Coming off a blowout victory in the Pegasus World Cup Invitational Stakes (G1) in late January, White Abarrio appeared to have no rival capable of threatening him in the $150,000 Ghostzapper Stakes (G3) March 29 at Gulfstream Park.
But the grade 1-winning filly Power Squeeze, under a hustling rider from Hall of Famer Javier Castellano, made the $6.9 million-earning White Abarrio work for at least six furlongs of the 1 1/16-mile Ghostzapper before White Abarrio drew off to prevail by 5 1/4 lengths under Irad Ortiz Jr. The winner, prepping for the $1 million Metropolitan Handicap (G1) at Saratoga Race Course June 7, raced 1 1/16 miles in 1:41.97, returning $2.10 to win as the enormous favorite.
In a performance that appeared as high quality as her win in the Alabama Stakes (G1) last year against her age group and sex, Power Squeeze held second after hounding White Abarrio and brief early leader One Sharp Cookie through fractions of :22.82, :45.98, and 1:10.44. She finished a length ahead of Tuscan Sky in third.
Still, the Ghostzapper was all about White Abarrio, the four-time grade 1 winner who dominated his five rivals when asked to leave them behind under Ortiz's hand urging.
"Beautiful," Ortiz said. "He broke good again, and when he breaks like that, he makes things easier. I didn't do too much. I just let him be him, and that was it. I let him be him every step of the way."
"He's in a different league right now," trainer Saffie Joseph Jr. added of the gray and/or roan 6-year-old. "He did it as easy as he can."
White Abarrio, currently racing for owners C2 Racing Stable, Gary Barber, and Antonio Pagnano's La Milagrosa Stable, notched his 10th victory from 21 starts. He improved to 8-for-10 at Gulfstream, where he scored his first top-level stakes victory three years ago in the Florida Derby (G1).
Having also won the Whitney Stakes (G1) at Saratoga in 2023 during his Breeders' Cup Classic (G1)-winning season for then-trainer Rick Dutrow Jr., White Abarrio is also proven at the upstate New York track when it comes time for him to compete in the Metropolitan Handicap, more commonly referred to as the Met Mile. He was third in the 2023 Met Mile at Belmont Park and fifth in the race last year when it was contested at Saratoga due to ongoing reconstruction at Belmont.
Joseph called Saturday's performance a "perfect prep."
"You obviously want to make it as easy as possible, and you want to win. You don't want to get beat. I thought he won as easy as he could after going so quick early," Joseph said, noting as well the fast final time.
White Abarrio's Pedigree, Sales History
Bred in Kentucky by Spendthrift Farm, White Abarrio is one of two winners from four starters out of the Into Mischief mare Catching Diamonds. Her one unraced foal is a 2-year-old filly by Yaupon . Catching Diamonds is a half sister to group 3 winner Cool Cowboy.
White Abarrio is the top progeny of his sire Race Day, a son of Tapit .
The winner was twice sold at Ocala Breeders' Sales auctions but was acquired by his C2 Racing Stable-headed ownership via a private purchase and turned over to Joseph after a debut victory at Gulfstream in September 2021.
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