White Abarrio (born 18 March 2019) is a multiple Grade I winning American Thoroughbred racehorse. He is a winner of four Grade I stakes races: the Florida Derby in 2022, the Whitney Stakes and Breeders' Cup Classic in 2023, and the Pegasus World Cup in 2025.
Background White Abarrio is a gray stallion bred by Spendthrift Farm. He is by the Tapit son Race Day, out of the Into Mischief mare Catching Diamonds. White Abarrio was sold as a yearling at the 2020 OBS Winter Mixed Sale for $7,500 to Jose Ordonez from Summerfield's consignment. The following year, he was a $40,000 purchase by Carlos Perez from the 2021 Ocala Breeders' Sales March Sale of Two-Year-Olds in Training, where he was consigned by Nice and Easy Thoroughbreds. White Abarrio is the only one of Catching Diamonds' five foals to race. Her most recent offspring are a yearling Lord Nelson colt and a Yaupon 2023 filly.
Racing career 2021: Two-year-old season White Abarrio won by lengths in his first start on September 24, 2021, at Gulfstream Park for Perez. Following the win, the horse was sold privately to Clint and Mark Cornett's C2 Racing Stable, with the original owners retaining a share through La Milagrosa Stable, and the horse was transferred to trainer Saffie Joseph, Jr. White Abarrio had two more starts, winning against a short allowance field at Gulfstream on October 29 before finishing third in the Kentucky Jockey Club Stakes at Churchill Downs.
2022: Three-year-old season White Abarrio started his three-year-old campaign with victories in the Holy Bull Stakes and Florida Derby for three-year-olds at Gulfstream, the latter giving trainer Saffie Joseph, Jr. his second victory in a Grade I stakes race. The horse then went to the Kentucky Derby where he finished 16th, beaten by 20 lengths. White Abarrio made four more stakes starts in the year, with placings in the Grade II Ohio Derby and the Grade I Cigar Mile Handicap.
2023: Four-year-old season After finishing eighth of twelve runners in the Pegasus World Cup, White Abarrio won an allowance race at Gulfstream at seven furlongs, the shortest distance he had raced since breaking his maiden.
Two months after the allowance victory, White Abarrio was transferred to trainer Richard Dutrow, Jr. following the temporary suspension by Churchill Downs of trainer Saffie Joseph, Jr. after the sudden deaths of two of his horses. C2 Racing Stable said at the time that they had the utmost confidence in Joseph and his team but made the change to Dutrow based on the ability to manage White Abarrio and the "lack of answers by jurisdictions and operators" with regard to Joseph's status. The owners then sent him to Belmont Park to contest the Grade I Metropolitan Handicap, where he finished third to eventual Horse of the Year Cody's Wish.
White Abarrio then went to Saratoga Race Course to run in the Whitney Stakes, where Cody's Wish was among five others in the starting gate. Sent off as the fourth betting choice, White Abarrio entered the first turn wide but settled in to stay within a length of pace setter Giant Game. White Abarrio entered the stretch and pulled away from the rest of the field under urging by jockey Irad Ortiz Jr. to win by lengths, while Cody's Wish was third. The Whitney was Dutrow's first Grade I victory since returning from a 10-year suspension imposed by the New York State Gaming Commission.
At the end of the year, White Abarrio contested the Breeders' Cup Classic at Santa Anita Park. Starting as the favorite, he chased the pace and passed leader Arabian Knight in the stretch, winning by one length over the Japanese-bred and -owned Derma Sotogake. White Abarrio finished second to Cody's Wish in Eclipse Award voting for American Horse of the Year and American Champion Older Dirt Male Horse.
2024: Five-year-old season After White Abarrio finished poorly in the Saudi Cup in Saudi Arabia and the Metropolitan Handicap at Belmont, C2 Racing Stable announced that he would be transferred back to Saffie Joseph, Jr. and be pointed to the John A. Nerud Stakes. The horse did not run in the Nerud, with Joseph telling Daily Racing Form that they wanted to give him "a little more time." White Abarrio came back at the end of the year in a pair of 7-furlong sprints at Gulfstream, winning an allowance and finishing second in the Mr. Prospector Stakes.
2025: Six-year-old season At the start of 2025, White Abarrio was entered into his second Pegasus World Cup and was made the second choice behind Locked. Settling into fifth place early in the race, he charged on race leader Saudi Crown on the far turn and opened up in the stretch to win by lengths. Two months later, he won the Ghostzapper Stakes at Gulfstream. Later in the year he finished fourth in the Metropolitan Handicap, the Whitney Stakes and the Jockey Club Gold Cup, all at Saratoga.
White Abarrio was entered into the 2025 Breeders' Cup Dirt Mile at Del Mar and made the fifth choice on the morning line in the ten horse field. Immediately before the race, White Abarrio was scratched by the stewards. According to reports, regulatory veterinarians expressed concern about possible lameness in the horse's left front leg. The following day, C2 Racing Stable stated that White Abarrio was doing well, with no soundness issues. The owners of White Abarrio sued the California Horse Racing Board, Del Mar and the Breeders' Cup in April 2026, alleging that the horse's late scratch from the race violated California regulations and protocols.
