HALLANDALE BEACH, Fla. - White Abarrio capped off a dream meet for leading trainer Saffie Joseph Jr. and a dream day for jockey Tyler Gaffalione after registering  a 1 1/4-length victory over the lightly raced but game Charge It in Saturday’s $1 million Florida Derby at Gulfstream Park. Simplification, the tepid 2-1 favorite, finished third. Joseph had already clinched his first Gulfstream Park Championship meet trainer title after winning the first race on Friday, snapping Todd Pletcher’s 18-year streak as leading trainer during the winter session. White Abarrio was his 57th winner of the session and was his only winner from 11 starters on Saturday’s program. White Abarrio gave Florida native Gaffalione, who like Joseph calls Gulfstream Park his home track, his fifth win on the card and fourth stakes victory following earlier tallies aboard Family Way in the Grade 3 Orchid, Crystal Cliffs in the Sand Springs, and Weyburn in the Sir Shackleton.  The victory also earned White Abarrio 100 Kentucky Derby qualifying points, which were awarded to the first four finishers on a 100-40-20-10 basis. White Abarrio had to overcome adversity, missing nearly two weeks of training and two scheduled works, prior to capturing the Grade 3 Holy Bull in impressive fashion under Gaffalione on February 5. After skipping the Fountain of Youth, White Abarrio’s preparations for the Florida Derby went along smoothly until he spiked a minor temperature 10 days before the race, postponing his final breeze 48 hours earlier this week.  :: For the first time ever, our premium past performances are free! Get free Formulator now! Breaking from post position 7 in an 11-horse field, White Abarrio was sent along briefly out of the gate, then allowed to settle within easy striking distance of the pacesetting Classic Causeway, while angling down to the three path in the run to the first turn in the 1 1/8-mile Florida Derby. White Abarrio commenced his bid upon entering the second turn, engaged the leaders Simplification and Pappacap four wide turning into the stretch, gained command while lugging in some near the furlong marker and, after edging clear, withstood a late bid from Charge It. Charge It, who entered the Florida Derby with only two races on his resume’ and making his first start around two turns, was positioned inside White Abarrio in the run down the backstretch, but could not keep pace with that one despite being put to pressure by jockey Luis Saez on the second turn. Charge It angled widest and came again into the stretch, raced greenly lugging in several times through the final furlong, but remained game to the end despite switching back to his left lead 70 yards from the wire. Simplification was urged along early to stalk the pace of Classic Causeway, was engaged by Pappacap while pinned down near the rail around the second bend, shook off that one in early stretch before succumbing gradually to the top pair in the final eighth.  Pappacap was sent up to join the leaders three wide down the backstretch, dueled Simplification for command into the stretch before weakening down the lane to finish fourth.   Classic Causeway was a major disappoint coming off back-to-back, wire-to-wire victories in the Sam F. Davis and Grade 2 Tampa Bay Derby, relinquishing the lead before five furlongs and plummeting through the field to finish 11th and last. White Abarrio, a son of Race Day, was purchased privately by his present owners, C2 Racing Stable LLC and La Milagrosa Racing, following his 6 3/4-length maiden win in his career debut here last September. His only setback in five career starts was a third-place finish behind top Kentucky Derby contender Smile Happy in the Grade 2 Kentucky Jockey Club at Churchill Downs in his 2-year-old finale on Nov. 27. White Abarrio completed the distance over a fast track in 1:50.64 and paid $7.80. White Abarrio was given a Beyer Speed Figure of 96. “This is icing on the cake,” Joseph said referring to having already clinched the Championship meeting training title the previous afternoon. “Winning this race meant the world to me. The Florida Derby is up there with the Kentucky Derby because we’re based at Gulfstream. The meet is history, but if I could trade the Florida Derby for (winning) the meet. I would trade it. That’s how big the Florida Derby is.” Joseph said there was no comparing the training time he missed this past week with White Abarrio to the time lost prior to the Holy Bull. “When it happened the last time, we lost fitness and to be honest, I was surprised we were able to win that race,” Joseph said. “This time we didn’t lose any fitness. But those are things average horses can’t overcome. That’s what separates him. That’s what makes him the horse he is. We’re blessed to have him. Onward it goes.” Gaffalione said he had to make a few adjustments as the race progressed. “I planned on being more forwardly placed,” Gaffalione said. “I thought Classic Causeway and Charge It would be the two on the lead and we’d be able to stalk them. Jose (Ortiz on Simplification) and Pappacap were pretty aggressive. I didn’t want to get caught too wide, so I took back and saved some ground. But he traveled well throughout.” Pletcher, who had won the Florida Derby six previous times including a year ago with Known Agenda, said he felt if Charge It could have kept a straight path through the final furlong, the outcome might have been different. :: Access morning workout reports straight from the tracks and get an edge with DRF Clocker Reports “I’m super pleased with the effort, to get a real education in a race like that was very encouraging,” Pletcher said. “He got a little green down the lane, he drifted in behind that horse, I felt if he could have just run straight that last 100 yards he was going to be there. I thought it was a huge effort considering everything. We overcame some adversity, took some dirt. He did a lot of things right. He didn’t quite polish it off.” Trainer Antonio Sano said the race didn’t quite go as he’d planned for Simplification. “Jose (Ortiz) put the horse second and the number five (Pappacap) put a lot of pressure on him, made him start riding near the half-mile, which was different for him,” Sano said. “My horse hung very well, hung close. I’m very happy with him. The most important thing was that he ran well and came back well.”