White Abarrio Set for Gainesway Stud Career Following Racing Retirement
One of the most accomplished older horses of the modern era now has a destination for the next phase of his career.
White Abarrio, the multiple Grade 1-winning son of Race Day and winner of the 2023 Breeders’ Cup Classic, will stand at Gainesway beginning with the 2027 breeding season. The announcement was made June 11 by co-owner C2 Racing Stable and later confirmed by the Lexington-based nursery.
Now seven years old, White Abarrio has assembled a résumé that places him among the elite runners of his generation. Through 26 starts, the gray/roan standout has compiled an 11-3-3 record and earnings of $8,445,170. His seven graded stakes victories include four at the Grade 1 level: the 2022 Florida Derby, 2023 Whitney Stakes, 2023 Breeders’ Cup Classic, and 2025 Pegasus World Cup Invitational.
“It is rare that a horse who comes to stud with such consistent high-class ability is a grandson of the two foremost breed-shaping stallions of the last decade, Tapit and Into Mischief,” said Gainesway owner Antony Beck. “We look forward to seeing what accomplishments White Abarrio can add to his already impressive résumé the rest of this year and are very excited for him to join the Gainesway stallion roster in 2027.”
White Abarrio showed exceptional promise from the outset of his career. He debuted as a juvenile with a commanding 6 3/4-length victory and quickly emerged as one of the leading members of the 3-year-old class the following season. Wins in the Holy Bull Stakes (G3) and Florida Derby established him as a major player on the national stage and highlighted the influence of his grandsire, Tapit, a perennial leader among North American sires and longtime cornerstone of the Gainesway program.
His career reached another level at four when he delivered one of the standout performances of 2023 in the Whitney Stakes at Saratoga. White Abarrio powered home by 6 1/4 lengths, handing eventual Horse of the Year Cody’s Wish the lone defeat of that championship campaign.
A few months later, he secured the biggest victory of his career when he captured the Breeders’ Cup Classic at Santa Anita Park, defeating a field that included seven Grade 1 or Group 1 winners.
The veteran campaigner remained at the top of his game in 2025. He opened that season with a dominant 6 1/4-length score in the Pegasus World Cup Invitational, earning a 1 on the Ragozin Sheets—the fastest figure recorded that year.
For owners Clint Cornett and Gary Barber, the decision to send White Abarrio to Gainesway represents a fitting next chapter for a horse who has delivered countless memorable moments.
“It means a great deal to our ownership group to have White Abarrio join Gainesway,” Cornett and Barber said. “He has given us an incredible ride on the track, and we are excited to see him close out his racing career before beginning the next chapter at Gainesway.”
White Abarrio has continued to add to his credentials in 2026. In April, he captured the Oaklawn Handicap (G2) by two lengths, defeating dual classic winner and reigning Horse of the Year Sovereignty as well as 2025 Preakness Stakes winner Journalism. The effort earned a career-best 111 Beyer Speed Figure and marked the sixth triple-digit Beyer recorded in his last nine starts.
Bred for success both on the track and in the breeding shed, White Abarrio is out of the Into Mischief mare Catching Diamonds. His pedigree also includes multiple group winner Cool Cowboy, while tracing to the family of Grade 1 winner Eclatant and Grade 1-placed graded stakes winner Mutasaabeq.
White Abarrio is trained by Saffie Joseph Jr. and races in the colors of C2 Racing Stable, Gary Barber, and La Milagrosa Stable. With additional opportunities still ahead before retirement, the accomplished gray will have a chance to further enhance a record that already ranks among the strongest of any active North American racehorse before he arrives at Gainesway in 2027.
