ARCADIA, Calif. – It was only a few months ago that the connections of White Abarrio were focusing on races contested around one turn. Due to a confluence of circumstances, White Abarrio is here at the $6 million Breeders’ Cup Classic, a 1 1/4-mile race at Santa Anita, where he might actually go off the favorite in a field of 12. When the Grade 1 Whitney at Saratoga in early August came up light in numbers, trainer Richard Dutrow Jr. and the owners – which include C2 Racing Stable and La Milagrosa Stables – pivoted to that 1 1/8-mile race, as opposed to waiting for the Grade 1 Forego three weeks later. When White Abarrio cruised to a 6 1/4-length victory in what has come back a fast and productive race, the Classic immediately became the goal. In addition, Dutrow immediately said he was going to simply train the horse up to the race. Despite a minor hiccup related to shoeing – White Abarrio had to have a work pushed back five days because his glue-on shoes were pinching him – things have gone the way Dutrow had hoped. “I just think he’s gonna run a big race,” Dutrow said. “He’s been giving us all the right signs, he’s as happy as can be, doing good as far as his mental and physical condition. He’s been here long enough not to have any excuse.” Dutrow will be saddling White Abarrio for just the third time in what will be the horse’s 15th race. He was previously trained by Saffie Joseph Jr., but when two Joseph-trained horses died during the early spring at Churchill Downs, he was unable to start horses in multiple jurisdictions including New York. Mark Cornett, of C2 Racing, moved the horse to Dutrow, just back from a 10-year suspension handed him by New York regulators for a history of violations. :: Breeders' Cup Shop: DRF Past Performances available now White Abarrio and the 3-year-old Arabian Knight will likely vie for favoritism after Arcangelo, the Belmont Stakes and Travers winner, was scratched from the race Tuesday due to a sore left hind foot. It is expected that Arcangelo will be retired and stand at stud at Lane’s End Farm in 2024, according to owner Jon Ebbert. It was a year ago, on Breeders’ Cup Friday at Keeneland, that trainer Bob Baffert debuted Arabian Knight, who rolled to a 7 1/4-length debut victory. He has only run three times since, his most recent start being the Grade 1 Pacific Classic, which he won by a neck over Geaux Rocket Ride. “He won, but at the top of the stretch, it looked like he was tired,” said Baffert, who added that jockey Flavien Prat “said every time a horse came to him, he’d just take off again, so he’s got a lot of grit.” Baffert has won the Classic four times, all with 3-year-olds who were forwardly placed in the race. If Arabian Knight is to win, he will most likely be a forward factor, though the fast 3-year-old Saudi Crown likes to be on the lead as well. “He’s going to have to come out of there running,” Baffert said. “He’s lightly raced, he’s got to move way up, he should. He’s still a teenager, but he’s turning into a man. I always thought he was an exceptional horse.” Saudi Crown has emerged as the top 3-year-old in the deep barn of Brad Cox. He has won three of five starts, his losses both coming by a nose. From his victory in the Grade 1 Pennsylvania Derby to the way he’s trained since, Cox believes the horse is set up for “a huge effort. “I really do believe he can get a mile and a quarter. He obviously does have a lot of speed but that’s a good thing here at Santa Anita,” Cox said. The wild card in the field is the Japanese-based and -bred Ushba Tesoro. After making the first 22 starts of his career on turf, he has gone 7 for 8 on dirt and is since unbeaten at 1 1/4 miles, including a victory in the Group 1 Dubai World Cup at Meydan in March. Ushba Tesoro got hot and bothered when schooling in the starting gate on Monday. His connections, which include trainer Noboru Takagi, brought him to the gate on Wednesday and felt things went well. “He was very calm, we walked him through a couple of times and he really wasn’t so stressed,” Takagi said through an interpreter. “We got him comfortable and he’s good to go.” Takagi said that Ushba Tesoro won’t use any special equipment in the gate that had previously been mentioned as something that would make him feel more comfortable in there. Prior to going to the gate, Ushba Tesoro worked a half-mile in 51.96 seconds with a last quarter in 24.57 seconds, according to Daily Racing Form’s Mike Welsch. “He is well prepared and we’re quite confident he can run a really good race,” Takagi said. Derma Sotogake, another Japanese-based runner, is making his first start here since he finished sixth in the Kentucky Derby. He missed a scheduled start in late September due to a foot issue. In 2019, the last time the Breeders’ Cup was held at Santa Anita, trainer Todd Pletcher and owners Mike Repole and Vinnie and Teresa Viola teamed up to win the Classic with Vino Rosso. This year, those same connections will send out Bright Future, a 4-year-old son of Curlin who won the Jockey Club Gold Cup, and Dreamlike, a 3-year-old son of Gun Runner who comes off a second-place finish to Saudi Crown in the Pennsylvania Derby. Speaking of Bright Future, Pletcher said, “A son of Curlin, he’s supposed to get better as he matures, which we’ve seen, so we’re very pleased with the way he’s coming into it.” Pletcher said Dreamlike’s best chance for success is if the pace is hot and he can get a clear run in which to close. When Vino Rosso won the Classic, he had shipped cross-country earlier in the year to run in the Gold Cup, a race which he won. The East Coast-based Proxy shipped to California earlier this year for the Santa Anita Handicap, a race in which he was beaten just a neck. Trainer Michael Stidham prefers Proxy to have an outside post and he drew the extreme outside in this field. Joel Rosario will ride. :: Get Breeders' Cup Clocker Reports from Mike Welsch and the DRF Clocker Team when you purchase a BC VIP Package! A hot pace would benefit Zandon, Senor Buscador, and Clapton. Zandon, who at 3 finished third in both the Kentucky Derby and Travers at 1 1/4 miles, is coming off a solid victory in the Woodward Stakes going 1 1/8 miles at Aqueduct. Frankie Dettori rides for Chad Brown. Senor Buscador finished third to Slow Down Andy in the Awesome Again on a sealed, wet-fast track that favored front-runners. He also caught a somewhat speed-favoring track when fourth to Arabian Knight in the Pacific Classic. Clapton, a troubled-trip fourth in the Jockey Club Gold Cup, rebounded to win the Grade 2 Lukas Classic for trainer Chad Summers. Missed the Cut won the Grade 3 Tokyo City Stakes against three horses in his most recent start. He is trained by John Sadler, who last year sent out Flightline to win the Classic at 2-5, the shortest price in the 39-year history of the race. While the Classic is the richest of 14 Breeders’ Cup races contested over two days, it is not, as in years past, the final race to be run. Due to contractual agreements with the Big Ten conference, NBC will leave Breeders’ Cup at 4 p.m. Pacific, about 20 minutes after the Classic is run. The Turf Sprint and Sprint will follow the Classic and be shown on Peacock, NBC’s streaming network. The forecast for Saturday calls for partly cloudy skies and a high of 81 degrees. :: Want to learn more about handicapping and wagering? Check out DRF's Handicapping 101 and Wagering 101 pages.