White Abarrio romps to victory over Cody's Wish in the $1 million Whitney Stakes Aug. 5 at Saratoga. (Scott Serio/Eclipse Sportswire)
White Abarrio was the upset winner of the Grade 1 $1 million Whitney Stakes, beating fan favorite Cody’s Wish on Saturday, Aug. 5 at Saratoga Race Course. Cody's Wish's attempt to notch an initial win at a 1 1/8-mile distance went awry as he finished a well-beaten third at 2-5 odds, 10 lengths behind White Abarrio.
It was a memorable 64th birthday present for White Abarrio's trainer, Rick Dutrow Jr., who recorded his first Grade 1 win since 2012 after serving a 10-year suspension. Dutrow sent out 10-1 shot White Abarrio ($22.40) who romped in the Whitney by a decisive 6 1/4-length margin over runner-up Zandon.
"It's the best present I've ever had for my birthday," Dutrow said. "I am happy, very happy."
"We are looking at the Breeders' Cup. We'll see how the horse comes out and wherever we go we'll have confidence he'll run big," said Dutrow, a winner of three Breeders' Cup races in his career prior to his suspension.
White Abarrio arrived in Dutrow's barn in late spring after original trainer Saffie Joseph Jr. was suspended by Churchill Downs. The 4-year-old was a Grade 1 winner for Joseph, taking the 2022 Curlin Florida Derby, and he displayed that kind of ability to Dutrow when he debuted for his new trainer with a third-place finish in the Grade 1 Hill 'n' Dale Metropolitan Handicap on June 10, when he was 3 1/4-lengths behind the victorious Cody's Wish.
"Once he ran in the Met Mile, we saw his potential. He ran huge there," said Dutrow, who considered running White Abarrio in the Aug. 26 seven-furlong Forego Stakes at Saratoga but instead supplemented White Abarrio into the Whitney after watching Forego-bound Elite Power and Gunite turn in powerhouse performances in Saratoga's Grade 1 Alfred G. Vanderbilt Handicap on July 29.
There has never been any shortage of compelling stories in Thoroughbred racing and Aug. 5 at Saratoga Race Course seemed destined to be a day filled with them. Cody's Wish, America's No. 1 horse and the namesake of Cody Dorman, the courageous 17-year-old suffering from Wolf-Hirschhorn Syndrome, was billed as the starring attraction in the Whitney.
Trainer Bill Mott believed the added distance caught up with the 2022 Big Ass Fans Breeders' Cuo Dirt Mile winner on Saturday, however. The Whitney ended Cody's Wish's six-race winning streak — all at distances of seven furlongs or a mile.
"I'd have to deduce it was the distance right now. He had a good trip. He had nothing in his way. I have no excuses. I thought he was close enough to the pace, he was on the bridle traveling well," the Hall of Famer said. "On the turn he started moving, but it wasn't the same acceleration that you saw at shorter distances. It was a totally different type of run."
Cody's Wish broke last in the field of six, but was only about four lengths behind as Giant Game led through a half-mile in :48.27 with White Abarrio second. As Giant Game gave way on the final turn, Ortiz moved White Abarrio to the front and he quickly opened up.
Zandon rallied three wide and Cody's Wish moved outside of him, but neither had enough momentum to keep up with White Abarrio, who led by five lengths at the eighth pole and extended the margin while crossing the wire in 1:48.45. Zandon was second by 3 3/4 lengths over a tiring Cody's Wish.
White Abarrio won for the sixth time in 14 starts and pushed his earnings to $1,826,350.
In addition to Cody's Wish, Whitney day also included the story of the undefeated New York-bred Maple Leaf Mel, trained by cancer survivor Melanie Giddings and owned by Super Bowl winning coach Bill Parcells, who was going for Grade 1 laurels in the Test Stakes two races earlier on the card.
Unfortunately, the stories people in the Whitney Day-record crowd of 43,788 will remember the most will not be cheery, feel-good stories on a day when Maple Leaf Mel suffered a fatal breakdown when she was just yards away from winning the Test.
"It was a tough day for the sport," said Irad Ortiz Jr., the winning rider in the Whitney aboard White Abarrio.
