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The owners of US star White Abarrio have contacted lawyers over the ‘completely unjustified’ last minute scratching of the grey at the Breeders’ Cup. The six-year-old horse, who has earned more than £5.7 million from ten wins, captured the Breeders’ Cup Classic two years ago but at the 2025 edition of the championships at Del Mar last weekend was set to tackle the Dirt Mile. He was saddled up, paraded in front of the stands with the rest of the field and was set to be loaded into the stalls when jockey Irad Ortiz was told that the on site veterinary team were not happy with him. Connections subsequently learned the Saffie Joseph-trained White Abarrio was showing signs of an “off left front” foot. His owners dispute the opinion that he was not fit to run in the Grade 1 race and have sought legal advice. In a statement C2 Racing Stable and Gary Barber said: “As the co-owners of White Abarrio, we are deeply concerned by the decision of the Breeders’ Cup to scratch White Abarrio from the Breeders’ Cup Dirt Mile only minutes before he entered the starting gate. “White Abarrio had a PET scan at the Breeders’ Cup request, which resulted in findings normal for a racehorse in training. He was also examined every day by Breeders’ Cup veterinarians in the week leading up to the race, including on the morning of the race, and the veterinarians deemed him fit to race. “No problems were noted in the paddock pre-race, and Jockey Irad Ortiz, Jr. stated that White Abarrio warmed up “perfectly” on the track. “Despite this fact, for reasons that remain unknown, the Breeders’ Cup directed that White Abarrio be scratched right before the race was set to run. “To be clear, the health and safety of our equine athletes is always of paramount importance. On that point, all parties can agree.” The statement continued: “If there were any facts or circumstances to support the notion that White Abarrio was in any way unfit to race, we would wholly support a decision to scratch him. However, in this instance, there is no such evidence. "Based on what we know to date, we are very concerned that the decision to scratch White Abarrio was completely unjustified. It was certainly made for reasons that are unknown to trainer Saffie Joseph. Jr and the ownership group. "White Abarrio has raced 24 times throughout his career and we always take the utmost precaution to ensure he is healthy, as evidenced by our full compliance with the pre-race examination protocols. "Given the foregoing, C2 Racing Stable, LLC and Gary Barber have retained counsel and have asked for a full and transparent investigation into this matter. "We have requested that the Breeders’ Cup, the California Horse Racing Board, and the Del Mar Thoroughbred Club preserve and disclose all relevant documents related to White Abarrio being scratched.”
