OZONE PARK, N.Y. - Though impressive debut-winning 2-year-old El Capi returned to the work tab over the weekend, he will not make his next start in the $150,000 Jerome Stakes at Aqueduct on Jan. 6, trainer Rick Dutrow Jr. said Sunday. In fact, Dutrow didn’t even nominate El Capi to the Jerome, a one-mile race for 3-year-olds that offers qualifying points to the May 4 Kentucky Derby.
“We don’t really have a plan for him,” Dutrow said Sunday morning at his Belmont Park barn. “I’m figuring he ran so big, giving him extra time is only going to work to his advantage. I don’t know what the spot is that we’ll be looking at next, but I’m figuring that the more that I wait, the better off he has a chance of running that way again.”
El Capi, a 2-year-old son of Maclean’s Music, won his debut by 9 1/2 lengths here on Dec. 2, running seven furlongs in 1:21.99 and earning a 99 Beyer Speed Figure. The race was run over a sealed, muddy racetrack.
Dutrow said he wasn’t expecting that type of effort from El Capi, since he wasn’t asked to do much in his morning training.
:: Bet the races with a $200 First Deposit Match + FREE All Access PPs! Join DRF Bets.
“It looked like he ran a big a big race and he was not trained to run like that,” Dutrow said. “He took control of things himself which was beautiful for us.”
In morning training, “I don’t say let’s see what we have; I always keep my babies together so there’s no reason for me to think he’s going to run that big,” Dutrow added.
On Saturday, El Capi worked a half-mile in 50.25 seconds over the Belmont training track.
Where’s Chris, who won the Nashua Stakes for Dutrow but who finished fifth in the Remsen Stakes, also will skip the Jerome, Dutrow said.
“I think we were running him too much, I’m not sure he liked the [wet] track last time,” Dutrow said. “I’m not disappointed in him in any kind of way. We want to give him a chance to put his weight back on.”
Dutrow said he’s in no hurry with Where’s Chris because he thinks he might actually be a better horse on the turf, though he’s not discounting running him in another dirt race this winter.
Dutrow did nominate Guanare to the Jerome. Guanare, a son of Runhappy, has won two straight since switching to Dutrow’s barn, including a 6 3/4-length win in a starter allowance going 6 1/2 furlongs on Nov. 30.
Noting the Jerome would be stretching Guanare out to a mile, Dutrow said, “I don’t have any problems trying that by the way he ran the last time. He looked really good and he’s come out of it really good.”
Dutrow said if he elects not to run Guanare in the Jerome, he could run him in the Spectacular Bid Stakes at Laurel Park on Jan. 27.
Petulante, Messier now with Dutrow
Dutrow has two new stakes-caliber horses in his barn in Petulante and Messier.
Petulante, a 4-year-old son of Arrogate, has won four of six starts but has not run since he captured the Grade 3 Salvator Mile at Monmouth Park on June 17, his third consecutive victory.
Dutrow said the horse, formerly trained by Victor Barboza, has been plagued by foot problems which have been addressed by noted farrier Ian McKinlay. Petulante breezed a half-mile in 49.65 seconds on Saturday.
“It took 10 days to get him right, so we glued [shoes] on him after all the troubles and I expect him to carry on the way he has if not better,” Dutrow said.
Messier, who in 2022 won the Grade 2 Robert Lewis when trained by Bob Baffert, recently finished third in an allowance at Woodbine for Kevin Attard, on Dec. 7. Dutrow said Messier will likely need significant time before he runs again.
White Abarrio nears workout
Dutrow said that Breeders’ Cup Classic winner White Abarrio is scheduled to return to the work tab at Santa Anita on Dec. 24 as he begins preparations for the $20 million Saudi Cup on Feb. 24.
Dutrow, who recently spent time at Santa Anita where he has seven horses stabled, said White Abarrio is “very good.
“All I need to do is give an easy half and he could win that race right now,” Dutrow said half-kidding.
Dutrow said working White Abarrio seven weeks after winning the Classic should give him ample time to be ready for the Saudi Cup.
“He’s got to have time to get over the race and put his weight back on,” he said. “You don’t want to start grilling him right after he runs when his next race is 3 1/2 months away. You want him to relax and have fun.”
:: Want to learn more about handicapping and wagering? Check out DRF's Handicapping 101 and Wagering 101 pages.