cup Classic came at Saratoga and Santa Anita, respectively. Like I said, he is a bit of an enigma.

Perhaps a trip to Saudi Arabia was not enjoyable for White Abarrio. The money is certainly tempting, but some horses want no part of running so far from home.

A 10th-place finish in the $20 million Saudi Cup (G1) this year was followed by an equally dull, fifth-place result in the Met Mile (G1), and it was time for him to go back to Joseph.

A physical setback kept him away from the races for 5 1/2 months, but now White Abarrio is back. He looked the part of a Grade 1 type of horse in the 10 1/4-length romp going seven furlongs under rider Irad Ortiz Jr. on Friday.

Keep in mind that it was a similarly sharp allowance score at the same track and distance in March 2023 while still under the care of Joseph. That kick-started his big season with Dutrow.

After Friday’s return win, Joseph indicated the Harlan’s Holiday Stakes (G3) on Dec. 21 likely would be his next race. A solid effort there would give him another shot in the $3 million Pegasus on Jan. 25 and the prospect of facing some very heavy hitters.

Can White Abarrio become top shelf again? It’s certainly been an up-and-down ride in the last three-plus years, but it was hard not to like what I saw in his return race.

Perhaps back on track in more ways than one, his prospects seem to have taken another positive turn.

A winner of 8 of 18 lifetime and better than $5.2 million, you never know for sure what you are going to get from him. But at his best, White Abarrio is one of the best.