Cornett discusses White Abarrio setback, plans for 4 others

An illness is what led connections to postpone postpone White Abarrio’s return that had been expected next weekend in the Belmont at the Big A meet.

Mark Cornett, racing manager of C2 Racing Stable, explained why the 2023 Breeders’ Cup Classic winner will not contest the seven-furlong John A. Nerud (G2) on Saturday.

“We are not going there. He was sick and has to get over that first. We’ll be looking for a new spot at the appropriate time whenever that may be,” Cornett said. “We are taking it day by day, letting the horse tell us what to do. Whenever his blood work gets right and he gets over whatever this is that he has.” 

A multiple Grade 1 winner for C2, Prince Faisal and Antonio Pagnano, White Abarrio was a distant fifth last out in the Met Mile (G1) on the Belmont Stakes undercard June 8 at Saratoga for trainer Rick Dutrow. The next day he was moved to his previous conditioner Saffie Joseph Jr.

The 5-year-old Race Day multimillionaire, who entered off a puzzling 10th overseas in the Saudi Cup (G1) on Feb. 24, was pointed for a cutback in distance before the decision to postpone.

Last year White Abarrio won when cutting back to seven furlongs in a March optional claimer at Gulfstream Park after an off-the-board finish in the 1 1/8-mile Pegasus World Cup Invitational (G1) there in January 2023. He went on to run third in the Met Mile at Belmont Park before a pair of Grade 1 scores in the 1 1/8-mile Whitney at Saratoga and the 1 1/4-mile Breeders’ Cup Classic at Santa Anita.

C2 will have upcoming action at Belmont at the Big A with Mystic Lake, entered in Thursday’s $175,000 Victory Ride (G3), and Lure Him In, set to contest Friday’s $200,000 Brooklyn (G2).

Mystic Lake will carry a field-high 122 pounds from post 1 vs. four rivals in the 6 1/2-furlong sprint for sophomore fillies. Trained by Joseph, she made the grade last out with a 4 1/2-length, gate-to-wire score from post 1 of 12 under returning rider Flavien Prat in the Miss Preakness (G3) on May 17 at Pimlico.

“She came out of the 1 hole in the Miss Preakness when she won that,” said Cornett, who co-owns with Stefania Farms. “She is an older filly now. They mature. She’s run good races before. She is just doing it against better horses now, and we hope she can carry it over.”

The Florida-bred Mo Town dark bay utilized pacesetting tactics to capture a pair of seven-furlong stakes at Tampa Bay Downs in the Gasparilla in January and the state-bred Sophomore Fillies in March. The $130,000 OBS March purchase is out of the Itsmyluckyday mare Salty Soul.

C2, Double B Racing Stables, Paul Braverman and Mach 1 Racing Stables’ Lure Him In seeks his first graded triumph on the heels of back-to-back fourths in Grade 3 company at less than marathon distances for Joseph. The 7-year-old Khozan gelding was defeated by 4 1/2 lengths last out in the Steve Sexton Mile (G3) on May 27 at Lone Star Park, two months after a similar result in the 1 1/16-mile Ghostzapper at Gulfstream Park.

“I think naturally he will be forwardly placed, sitting up on the lead, second or third, right off the pace,” Cornett said. “I think he will be able to carry his speed one mile-and-three-eighths, one mile-and-a-half in these races. We will find out. You never know until they do it, but we will find out.”

Cornett added that Soul of an Angel, who was fifth in the Ogden Phipps (G1) on the Belmont Stakes undercard, will look to the Molly Pitcher (G3) on July 20 at Monmouth Park. She may run into reigning champion older mare Idiomatic who looks to avenge a head defeat to Randomized in the Phipps. The rival Soul of an Angel closed to win by 4 3/4 lengths in the Ruffian (G2) in May at Aqueduct.

“Randomized got out on the front end in the Phipps on a speed-favoring track. (Soul of an Angel) was back, made kind of a middle move inside the sixteenth pole but then flattened out a bit,” Cornett said. “We are pointing her to the Molly Pitcher, so it looks like she’ll run against Idiomatic again.”

Cornett added that he hopes Soul of an Angel, owned in partnership with Agave Racing Stable, will get a better chance to employ her late turn of foot.

“That is her style. She’s going to be in the back of the pack and is a one-run-closer type of horse,” he said.

C2 and Mathis Stable’s juvenile filly The Queens M G also was seen at the Belmont Stakes racing festival finishing off the board as the favorite in the 5 1/2-furlong Astoria won by Whatintheliteral. The effort marked her stakes bow and her debut for Joseph. She won at first asking in a 4 1/2-furlong sprint in April for conditioner Israel Acevedo at Keeneland, where Whatintheliteral was a distant fifth.

Cornett said the daughter of Thousand Words will have her sights set on the listed $175,000 Schuylerville, a six-furlong sprint for juvenile fillies on opening day July 11 at Saratoga.

“She came out of her race sick but has come back well, and we are pointing her to the Schuylerville. She beat the winner of the stake by 13 lengths the last time they ran against each other,” Cornett said. “Our filly got banged around out of the gate. Whether it was that or being sick, she just didn’t fire. We will put her back there (in the Schuylerville) and see what we’ve got.”