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Irad Ortiz Jr. celebrates aboard White Abarrio after winning the Classic.

Breeders' Cup
World Championships Results

Date: 11/4/2023

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Friday Results Summary -  Juvenile Turf Sprint -  Juvenile Fillies Turf -  Juvenile Fillies -  Juvenile Turf -  Juvenile  
Wrap Up   -   Entries   -   Monday Works   -   Tuesday Works   -   Wednesday Works   -   Thursday Works

The $6 million Longines Breeders' Cup Classic (G1) featured a field of 8 older horses going 1 1/4 miles on the main track in a race that heavily influences Eclipse Award voting for Champion Older Horse and Horse of the Year, and is the richest horse race in North America. White Abarrio was sent off as the 5-2 favorite off his win in the Whitney Stakes (G1) at Saratoga after finishing third in the Metropolitan Handicap (G1) at Belmont. In to challenge him included 3-1 second choice Arabian Knight, winner of the Pacific Classic (G1) at Del Mar after finishing third in the Haskell (G1) at Monmouth Park, and 7-2 third choice Ushba Tesoro, winner of the Dubai World Cup (G1) at Meydan and Nippon TV Hai at Funabashi.


White Abarrio draws away down the stretch.
Jockey Flavien Prat sent Arabian Knight to the lead first time by through fractions of 22.46, 45.73, 1:10.28, and 1:25.29 while pressed by 7-1 fourth choice Saudi Crown and stalked by White Abarrio. Turning for home, jockey Irad Ortiz Jr. sent White Abarrio 3 wide to sweep to the lead. Kept to task by Ortiz, White Abarrio held off late-running 26-1 Derma Sotogake to win by a length in 2:02.87. It was another 1 1/4 lengths back to 17-1 Proxy fourth.

White Abarrio wins the Classic
Pgm  Horse               Jockey            Win   Place  Show
 3   White Abarrio       Ortiz Jr.        7.20    5.20  3.80
 5   Derma Sotogake      Lemaire                 18.80 13.00
13   Proxy               Rosario                        7.80

Winning Time:  2:02.87

$1 Exacta 3-5                             89.70
$2 Trifecta 3-5-13                       901.80
$1 Superfecta 3-5-13-12               10,601.40
$1 Super High Five 3-5-13-12-8        53,593.30
Results chart

Left: White Abarrio in the winner's circle. Winning trainer Richard Dutrow Jr. said,  "After a half in 45 and change, we were happy and we were just hoping that our horse was going to run his race at that time. And he did. It set up really good for him. You know what, he makes races set up for him because he has as much early speed as anyone and he's got cruising speed to stay in striking position. I was extremely confident he would (get the 10 furlongs) at the top of the stretch. I didn't see anything coming and I saw that we were going to engage those two and I felt we could put them away and I didn't see anything coming. So we thought the race was over at that point."

Right: The trophy presentation for the Classic. Winning co-owner Mark Cornett said, "We've been through some tough decisions with this horse, management decisions. We were blocked a couple of times with things we really wanted to do with this horse. The horse is a good horse. He'll overcome just about anything. When we had to make a decision going into the Met Mile, there happened to be a pretty good trainer available at the time named Rick Dutrow. So it wasn't too tough of a decision to send him up to New York to Rick. Sometimes things happen for a reason. We wanted to get a little confidence in him. Get his feet under him, get his confidence back, and that's when we decided to make the call. It was a very, very short list of New York trainers, and I called and talked to Rick. We probably talked for 30 minutes, and I decided to pull the trigger. So that's how that happened."

Left: White Abarrio in the walking ring. Winning Irad Ortiz Jr. said, "Everything came out perfect. We handicapped that race perfectly as we thought Saudi Crown and Arabian Knight would be on the lead and we should be third. I saved all the ground on the first turn and then I was able to get in the clear on the backside. After that, it all about the horse. To be honest, I just let him do his thing and I don't get in his way. When I turned for him, I started to ride him and kept responding."

Right: White Abarrio in the post parade. Co-owner Clint Cornett said, "Mark saw White Abarrio first time out and contacted Carlos, and that's sort of how their relationship began with all of us. It's really been an unbelievable ride since we started in Florida with him as a late 2-year-old and then in his 3-year-old career. I hope this horse after this race gets the respect it deserves, right? Because I think he has been a little overlooked throughout his 3-year-old career. But I'll tell everybody he's here at 4, and he's here to stay."

Left: White Abarrio parades with his flowers. Dutrow added, "I don't feel that I am back at the top, but I feel that 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 the top. Right now I just feel like I'm lucky to be around him. I feel he's on the top, and I love being around good horses like that. It just makes you feel like a good horseman, and that's always what I wanted to be."

Right: White Abarrio heads back to the barn. Dutrow said, "I don't know how much it helped my comeback because I came back seven months ago. Hopefully it helps me pick up nicer horses and more higher and quality clients and stuff because I want to be around good horses. I'm very lucky to be around him right now. I don't have a stable packed with good horses, and that's really what I want, and I'm going to be striving for it. I'm going to be calling everybody tomorrow when I get done with Disneyland and say, hey, I am ready for some horses here. Can you guys send me some horses? Believe me."

Left: Second place finisher Derma Sotogake first time by next to White Abarrio. Jockey Christophe Lemaire said, "He was fighting at the end. He proved today he was at that level. I'm very happy with him. If I had to come alongside the winner, maybe the winner would have reacted again. I don't have any regrets today. He did his best today. The winner was in front of us and a little sharper today on the backstretch. That's racing."

Right: Third place finisher Proxy returns after the race. Trainer Mike Stidham said,  "Perfect position down the backside and then just drops the bit and don't want any part of it, then all of a sudden here he comes flying at the end. It's the same thing, every time. He was the only one really closing, just like in the Santa Anita Handicap. He's just a super horse. So nice from day one to final day. Just a pleasure to be around. Just a really nice horse and I was so lucky to get the opportunity to train him." 


The shortly after the start of the Classic. Flavien Prat aboard pacesetter Arabian Knight said, "He broke on the lead by himself and I had him going good. Then that gray horse came up inside of us and he got a little bit on the bridle. After that he settled down nice. He ran his race.  He just got tired in the end."

Saturday Results Summary (dirt)  -  Saturday Results Summary (turf)  -  F&M Sprint -  Turf Sprint -  Dirt Mile -  F&M Turf -  Sprint -  Mile -  Distaff -  Turf -  Classic
Friday Results Summary -  Juvenile Turf Sprint -  Juvenile Fillies Turf -  Juvenile Fillies -  Juvenile Turf -  Juvenile  
Wrap Up   -   Entries   -   Monday Works   -   Tuesday Works   -   Wednesday Works   -   Thursday Works

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