USA: Popular grey four-year-old White Abarrio, winner of last year’s Florida Derby, has been switched from Saffie Joseph’s barn – to join Rick Dutrow, who recently started training again after a ten-year ban.
Owners Clint and Mark Cornett of C2 Racing announced the decision via a statement on Twitter, citing uncertainty over Joseph’s immediate future following his recent suspension at Churchill Downs after the sudden death of two of his horses in the run-up to the Kentucky Derby meeting. As a result, Joseph’s intended Derby runner Lord Miles was scratched.
C2 Racing said they retained the “utmost confidence and trust” in Joseph. But although it is uncertain that other tracks will follow the Churchill Downs lead with regard to Joseph-trained horses, C2 Racing said they had been forced to change trainers ahead of White Abarrio’s next appearance in the G1 Met Mile on the Belmont Stakes undercard.
“We have not been successful in obtaining the necessary answers from several jurisdictions or racetrack operators regarding future race nominations and race entries by Saffie Joseph Jr.,” said the C2 Racing statement.
“Due to the lack of answers,” they went on, “they have made it very difficult to manage the remainder of White Abarrio’s four-year-old campaign, this requiring us to make a trainer change for the remainder of the year.”
Doubtless eyebrows will be raised by their choice of new trainer, however, given Dutrow’s checkered record over the years. Now 63, Dutrow was one of the most successful New York trainers of the early 2000s responsible for the likes of Kentucky Derby hero Big Brown and Breeders’ Cup Classic winner Saint Liam, the 2005 Horse of the Year.
However, his career has often been surrounded by controversy and had his licence revoked for ten years by the New York authorities owing to a long history of violations. He was cleared to resume training only in March this year, since when he has added one winner to a career total in excess of 1,800.
The C2 Racing statement stressed their support for Gulfstream Park-based Joseph. saying the decision to move White Abarrio was “definitely not our preference”. They added: “We had two choices, remain with Saffie not knowing if our race nominations or entries would be accepted or to make a trainer change so we can nominate White Abarrio to the Metropolitan Mile on June 10, 2023, and future races.”
According to thePaulick Report, the New York Racing Association said last week that Joseph did not plan to have any further runners at their tracks while he remains under investigation.
The C2 Racing statement added: “The decision to make a trainer change is based solely on the ability to manage White Abarrio, we have the utmost confidence in Saffie Joseph Jr., and his team.
“We know from first-hand experience and being at the barn on an almost-daily basis for the past year that he and his team deeply care for the welfare and condition of his horses. In fact, we remain fully committed to Saffie and our 12 horses currently under his care will remain as we are very confident Saffie will be reinstated and fully vindicated in the near future.”
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