A $7,500 yearling by a stallion that stood for $5,000 and is now in South Korea, and a trainer not long returned from a 10-year suspension, the $6 million Breeders' Cup Classic at Santa Anita Park had something for just about everyone.
Punters rallied behind the ghostly grey White Abarrio despite coming off a 91-day break since thrashing Zandon and Cody's Wish by over six lengths in the Grade 1 Whitney stakes at Saratoga.
Zandon franked the form with a four-and-a-quarter length romp in the Grade II Woodwood Stakes at Belmont on October 1 and Cody's Wish defended his Breeders' Cup Dirt Mile title earlier in the day at Santa Anita.
With Irad Ortiz Jr in the saddle for Richard Dutrow Jr, White Abarrio stalked the early pace set by Arabian Knight and Saudi Crown before switching out to the three-wide line rounding the home turn.
Keeping up a strong gallop, the 4-year-old son of Race Day (USA) defeated the Japanese-trained 3-year-old Derma Sotogake (Mind You Biscuits) by a length with one and a quarter lengths back to Proxy (Tapit) in third.
Back training for six months after his lengthy suspension, Dutrow said, "he's my horse of the decade."
"I don't think I'm back at the top, but I feel the white horse is. I'm just hanging around him.
"As soon as I get stables like Todd (Pletcher) and Chad (Brown), then I'll feel like I'm back on top. Right now I just feel lucky to be around him. I feel like he's on top and I love being around good horses like that. It just makes you feel like a good horseman, and that's what I always wanted to be."
Owned by C2 Racing Stable and La Milagrosa Stable, White Abarrio advances his record to seven wins, one second and three thirds from 15 starts, with earnings of $4,946,350.
Bred by Spendthrift Farm, White Abarrio was a $7,500 OBS Winter yearling and a $40,000 OBS March 2-year-old purchase for Carlos L. Perez.
His sire Race Day, a multiple Grade II-winning son of Tapit, stood at Spendthrift before being exported to South Korea in 2020 and now stands at KRA Stud Farm.
White Abarrio's dam Catching Diamonds (Into Mischief) retired a maiden.
A $425,000 Keeneland September yearling, Catching Diamonds is a half-sister to dual Grade III winner Cool Cowboy (Kodiak Kowboy) and to the dam of Grade II winner and Grade 1 placed Mutasaabeq (Into Mischief).
Catching Diamonds has a yearling colt by Lord Nelson, a filly foal by Yaupon and was covered by Constitution.
