What we learned: White Abarrio is flawless in Classic win

With his powerful win in the Breeders’ Cup Classic at Santa Anita, White Abarrio has completed a transformation that saw him change from a fringe contender in Grade 1 races to becoming the top dirt router.

Under his previous trainer, White Abarrio gave a mixed bag of performances without ever reaching the top of his class. But now, under Rick Dutrow Jr., White Abarrio has become good enough to endure a heated pace scenario behind quality speed runners and still kick on in the stretch. He can overcome adversity.

Besides enduring the fast pace behind Arabian Knight and Saudi Crown, nothing very unusual happened with White Abarrio’s winning trip. He did everything right while running like the best horse in a flawless performance.

Nevertheless, here is a recap of the race, focusing on the speed horses.

As expected, Arabian Knight shot like a rocket from the outside under urging from Flavien Prat and secured the lead before the first turn. Saudi Crown took up the pressing position in second, while White Abarrio went behind the pair on the inside in third and Derma Sotogake ran in fourth. 

Zandon filled in the rear spot of the leading pack by the half-mile, and a gap formed to Missed the Cut in sixth and Proxy in seventh.

Arabian Knight led the field while under pressure at times from Saudi Crown through fractions of 22.46, 45.73 and 1:10.28. White Abarrio had tipped out earlier and moved in closer from the outside on the far turn. Meanwhile, Saudi Crown became tired from the pace and began to fade.

As the leaders rounded the far turn, Derma Sotogake still kept pace with the leaders in fourth, but Zandon appeared to struggle to hold his ground while under a ride in fifth.

White Abarrio put his nose in front at the top of the stretch. At that point, Irad Ortiz Jr. went to the left-handed crop, and White Abarrio responded further and opened up on Arabian Knight in mid-stretch. Derma Sotogake still had the leader within range, but he needed to make up three lengths.

Late in the stretch, Derma Sotogake began to cut down on the margin, but White Abarrio maintained his lead and held on by one length over the Japan-based invader. In addition, Proxy made a closing bid on the outside to finish a fast-closing third, only one length behind Derma Sotogake.

From start to finish, White Abarrio ran like the best horse. Ortiz did not worry about the pace and just overpowered the leaders on the far turn.

White Abarrio completed the 10 furlongs in 2:02.87. He earned a 106 Beyer Speed Figure from Daily Racing Form, not quite as strong as his 110 Whitney figure. 

If White Abarrio continues to run next year, he will prove difficult to beat in any longer dirt route. With his close-range stalking style, he can sit behind the leaders or switch to the presser role if a lone pacesetter is loose. White Abarrio also could set the pace if needed.

Tactical speed horses with a high amount of ability are tough to hold off because they do not need to give up several lengths. White Abarrio can sit close early and attack on the turn first before all the stretch closers arrive. 

Besides White Abarrio, Derma Sotogake also deserves a high amount of credit for coming off the six-month layoff and closing the gap for second. As part of the leading group through the first half, Derma Sotogake endured the pace early and somehow had enough to keep going in the stretch and close late. 

In one of my earlier articles, I discounted Derma Sotogake’s chances because of the layoff and concern over the competition he beat in Dubai. Well, Derma Sotogake proved me wrong. Without a prep, Derma Sotogake put in an effort that was almost good enough to win.

If Derma Sotogake competes in North America next year, horseplayers should take him seriously in whichever dirt route he enters and forget about the layoff as the trainer proved himself capable of getting him fit. Derma Sotogake’s connections probably will not ship a short horse overseas.

With Proxy third, it turns out he was the right closer to backwheel at long odds. Perhaps the fast pace did help him make that closing bid. 

Arabian Knight faded slightly to fourth after setting the pace. Even with the early pressure from Saudi Crown, his performance felt disappointing. When Bob Baffert-trained speed horses set the pace, they usually fire a big effort, even if they had to run on the fast side to secure the lead.

For Arabian Knight to fade and not fight back harder than he did after setting the pace feels strange. Baffert still wins big races sometimes, but his era feels over and his horses do not seem like monsters anymore. In the case of the Breeders' Cup Classic, the public even feared White Abarrio and not Arabian Knight during live wagering. 

After horseplayers bet him down to 5-2, White Abarrio awarded his backers with another perfect effort. The transformation has been remarkable to watch, although he probably will not offer those odds again if he remains in training next year. Odds and value aside, this is the new older horse star of horse racing.