Although seven-figure purchase prices for horses are all too common these days in both racing and showing, Saturday’s Pegasus World Cup Invitational at Gulfstream Park in Florida illustrates that it’s still possible to buy a winner for a price that doesn’t break the bank. And I find that encouraging.
Skippy Longstocking and White Abarrio after the finish of the Pegasus World Cup.
My two favorite racehorses, stablemates Skippy Longstocking and White Abarrio, finished 1-2 in the $3 million Grade I race. Both are seven-year-olds; I really appreciate that they have been able to keep racing and gain a legion of fans in the process. When racehorses retire at age three, it doesn’t help build a following for the sport.
Me with White Abarrio at Monmouth Park when he was a 3-year-old running in the Haskell.
White Abarrio is by an unfashionable sire, Race Day (Tapit), who stands at stud in the Republic of Korea for $5,000. As a yearling, White Abarrio, who is out of an Into Mischief mare, sold for a mere $7,000 as a yearling. He went for $40,000 as a two-year-old. Since then, the handsome gray winner of the Pegasus last year, has earned approximately $6.8 million.
Skippy, by Exaggerator out of a War Chant mare, sold for $15,000 as a yearling and $37,000 as a two-year-old. He has earned nearly $5,461,000.
The Pegasus was Skippy’s first Grade I victory. I hope we’ll be seeing him (and White Abarrio) back on the track again this year.They are an inspiration for people of limited means dreaming of having a horse who can win big. Racing needs its dreamers, as do all horse sports.