A sharp, last-place finish in the 7-furlong Mr. Prospector Stakes (G3) set him up for a dominant 6 1/4-length romp in the $3 million Pegasus.
This year? Not so much.
Heading to the post for the January 24 edition of the 1 1/8 mile stakes on Gulfstream Park It’s been tumultuous, to say the least, for a horse owned by C2 Racing Stable, Gary Barber and La Milagrosa Stable.
“Last year he came into the Pegasus with a close second place, and this year he’s coming off a strong start in the post parade at the Breeders’ Cup,” trainer Saffie Joseph Jr. said. “It’s another way to get him involved in the race.”
On paper, the 7-year-old son of Race day has not raced since the August 31 Jockey Club Gold Cup (G1). But if you want to mention the last time he had a clear run in a race, it would be a fourth in the August 2 Whitney Stakes (G1). In the JCGC he lost all chances shortly after the start when he was bumped hard and jockey Edgard Zayas came out of the irons.
Then came a fiasco in the Nov. 1 Breeders’ Cup Dirt Mile (G1) when he was a gate scratch.
Joseph was the multiple Grade 1 winner in the Mr. Prospector of Dec. 27 at Gulfstream, but scratched him when he felt the $7.1 million earner wasn’t ready for the race.
So in his bid to become the first repeat winner of the Pegasus, the son of the In mischief mare Catching Diamonds will race as the 4-1 second choice after a long break from competition.
And he also pulled post 11 into the overflow field of 14 for a two-turn effort that is notoriously tough on horses breaking from the outside posts. Posts 9-12 are 1-for-31 in the Pegasus.
“The circumstances are definitely different this year,” said Joseph, who will also manage his other 7-year-old multimillionaire. Skippy longstocking .
On the plus side, although White Abarrio hasn’t raced since August, he has been training regularly in recent months.
“We ran out of time for Mr. Prospector, but things have gone well since then,” Joseph said. “He never stopped training. It’s not like it’s a layoff. It’s not ideal to come into a race like this in five months without running, but we do know he’s running fresh. He was always training, training, training. So you hope he’s fit enough. He was ready for the Breeders’ Cup.”
A big advantage on Saturday for White Abarrio and his stablemate Skippylongstocking is that Gulfstream is their home track.
“It’s always an advantage when you don’t have to ship and run at your home track,” Joseph said.
White Abarrio is especially fond of Gulfstream. He has raced there 10 times with 8 wins and 1 second for earnings of $2.6 million, and will make his third start in the Pegasus.
Skippylongstocking has won four of his 12 starts in Gulfstream and is on his way to a fourth straight appearance in the Pegasus. The son of Exaggerator has nearly $560,000 in earnings at the Hallandale, Florida, track and was a career-best third at last year’s Pegasus.
Skippylongstocking wins the 2025 Harlan’s Holiday Stakes at Gulfstream Park
Together, the seven-year-olds have $10.8 million in career earnings, while White Abarrio has the distinction of being the only horse to win the Florida Derby (G1), Whitney, Breeders’ Cup Classic (G1) and Pegasus.
“We’ve had them since they were two, and they’re now seven years old and still running in the top category. It’s been a great run. This is probably their last year, but to race for so long it’s a credit to their soundness and to the owners,” Joseph said. “We had some great moments with them.”
Skippylongstocking (post 5, 15-1) returned to top form after below-par efforts in the Charles Town Classic (G2) and Whitney with a heading victory in the Harlan’s Holiday Stakes (G3) at Gulfstream on December 20.
“‘Skippy’ is coming off a win and getting back on track after a poor performance in the Charles Town Classic. He should continue that race, and if he does, he’ll be there in a heartbeat,” Joseph said.
The Pegasus promises to be a class test for the 8-5 morning favorites Disco time (post 1), who is a perfect 5-for-5 in his career but has yet to race in a Class 1 stakes.
Juddmonte’s 4 year old home bred son of Not this time leaves with a score of 9 3/4 lengths in the November 8 Dwyer Stakes at Aqueduct racecourse for trainer Brad Cox.
His only stakes victory came last year in the Lecomte Stakes (G3) on January 18. Problems with his hindquarters subsequently kept him sidelined for eight months.
Cox also trains WinStar Farm, CHC, Cold Press Racing and Qatar Racing’s Tappanstraat (post 7, 6-1), who was sidelined for nine months after winning the Florida Derby. Four-year-old Into Mischief returned with a long win in a Dec. 19 optional claimer at Gulfstream.
The field, which includes two eligible competitors, also features the winner of the 2024 Breeders’ Cup Dirt Mile Full Serrano (post 3, 12-1), Cigar Mile Handicap (G2) second Mika (post 10, 10-1), and Madaketweg (post 6, 10-1), Hall of Fame trainer Bob Baffert’s hopes for a fourth Pegasus victory.
Submissions: Pegasus World Championship Invitational S. (G1)
Gulfstream Park, Saturday January 24, 2026, race 13
- Grade I
- 1 1/8m
- Filthy
- $3,000,000
- 4 years and older
- 5:39 PM (local)
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