White Abarrio Steps Up for Sire Race Day

The Holy Bull Stakes (G3) is named after one of the greatest grays ever to grace a North American racetrack. This year's winner, White Abarrio, is as his name suggests, also a gray—and while he has some considerable way to go to match the deeds of the horse the race commemorates, at least it can be said that he is trending in the right direction. Sold for $7,500 as an Ocala Breeders' Sales January yearling, White Abarrio realized $40,000 when returning to the same sales company's March Sale 2-Year-Olds in Training. He was quick to repay that investment, his first two starts resulting in a 6 3/4-length victory in a 6 1/2-furlong Gulfstream Park maiden event towards the end of September, and a four-length tally in a one-mile allowance optional claimer at the same Florida track just over a month later. Trying tougher in the Kentucky Jockey Club Stakes (G2), White Abarrio stalked the leaders in the early running, dropped back a little mid-race, then stayed on to take third, beaten six lengths by Smile Happy. The Holy Bull Stakes was White Abarrio's first start of 2022 and he demonstrated that he'd wintered well, putting away early leader Galt before turning for home with a 2 1/2-length advantage, a margin he extended to 4 1/2 lengths by the time he hit the wire. The improvement the performance suggested visually was confirmed by a new top Equibase Speed Figure of 102, the co-third fastest of the current year by a sophomore colt. White Abarrio's next target will be the Curlin Florida Derby (G1), a race which in Holy Bull recorded a dominant wire-to-wire victory when he scored by 5 3/4 lengths from Ride the Rails—later notable as sire of Candy Ride (ARG)—with eventual Kentucky Derby (G1) winner Go for Gin back in fourth. White Abarrio comes from the third crop of his sire Race Day, a gray son of the gray stallion Tapit. Unraced at 2, Race Day scored in maiden and allowance company in the last three of his first starts at 3. Although he continued his development at 4, Race Day wasn't able to make his mark at the highest level, but did turn in some impressive performances in grade 2 and grade 3 company, capturing the Oaklawn Handicap (G2) by 3 3/4 lengths, the Hagyard Fayette Stakes (G2), which he took while setting a track record for nine furlongs at Keeneland, and the Razorback Handicap (G3). Retired to Spendthrift Farm in Lexington, Race Day sired five stakes winners in his first crop. All were relatively minor, but that could be viewed as a respectable effort in view of a starting fee of $7,000 live foal. There was just one stakes winner in his second crop, last year's Silverbulletday Stakes winner Charlie's Penny, but by that time Race Day had already been exported, serving the 2021 season in South Korea. His third crop contains not only White Abarrio, but also another colt who has figured in the early stages of the Triple Crown trail in Barber Road, who was second in the Smarty Jones Stakes and Southwest Stakes (G3). White Abarrio's dam Catching Diamonds, a daughter of Into Mischief, was unplaced in three starts. She is however, half sister to Downside Scenario, a mare who has produced a far more accomplished Into Mischief runner in Mutasaabeq, winner of the Bourbon Stakes (G2T) on turf and third in the Runhappy Hopeful Stakes (G1) on dirt as 2-year-old, and successful in the Mucho Macho Man Stakes, back on the dirt last year at 3. Catching Diamonds is also half sister to Cool Cowboy, a three-time stakes winner in the United States, and also winner of the Emirates Holidays Burj Nahaar (G3) and Emirates Global Aluminium Al Shindagha Sprint (G3) while racing in Dubai. Catching Diamonds' dam Grand Breeze is a winning half sister to the minor stakes winner and stakes-placed Afleet Lass. Another half sister, Irmadohomemra, is dam of one Champion Brazilian 2-year-old filly in Juno (BRZ), and granddam of another, Love 'n' Happiness (BRZ). A third, Bluegrass Belle, produced the Eddie D Stakes (G2T) and American Stakes (G3T) scorer Pee Wee Reese. Grand Breeze is out of Breeze Lass, a daughter of Faneuil Lass. That mare was a daughter of a horse who other than this female line has almost disappeared completely from pedigrees, the Australian import Somebody II, a stakes-winning sprinter by Wilkes, an outstanding stallion in Australia and a son of Court Martial, leading sire twice in England and also a successful sire in the United States. Faneuil Lass, successful in the Railbird Stakes (G3) and Princess Stakes (G3) and second in the Hollywood Oaks (G1), proved to be his only offspring of note. Faneuil Girl, the dam of Faneuil Lass, went on to visit some far more illustrious stallions, and her daughter Fiesta Lady, successful in the Matron Stakes (G1) and Del Mar Debutante Stakes (G2), was one of the best fillies sired by Secretariat. Stakes-placed herself, Faneuil Girl was a sister to the prolific Faneuil Boy, and to multiple stakes winner Faneuil Hall, who also appears as the fourth dam of Code of Honor, the co-highweighted 3-year-old male of 2019 and successful in the Runhappy Travers Stakes (G1) and Jockey Club Gold Cup (G1). The family came to the U.S. with the purchase by J. R. Keene of Castleton Stud, and the mare Lady Minting, for 3,000 guineas—the highest price of the week—at the 1901 Newmarket December Sale. White Abarrio is only the second graded stakes winner to date out of a mare by Into Mischief, and it's notable that the other, the Prioress Stakes (G2) scorer Cilla, is also by a grandson of Pulpit, in this case, California Chrome.