Eric Gustavson

The podium at the 55th annual Eclipse Awards ceremony was awash in Godolphin blue Thursday, with a homebred from that global bloodstock powerhouse, Sovereignty (Into Mischief), running away with both Horse of the Year and 3-year-old male championship honors. Sovereignty's on-track tour de force included emphatic Grade I victories in the 2025 Kentucky Derby, Belmont Stakes and Travers Stakes, and those headline-grabbing wins helped to trigger a cascade of accolades for the colt's human connections. Godolphin took home its sixth straight Eclipse recognition as outstanding owner and its fifth consecutive...

The New Vocations Racehorse Adoption Program will raise over $100,000 in its 16th Annual Breeders' Cup Pledge, the organization announced Tuesday. This year's results were boosted by two Future Stars Friday winners connected to pledge participants: Ted Noffey (Into Mischief), representing Spendthrift Farm and Todd Pletcher, and Gstaad (GB) (Starspangledbanner {Aus}), representing Coolmore and Partners. Additionally, multiple pledged horses also placed throughout the Breeders' Cup, including Brussels (Ire) (Wootton Bassett {GB}), Percy's Bar (Upstart), Ground Support (Army Mule), Citizen Bull (Into Mischief), Chancer McPatrick (McKinzie), The Lion in Winter (Ire)...

Chancer McPatrick (McKinzie--Bernadreamy, by Bernardini), a dual Grade I winner at two, is expected to make the final start of his career in the GI Breeders' Cup Dirt Mile before entering stud in 2026 at Eric and Tamara Gustavson's Spendthrift Farm. "We are excited about Chancer McPatrick," said Spendthrift General Manager Ned Toffey. "We've had good luck with precocious Grade I winners from the first crop of emerging sires--of course, that was the formula with Into Mischief when he came to stud. "It takes a pretty special 2-year-old to win...

SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. - Many of the smiles and chuckles following Ted Noffey's victory in the first race at Saratoga Race Course Saturday had very little to do with his solid 1 1/2-length victory. They were about his name, which was the result of a very simple but humorous mistake, as his, err, namesake Ned Toffey explained. Toffey, for 21 years the general manager of Spendthrift Farm, which owns Ted Noffey, was chosen as Kentucky's Farm Manager of the Year in 2024, an honor that started the story. "One of...

Bill Farish (Lane's End Farm) and Eric Gustavson (Spendthrift Farm) were re-elected to the Breeders' Cup Board of Directors, the organization said in a release Wednesday. M.V. Magnier (Coolmore) and Craig Fravel (Brown Advisory) were elected to the Board. Farish, Gustavson and Magnier will all serve four-year terms. Fravel, former President & CEO of Breeders' Cup Limited from 2011-19, will serve a three-year term. "We congratulate Bill and Eric on their re-election and are pleased to welcome M.V. and Craig to the Board," said Barbara Banke, Chairman of Breeders' Cup...

Spendthrift Farm's Ned Toffey has been named the Kentucky Thoroughbred Farm Managers' Club (KTFMC) 2024 Ted Bates Farm Manager of the Year. Toffey has been at Spendthrift since 2004, when he worked with the late B. Wayne Hughes to rebuild the historic farm to a leading modern-day institution in the sport. KTFMC will host its annual Dinner Dance to honor Toffey at the Carrick House in Lexington on Friday, Dec. 6. A silent auction will be held with all proceeds benefitting a charity of Toffey's choosing. "Ned's management of Spendthrift,...

Nineteen individuals have been elected Breeders' Cup Members by 2023 Breeders' Cup foal and stallion nominators in voting that concluded Monday evening. Each Member will serve a four-year term. The following individuals, listed alphabetically, received the most votes from the Breeders' Cup nominators to fill 19 Member seats: Conrad Bandoroff, Maria Niarchos-Gouaze, Barbara Banke, David O'Farrell, Boyd Browning, Bernie Sams, Doug Cauthen, Alex Solis II, Matt Dorman, Edward (Ned) Toffey, Craig Fravel, Elliott Walden, Eric Gustavson, Barry Weisbord, Bret Jones, Aron Wellman, Gray Lyster, Jacob West, and Clem Murphy. The...

The GI Beholder Mile is being renamed the B. Wayne Hughes Beholder Mile in honor of the multiple champion's late owner, who passed away in August 2021. Hughes, the founder of the Public Storage company and whose silks carried the same purple-and-orange color scheme, owned horses for five decades and was the proprietor of Spendthrift Farm from 2004. Beholder, a daughter of Henny Hughes, was purchased for $180,000 at the 2011 Keeneland September sale and won a record 13 stakes races at Santa Anita, including the 2012 GI Breeders' Cup...

Spendthrift Farm has made a $50,000 donation to the Light Up Racing initiative, the community-driven organization said in a release early Friday morning. Founded by a group of horse racing advocates, Light Up Racing's primary mission is to educate both the industry and the public on evidence-based practices, with a strong emphasis on horse welfare and transparency. The organization seeks to reshape perceptions and foster a well-informed community. "Our donation demonstrates our commitment to upholding the highest standards of horse welfare, fostering transparency, and driving positive perception change for our...

Eric Gustavson, who with his wife Tamara Hughes Gustavson own Spendthrift Farm, has been named to Keeneland's Advisory Board of Directors, the association said in a press release Thursday. Gustavson has played a pivotal role in restoring Spendthrift Farm's position as one of the world's premier Thoroughbred breeding operations. He is also a member of The Jockey Club and Breeders' Cup Board of Directors. "We welcome Eric Gustavson to the Keeneland Board, where his business skill and marketing acumen will be instrumental as we meet the opportunities and challenges of...

In the Sept. 30 edition of the Thoroughbred Daily News, we ran an interview with John Sikura in which he raised questions about the funding mechanism and purse of the Kentucky Derby. In the article, Sikura says: "(The Kentucky Derby is) "The single event that drives the commerce of the industry. The point of entry to virtually everybody that owns a horse: 'I want to win the Kentucky Derby.' If you're fortunate enough to do so, there should be a financial reward that recognizes that--not just pride in achievement. A...

Seven new members were elected to the Jockey Club of America, which include Gary Fenton, Eric Gustavson, Bret Jones, Jane Lyon, Michael Mulvihill, David O'Rourke and Mandy Pope, the organization said in a release early Thursday morning. Fenton has been the managing partner of Little Red Feather Racing, a racing syndicate based in California, since 2005, and he is on the board of the Thoroughbred Owners of California and has been chairman since 2021. Over the last 17 years, Gustavson has overseen Spendthrift's growth as it acquired, raced and launched...