Breeders' Cup

Sovereignty (Into Mischief) capped off yet another massive evening at the Resolute Racing Eclipse Awards for Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid al Maktoum's far-flung Godolphin operation, capping the festivities at The Breakers in Palm Beach, Florida, by being named America's Horse of the Year for 2025 by a wide margin. It marks the second time in three years that a horse bred and raced by Godolphin stole the show, following on from Cody's Wish (Curlin), who took down top honors in 2023. Godolphin was also named outstanding owner and breeder Thursday...

GI FanDuel Breeders' Cup Mile winner Notable Speech (GB) (Dubawi {Ire}) and GI Maker's Mark Breeders' Cup Filly & Mare Turf runner-up She Feels Pretty (Karakontie {Jpn}) have been named Best Turf Male and Female. 'TDN Rising Star, presented by Hagyard' Notable Speech, owned and bred by fellow Eclipse winner Godolphin, also won the GI Rogers Woodbine Mile Stakes, finishing his year with back to back wins on North American shores. She Feels Pretty won three of five starts for trainer Cherie DeVaux in 2025 including the GIII Modesty Stakes,...

The Eclipse Award for Older Dirt Male and Female have gone to Japan's Forever Young (Jpn) (Real Steel {Jpn}) and last year's Horse of the Year, Thorpedo Anna (Fast Anna). Forever Young, who returned to Del Mar in 2025 to win the GI Breeders' Cup Classic after coming up just short in 2024, also won this year's G1 Saudi Cup and ran third in the G1 Dubai World Cup, his only non-winning effort across his four starts for trainer Yoshito Yahagi and owner Susumu Fujita. The 2024 Horse of the...

Bill Mott, who brought along Champion 3-Year-Old Male Sovereignty (Into Mischief) to wins in the Kentucky Derby, Belmont, and Travers, has been been given the Eclipse Award for Best Trainer. In addition to Sovereignty, Mott also trainer 'TDN Rising Star, presented by Hagyard' Scylla (Tapit) to a win in the GI Longines Breeders' Cup Distaff. From 662 starts, Mott finished out 2025 with a record of 106-85-97 and earnings of $17,165,020. This is Mott's fifth Eclipse Award; he was previously honored in 2024, 2011, 1996 and 1995, 1996.

New Jersey-bred Book'em Danno (Bucchero) and Breeders' Cup winner Shisospicy (Mitole) won top Male and Female Sprinter at the Eclipse Awards. A winner in four of his five starts in 2025, Book'em Danno finished his year with three straight wins all at Saratoga in the GIII True North Stakes, the GII Alfred G. Vanderbilt Stakes and the GI Forego Stakes for trainer Derek Ryan and owner Atlantic Six Racing. 'TDN Rising Star, presented by Hagyard' Shisospicy went undefeated on American shores after February for trainer Jose D'Angelo, winning the GIII...

Already an Eclipse Award winner from last year, Flavien Prat has gone back to back and has once again been named Best Jockey. His 2025 campaign of 1,256 starts earned a record of 309-234-188 with earnings of over $40,460,428. His picked up wins aboard Sierra Leone (Gun Runner) in the GI Whitney Stakes and was named the Leading Rider for Keeneland's Spring meet. He also set a new NYRA record for wins on a single card, earning seven wins on the final day of the Belmont the Big A meet...

GI Kentucky Derby winner Sovereignty (Into Mischief) has been named the top 3-Year-Old Male and GI Alabama Stakes winner Nitrogen (Medaglia d'Oro) as top 3-Year-Old Filly in their respective categories at the Eclipse Awards. Beaten just once in 2025 when second in the GI Curlin Florida Derby, Sovereignty wrapped up his year with wins in the Derby, the GI Belmont Stakes, the GII Jim Dandy Stakes and the GI DraftKings Travers Stakes, earning more than $5,600,000 in six starts for owner/breeder Godolphin and trainer Bill Mott. Nitrogen began her year...

The $1.25 million GI Apple Blossom Handicap has joined the roster of prestigious North American races for the 2026 Breeders' Cup Challenge Series: Win and You're In, Breeders' Cup Limited and Oaklawn Park said in a joint release on Thursday. The Breeders' Cup Challenge Series is an international series of stakes races, the winners of which receive automatic starting positions and fees paid into a corresponding race at the 2026 Breeders' Cup World Championships, scheduled to be held Oct. 30-31 at Keeneland Race Course in Lexington, Kentucky. Offering an automatic...

Under the leadership of Rich Mendez, Morplay Racing has come a long way in a short time. The Morplay team, which also includes Mendez's son, Josh, Randy Hartley, and Dean DeRenzo, and started up in 2023, has already won at the highest levels with Shisospicy (Mitole) and got a taste of Derby Fever when it won the 2024 GIII Sam F. Davis Stakes with No More Time (Not This Time). Morplay will look to add to its accomplishments when sends out its most recent acquisition, Brotha Keny (Mo Town), in...

There's not a whole lot of guesswork when it comes to putting together a Top 12 list for this year's GI Kentucky Derby. Ted Noffey (Into Mischief) is clearly Number One, and finding a list of quality horses to slot in behind him isn't that difficult. If only compiling a similar list for the Kentucky Oaks were that easy. The 3-year-old filly set has begun the new year without a clear leader, and many who will make this list have to prove more. It's also early...very early. That means there's...

Outspoken owner Mike Repole announced Monday on his feed on the social media platform X that he has taken the first steps toward launching what he called a "national lawsuit" that he hopes will bring what he feels are vital changes to the horse racing industry. Repole compared his lawsuit to Michael Jordan vs. NASCAR. That case refers to the recent antitrust lawsuit filed by Jordan's 23XI Racing against NASCAR, accusing the organization of monopolistic practices, which culminated in a mid-trial settlement in December 2025. Among the issues brought up...

The pari-mutuel field of "All other 3-year olds" closed as the 7-2 favorite in Pool 3 of the Kentucky Derby Future Wager (KDFW) while unbeaten GI Breeders' Cup Juvenile champion Ted Noffey (Into Mischief) was the 6-1 second choice, announced Churchill Downs via press release. The GI Kentucky Derby is 15 weeks away, and others who attracted interest include GSW Paladin (Gun Runner) at 14-1 and 'TDN Rising Star, presented by Hagyard' Chief Wallabee (Constitution) at 17-1 odds. The former is trained by Chad Brown while the latter is in...