Gulfstream Park officials confirmed Thursday that 2023 Breeders’ Cup Classic winner White Abarrio will target the Breeders’ Cup Dirt Mile rather than attempting to defend his Classic title.
The 6-year-old son of Race Day has returned to Gulfstream Park from Saratoga and is scheduled to breeze next week for the first time since finishing fourth in the Jockey Club Gold Cup on August 31.
“Obviously, things didn’t go the way we wanted in the Jockey Club. We’re going to regroup in the Mile,” trainer Saffie Joseph Jr. told Gulfstream media. “The Mile is probably going to come up the lesser spot. He’s already won the Classic. If we can add the Mile to his resume, that would be a good addition. Right now, I think he’ll train up to the Mile.”
Joseph indicated the horse will not have another race before the Breeders’ Cup championships at Del Mar in November.
White Abarrio began 2025 with a victory in the Pegasus World Cup but has since recorded three consecutive fourth-place finishes. His recent Jockey Club Gold Cup effort came in a race marred by trouble when “TDN Rising Star” Mindframe unseated jockey Irad Ortiz Jr. shortly after the break.
The gray horse’s other off-the-board finishes this season came in the Whitney Stakes and Metropolitan Handicap, both at Saratoga.
White Abarrio’s connections appear to be seeking a more favorable spot for their champion, who would be attempting to add a second Breeders’ Cup victory to his impressive career resume that already includes multiple Grade 1 wins.
