White Abarrio Racehorse: Classic Winner's Scratch Lawsuit Ends

White Abarrio racehorse: who he is and what just happened

White Abarrio is a retired grey Thoroughbred who won the 2023 Breeders' Cup Classic, four Grade 1 races in all and $8,598,170 across six seasons. The White Abarrio racehorse story is back in the news because, on Thursday, Nov. 12, 2026, his owners said the legal fight over his scratch from the 2025 Breeders' Cup Dirt Mile is over.

C2 Racing Stable and co-owner Gary Barber posted a statement on X that morning. In it they say they have dismissed with prejudice their claims against Breeders' Cup Ltd. and the Del Mar Thoroughbred Club.

The statement, as quoted by Horse Racing Nation, says those two were "not the responsible parties for the scratch of White Abarrio," and that the owners consider the California Horse Racing Board (CHRB) the responsible party. It also says the dismissal "reflects no admission of fault, liability, or wrongdoing by any party."

The horse himself is already on to his next job. He retired in August and will stand his first season at stud at Gainesway in Kentucky in 2027.

The White Abarrio lawsuit, in plain language

On how the case ended, this section reports only what the owners' statement and their lawyer have said. Their lawyer says the settlement terms are confidential, and the Breeders' Cup, Del Mar and the CHRB were not quoted in the Nov. 12 reports we read.

What happened at Del Mar

White Abarrio was entered in the $1 million Breeders' Cup Dirt Mile at Del Mar on Nov. 1, 2025. He was scratched on the track while warming up around the post parade, minutes before the race.

The White Abarrio Breeders' Cup scratch was a regulatory one: the decision came from officials at the track, not from his own team. Daily Racing Form reported the next day that the on-track veterinarian recommended the scratch after watching him warm up, and the stewards followed that recommendation. California officials said normal protocols were followed, and steward Kim Sawyer told DRF: "The horse was scratched with our regular routine."

The concern was his left front leg. His owners told DRF that a notice from the Horseracing Integrity and Safety Authority described him as "off left front." They rejected that view. C2 Racing said the next day that the horse had no soundness problems and would race again.

We won't re-explain how those checks work here. Our guide to what a vet scratch is walks through who examines the horses, when, and what happens afterward.

What the owners claimed

In April 2026 the owners sued the Breeders' Cup, the CHRB and Del Mar in Los Angeles County Superior Court, Daily Racing Form reported. They sought damages they believed to exceed $10 million.

The suit alleged the late scratch broke California rules and written protocols, and that the horse had passed his daily inspections that week. Those were the owners' allegations. They were never tested at trial.

When the suit was filed, all three defendants declined to comment on the litigation, according to DRF.

How it ended

Attorney Craig Robertson, who represents the owners, told Horse Racing Nation: "We have resolved and entered into a settlement agreement with all parties, including the CHRB."

He said there are two separate settlement agreements and that their terms are confidential. He added that a "fair amount of documents" were exchanged along the way and that they "shed additional light" on how the scratch came about.

That is all that has been published about the settlements. Whether money changed hands has not been disclosed, and no court has ruled on who was right.

One caveat: the CHRB is a state agency. In California, settlement agreements involving public agencies are generally not exempt from the state's public-records law, according to the First Amendment Coalition, though specific exemptions can apply. So "confidential" here means the terms have not been released. It does not guarantee they will stay sealed.

Dismissed with prejudice: meaning for non-lawyers

"Dismissed with prejudice" means a claim is closed for good. The person who brought it cannot file the same claim against the same party again.

The opposite is "dismissed without prejudice," which does not by itself bar the plaintiff from filing again.

Three things are worth knowing:

• It is not a verdict. There was no trial and no finding on who was at fault. The dismissal is still binding: it bars the same claim from being brought again.
• It often follows a settlement. Parties agree on terms privately, then the plaintiff closes the case.
• "No admission of fault" is standard wording. It means exactly what it says: nobody has conceded anything.

So the fair reading is narrow. The owners have permanently dropped their claims against the Breeders' Cup and Del Mar, their lawyer says the CHRB part is settled too, and the terms have not been made public.