2026: Seven-year-old season
White Abarrio began his seven-year-old season by attempting to defend his Pegasus World Cup win from the previous year, finishing second behind Skippylongstocking. He was then entered to compete in the Oaklawn Handicap against two of the country's top three-year-olds of 2025: Horse of the Year Sovereignty and Preakness winner Journalism. Sent off as the third choice in the six-horse field, White Abarrio advanced along the rail with Sovereignty and Journalism, retreating behind the two as the field went around the first turn. Sitting fourth on the backstretch, jockey Irad Ortiz Jr. took White Abarrio outside of Sovereignty and Journalism on the far turn, eventually taking the lead at the eighth pole and drawing away to win by two lengths. His time in the race of 1:47.49 was the fastest since 1995.
White Abarrio then ran in the Stephen Foster Handicap at Churchill Downs, where he finished fourth. In what would end up being his final career start, he finished last of seven horses in the Whitney Stakes at Saratoga. White Abarrio was ridden in his last start by jockey Micah Husbands, as jockey Irad Ortiz Jr. suffered an ankle injury earlier on the Saratoga card.
The day after the Whitney, trainer Saffie Joseph Jr. told Daily Racing Form that White Abarrio was coughing many times after the race, with an endoscopic examination revealing a little mucus in the horse's trachea. He added that the owners would soon get together to determine the horse's future. The following day, the connections announced that White Abarrio would be retired from racing. Joseph said that he felt White Abarrio's best win of his career was in the 2026 Oaklawn Handicap over Sovereignty. "I feel like defeating a great horse like Sovereignty at Oaklawn was the cherry on top for him," Joseph said, adding that White Abarrio's stud deal came together following that victory. "Once Gainesway came aboard, it was so satisfying to know he was going to a great place to be alongside his grandfather," referring to Tapit.
Statistics Date Distance Race Grade /Group Track Odds Field Finish Winningtime Winning(Losing)margin Jockey Ref2021 – Two-year-old season furlongs Maiden Special Weight Gulfstream Park12.30 11 1 1:17.19 lengths 1 mile Allowance Gulfstream Park0.30* 5 1 1:36.74 4 lengths miles Kentucky Jockey Club Stakes II Churchill Downs 6.70 11 3 1:43.94 (6 lengths) 2022 – Three-year-old season miles Holy Bull Stakes III Gulfstream Park 6.00 9 1 1:42.80 lengths miles Florida Derby I Gulfstream Park 2.90 11 1 1:50.64 lengths miles Kentucky Derby I Churchill Downs 15.40 20 16 2:02.61 (20 lengths) miles Ohio Derby III Thistledown 1.50* 7 2 1:10.46 (1 length ) miles Haskell Stakes I Monmouth Park 7.00 8 7 1:46.24 ( lengths) miles Pennsylvania Derby I Parx Racing 29.70 11 5 1:48.67 (8 lengths) 1 mile Cigar Mile Handicap I Aqueduct 3.65 6 3 1:35.53 ( length) 2023 – Four-year-old season miles Pegasus World Cup I Gulfstream Park 6.30 12 8 1:49.44 ( lengths) 7 furlongs Allowance Gulfstream Park1.20* 10 1 1:22.05 lengths 1 mile Metropolitan Handicap I Belmont Park20.20 9 3 1:34.36 ( lengths) miles Whitney Stakes I Saratoga 10.20 6 1 1:48.45 lengths miles Breeders' Cup Classic I Santa Anita 2.60* 12 1 2:02.87 1 length 2024 – Five-year-old season 1800 metresSaudi CupIKing Abdulaziz N/A14101:52.22 (15 lengths) 1 mile Metropolitan Handicap I Saratoga 1.70 6 5 1:35.12 ( lengths) 7 furlongs Allowance Gulfstream Park0.40* 5 1 1:23.52 lengths 7 furlongs Mr. Prospector Stakes III Gulfstream Park0.40* 10 2 1:22.47 lengths 2025 – Six-year-old season milesPegasus World CupIGulfstream Park2.801111:48.05lengths milesGhostzapper StakesIIIGulfstream Park0.05*611:41.97lengths 1 mile Metropolitan Handicap I Saratoga2.60 5 4 1:35.89 ( lengths) miles Whitney Stakes I Saratoga 4.50 9 4 1:48.92 (4 lengths) miles Jockey Club Gold Cup I Saratoga 11.50 8 4 2:02.16 ( lengths)2026 – Seven-year-old season milesPegasus World CupIGulfstream Park3.401221:48.67 ( lengths) milesOaklawn HandicapIIOaklawn Park3.60611:47.49 2 lengths milesStephen Foster HandicapIChurchill Downs5.08541:48.03 ( lengths) milesWhitney StakesISaratoga11.48771:47.91 ( lengths)Micah Husbands
Notes:
An (*) asterisk after the odds means White Abarrio was the post-time favorite.
Stud career In June 2026 it was announced that White Abarrio would stand at Gainesway Farm in 2027 alongside his grandsire, Tapit.
Pedigree
References