Kentucky Derby pedigree profile: White Abarrio
White Abarrio winning the Holy Bull S. (G3) at Gulfstream Park (Lauren King/Coglianese Photos)
April 17th, 2022
Pedigree handicapping can be a challenge, particularly when there’s limited data to interpret. Such is the case with White Abarrio, winner of the Holy Bull S. (G3) and Florida Derby (G1) on the Road to the Kentucky Derby.
Does White Abarrio have the breeding to race 1 1/4 miles on the first Saturday in May? It’s hard to answer with certainty because his sire and dam are both young and largely unproven. But on the bright side, the little data available is encouraging.
White Abarrio is a son of Race Day, a late-maturing gray who didn’t peak until age four. At that point, Race Day developed into a capable two-turn dirt star, rattling off victories in the 1 1/16-mile Razorback H. (G3), 1 1/8-mile Oaklawn H. (G2), and 1 1/8-mile Fayette S. (G2).
Race Day wasn’t quite up to winning at the Grade 1 level, and he hasn’t set the world on fire at stud—after initially retiring to Spendthrift Farm, he moved to South Korea for the 2021 breeding season.
White Abarrio Pedigree
| - | - | - | - |
|---|
Pulpit, 1994 | |||
Tapit, 2001 | |||
Tap Your Heels, 1996 | |||
Race Day, 2011 | |||
More Than Ready, 1997 | |||
Rebalite, 2004 | |||
Printing Press, 1981 | |||
White Abarrio, 2019 | |||
Harlan's Holiday, 1999 | |||
Into Mischief, 2005 | |||
Leslie's Lady, 1996 | |||
Catching Diamonds, 2015 | |||
Grand Slam, 1995 | |||
Grand Breeze, 2005 | |||
Breeze Lass, 1990 |
But the best of Race Day’s foals have shown an affinity for running long: Josie won the 1 1/16-mile Iowa Distaff S., Charlie’s Penny nabbed the one-mile and 70-yard Silverbulletday S. on the Road to the Kentucky Oaks, and Consultora finished second in Puerto Rico’s 1 1/8-mile Copa Lucky Cash S. (G1). He also has another horse on the 2022 Road to the Kentucky Derby in Barber Road, runner-up in the 1 1/8-mile Arkansas Derby (G1).
Race Day’s tendency to sire long-winded runners isn’t surprising upon review of his own pedigree. Race Day is a son of three-time leading sire Tapit, a clear source of stamina who counts four winners of the 1 1/2-mile Belmont S. (G1) among his notable progeny.
Can a horse's sire indicate which race conditions he or she will relish?@J_Keelerman certainly thinks so!
— TwinSpires Racing 🏇 (@TwinSpires) September 29, 2021
He explains 👇 https://t.co/6F0AeqAzs6
The bottom half of White Abarrio’s pedigree is similarly interesting to review. His dam, Catching Diamonds, didn’t achieve much success on track, failing to crack the trifecta in a trio of maiden special weights at Fair Grounds.
But Catching Diamonds is a daughter of three-time leading sire Into Mischief, a source of speed who is also developing a late-in-the-game reputation for passing on classic stamina as well. Into Mischief is the sire of 2020 Kentucky Derby (G1) winner Authentic, as well as 2021 Kentucky Derby second-past-the-post Mandaloun.
Into Mischief is too young to have achieved much as a broodmare sire, so it remains to be seen whether his daughters will consistently pass on stamina. But the success of White Abarrio is a step in the right direction, so who knows? Perhaps White Abarrio is the horse who will, by means of a Kentucky Derby victory, establish the expectations for Race Day as a sire and Into Mischief as a broodmare sire.