White Abarrio's career at a glance

His name fits his coat. Grey horses can be born any colour and gain white hairs as they age, which is why he looked nearly white by the end. Our coat colors and markings guide explains how that works.

From a $7,500 yearling to the Breeders' Cup Classic

A bargain who kept improving

White Abarrio sold for just $7,500 as a yearling at the 2020 OBS Winter Mixed Sale in Florida. A year later he brought $40,000 at the OBS March sale of 2-year-olds in training.

He won his debut at Gulfstream Park on Sept. 24, 2021, by 6 3/4 lengths. Brothers Clint and Mark Cornett of C2 Racing Stable bought him privately after that race, and the original owners kept a share through La Milagrosa Stable.

The Florida Derby and a rough Kentucky Derby (2022)

At 3, trained by Saffie Joseph Jr., he won the Holy Bull Stakes and then the Florida Derby (G1) on April 2, 2022, with Tyler Gaffalione riding.

The Kentucky Derby went badly. He finished 16th.

The Whitney and the Classic (2023)

His best season came at 4. In May 2023 the owners moved him to trainer Richard Dutrow Jr. after Churchill Downs temporarily suspended Joseph.

He won the Whitney (G1) at Saratoga on Aug. 5 by 6 1/4 lengths. On Nov. 4 at Santa Anita he won the Breeders' Cup Classic by a length over Japan's Derma Sotogake, with Irad Ortiz Jr. aboard both times.

The long second act (2024 to 2026)

After poor runs in the Saudi Cup and the Met Mile in 2024, he went back to Joseph. Many horses with a Classic on their record would have gone to stud by then. He kept racing.

• Jan. 25, 2025: won the Pegasus World Cup (G1) at Gulfstream by 6 1/4 lengths.
• Nov. 1, 2025: scratched from the Dirt Mile at Del Mar.
• January 2026: second in the Pegasus to stablemate Skippylongstocking.
• April 18, 2026: won the Oaklawn Handicap (G2) by two lengths, beating reigning Horse of the Year Sovereignty and Journalism. Gainesway lists the 111 Beyer Speed Figure he earned as his career best.
• Aug. 8, 2026: seventh and last in the Whitney, his final start.

His retirement was announced two days later. Winning a graded stakes at 7, five seasons after his debut, is rare at this level.

White Abarrio's stud fee at Gainesway

White Abarrio retired to Gainesway in Lexington, Kentucky, home of his grandsire Tapit. The farm announced its 2027 fees on Oct. 18, 2026, and listed him at $17,500.

The farm's page prints the fee as "LFSN," short for live foal, stands and nurses. In short, the breeder owes the fee only if the mare produces a foal that stands and nurses. Our guide to how stud fees work covers those terms.

For scale, Gainesway's 2027 list runs from $7,500 up to $50,000 for McKinzie, with Tapit at a private fee. White Abarrio sits in the middle.

A rough timeline for a first-year stallion:

1. Early 2027: his first breeding season in Kentucky.
2. 2028: his first foals are born.
3. 2029: those foals reach the yearling sales.
4. 2030: the first of them can race at 2.

What breeders will weigh: four Grade 1 wins from 1 1/8 to 1 1/4 miles, soundness across six seasons, and a pedigree that mixes Tapit and Into Mischief. His sire Race Day is less fashionable, which helps explain a fee below some rivals with shorter careers.

What to watch next

• Any statement from the other side. Officials defended the scratch procedure back in November 2025, but the account of how the lawsuit ended comes only from the owners' side. A comment from the Breeders' Cup, Del Mar or the CHRB would fill that in.
• His first book of mares. Farms often report how many mares a new stallion covered once the season ends in summer 2027.
• Scratch procedures. The dispute put late scratches under a spotlight. Watch for any changes regulators announce to how and when owners are told the reason.
• The championships he once won. For this year's results, see our Breeders' Cup 2026 guide.

If you want to see him in person, Kentucky stallion farms often run tours and open houses. Check with Gainesway directly before you travel.