Few Thoroughbreds remain competing at the highest level long enough to build the kind of résumé White Abarrio did.

The fan-favorite gray raced from age 2 through 7, winning 11 of 29 starts and earning nearly $8.6 million dollars.

On Aug. 10, 2026, White Abarrio’s connections announced his retirement following his seventh-place finish in the Whitney Stakes two days earlier. He will now head to Gainesway Farm in Kentucky to begin his stud career in 2027.

After 2026 Oaklawn Handicap win. (Eclipse Sportswire)

Along the way, White Abarrio collected four Grade 1 victories: the 2022 Florida Derby, 2023 Whitney Stakes and Breeders’ Cup Classic, and 2025 Pegasus World Cup Invitational Stakes.

Even at age 7, he remained competitive against racing’s best, defeating reigning Horse of the Year Sovereignty in the 2026 Oaklawn Handicap.

But for co-owner Mark Cornett, the statistics tell only part of what made White Abarrio’s career so special, including the rare opportunity to spend so many years around a horse of his caliber.

“It’s kind of unusual to have the opportunity to be around such a high-class horse for so long,” Mark Cornett said. “That’s special in its own right. You really get to know the personality and the nuances of the horse – what he likes, what he doesn’t like, and things like that. It’s just been a great opportunity to have that experience.”

White Abarrio’s intelligence set him apart throughout his career.

“I’ve been around a lot of horses, and I’ve never been around a horse with this kind of mind or one as smart as he is,” Cornett said. “I’m not just saying that because I own him – he really is very intelligent.”

That intelligence also translated to the racetrack, where White Abarrio’s versatility made him handy in a variety of race scenarios.

“With his running style, you could pretty much do anything,” Cornett said. “If you wanted to put him on the lead, you could. If you wanted to sit him off a hot pace, as he did in the Breeders’ Cup Classic, you could do that, too. One of his biggest assets was his high cruising speed, and to be able to carry that a mile and a quarter in the Breeders’ Cup Classic after chasing 45-and-change splits takes a special racehorse. He was very versatile, and he also had a very quick turn of foot. He had three or four gears, which you just don’t see in racehorses that often.”

The Journey to Racing’s Biggest Stages

White Abarrio’s journey to becoming the successful racehorse he is today began at Gulfstream Park, where his impressive debut as a 2-year-old in 2021 caught Cornett’s attention and ultimately prompted him and his brother to purchase the colt.

“He did some really special things in that race,” Cornett said. “That’s the reason my brother and I bought him.”

Winning the 2023 Breeders' Cup Classic. (Eclipse Sportswire)

The Holy Bull Stakes marked White Abarrio’s first major breakthrough race, where he won by 4 ½ lengths and joined the road to the Kentucky Derby.

“The Holy Bull was a very powerful race, and that was probably the first race that really put him on the radar,” Cornett said. “People started taking notice and asking, ‘Who is this white horse?’”

Then, White Abarrio came back to win the Florida Derby.

“He was one of the top three or four choices for the Kentucky Derby after that race,” Cornett said.

After a difficult trip in the Kentucky Derby, where White Abarrio was forced wide around both turns, Cornett largely dismissed the result.

“He didn’t really get to run his race in the Derby,” Cornett said. “He was hung out seven wide on the first turn, and I think it was even nine wide on the second turn. That was kind of a throw-out race in our mind.”

White Abarrio’s next major career highlight came the following year in the Whitney Stakes at Saratoga Race Course, followed by a victory in the Breeders’ Cup Classic and, later, the Pegasus World Cup Invitational Stakes.

“You add those wins to the Florida Derby and Pegasus World Cup victories, and at that point he had four really big wins on his résumé,” Cornett said. “To win any one of those would be special, but to win four of them is really special. It takes some kind of racehorse to do it.”

A New Chapter at Gainesway Farm

Although his connections were disappointed that White Abarrio’s racing career ended the way it did, that feeling has quickly given way to excitement about what comes next for him.

Eclipse Sportswire

“Are we disappointed he ended his career like this? Of course,” Cornett said. “But in reality, everybody is very excited for the next chapter in this horse’s career, which is being a stallion. It’s nice to be able to transition from the racing side into the stallion side and have that kind of excitement ramp up. I think he’s going to have a great breeding career.”

White Abarrio’s longevity and soundness throughout his career are qualities Cornett believes could also help him stand out as he transitions from the racetrack to stud duty at Gainesway Farm in Kentucky, where he’ll join his grandsire Tapit, one of the most successful stallions of the 21^st century, on the roster.

“I think that’s missing from racing today,” Cornett said. “Breeders are getting a little tired of these horses that run three or four times and have all kinds of soundness issues, and then they try to make them top-class stallions. It’s going to be interesting to see how the breeders and the market support him going to Kentucky because of his longevity. I think Gainesway is going to do a fantastic job for us. We’ve gotten a lot of calls, and I know Gainesway has gotten a lot of calls with the announcement of his retirement, so we’re very excited about this next chapter for him.”