White Abarrio looks to turn the page as he heads toward the Pegasus World Cup

After his controversial scratch from the Breeders’ Cup Dirt Mile, the champion is set to return to action at Gulfstream Park, following the same roadmap that carried him to victory in 2025

White Abarrio aims for a Pegasus repeat / ADAM COGLIANESE

HALLANDALE BEACH, Florida (Special to Turf Diario)—The name White Abarrio dominated headlines after the Breeders’ Cup Dirt Mile (G1), when he was dramatically scratched at the last moment in an episode that sparked controversy, conflicting explanations and widespread media reaction. But inside the camp of the champion, there is little interest in looking back. The focus has shifted squarely to Gulfstream Park, the GIII Mr. Prospector, and, of course, the GI Pegasus World Cup.

Trainer Saffie Joseph Jr. confirmed that the team will follow the exact same roadmap used this season, when the son of Race Day used the Mr. Prospector as a springboard to his dominant Pegasus triumph.

“The plan is to run him in the Mr. Prospector. We’re going back to what worked last year—cutting him back to seven furlongs,” Joseph said. The $150,000 race will be run Dec. 27 at Gulfstream.

In 2024, White Abarrio finished second to Chilean-bred Mufasa (Practical Joke) in the Mr. Prospector, closing strongly, before producing a memorable performance in the Pegasus, where he drew off by 6 1/4 lengths over 1 1/8 miles—one of the most emphatic wins of his career. The 10th running of the Pegasus is set for Jan. 24, and Joseph is not hiding his optimism: “That’s where we want to be, and I think he has a big chance to repeat.”

For Joseph, White Abarrio is far more than just another horse. He is the runner who elevated his career into the elite tier of American trainers.

The striking gray owns three other top-level victories: the GI Curlin Florida Derby (2022), the GI Whitney (2023) at Saratoga, and the GI Breeders’ Cup Classic (2023) at Santa Anita.

While White Abarrio gears up for his major winter objective, Joseph is also tightening the screws on Skippylongstocking (Exaggerator), third in this year’s Pegasus, with the same path in mind: the GIII Harlan’s Holiday on Dec. 20, then on to the big stage on Jan. 24.

“Skippy is doing well. I really like what I’m seeing from him right now. He’s on target for the Pegasus,” Joseph said. The trainer is also committed to defending his title at Gulfstream’s Championship Meet, where he will aim for a fifth consecutive crown after ending Todd Pletcher’s long-standing dominance.

The Breeders’ Cup episode reaffirmed that White Abarrio is a horse who never goes unnoticed—on or off the track. But far from the controversy, his team is determined to let the horse speak on the racetrack, where he has already written some of the defining chapters of recent seasons.

With a familiar plan, proven experience and the weight of historic performances behind him, White Abarrio now looks to turn a turbulent page into the opening chapter of another major triumph.

Will 2026 be the year of his second Pegasus World Cup?