Michael Banahan

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...

Horse of the Year candidate and MGISW Sovereignty (Into Mischief) will return to racing in 2026. The news was confirmed by Godolphin's Michael Banahan in an interview Saturday with FanDuel TV. Questioned about the stable's star runner, Banahan told FanDuel's Caton Bredar that Sovereignty was "doing great". "He's up in Kentucky at the moment," Banahan said. "He's at Keeneland. He's galloping--doing fine. We'll probably get him down here to Payson [Park] early in the new year and get him [trainer] Bill [Mott]. Hopefully we'll have as a good a year...

Shifting his tack to Churchill Downs for the 26-day Fall Meet, Irad Ortiz Jr. rounded out the session with 46 wins, including two landed on Sunday's closing day. The mark represented the most wins at the meeting since Julien Leparoux won 63 races "It's been very successful since moving to Kentucky," Ortiz Jr. said. "It's been great to be able to ride for so many new owners and trainers. I'm very thankful for everyone who's helped us get to where we are." Represented by Steve Rushing, Ortiz' most notable wins...

SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. - In his opening remarks during this year's Kentucky Derby post-race news conference, Hall of Fame trainer Bill Mott paid tribute to the entire team behind the brilliant Sovereignty (Into Mischief). "I'm so proud of everybody that had anything to do with getting this horse to this point and it takes a lot of people," Mott said. "It takes a family, and it takes a community to get him ready, really." Neil Poznansky, the regular morning work partner for the nation's top 3-year-old, has been with Mott...

SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. - Leading Horse of the Year candidate Sovereignty (Into Mischief) continued his preparations for the upcoming GI Breeders' Cup Classic with a strong gallop on a brisk Saturday morning at Saratoga. "He'll breeze tomorrow, then hopefully one more time before he leaves," Hall of Fame trainer Bill Mott said back by his barn during the break. "We've been on schedule. We mapped out a little, potential schedule for him and it's gone pretty well so far. He's been doing great." With the rising sun, morning mist and...

Just how deep is Sunday's running of the GI Jockey Club Gold Cup at Saratoga, a 'Win and You're In' qualifier for the GI Breeders' Cup Classic in a little more than two months' time? Well, six of the eight remaining horses--GII Charles Town Classic winner Banishing (Ghostzapper) will be scratched--have recorded at least one Beyer Speed Figure of 104 or higher this year and three of the entrants are already Grade I winners this term. It is the very definition of a hot race. The field is led by...

Go ahead and crown him. Dual Classic winner Sovereignty (Into Mischief) showed no mercy on his four overmatched rivals, romping by 10 lengths in Saturday's GI DraftKings Travers S. at Saratoga. Bracket Buster (Vekoma) and Magnitude (Not This Time) rounded out the top three. "Our horse just proved how good he was when he pulled away in the last eighth of a mile," winning Hall of Fame trainer Bill Mott said. "He's pretty special." The 1-4 favorite jumped well from post four and trailed the bunched-up field as expected pacesetter...

To adapt Shakespeare on Cleopatra: "age cannot wither him, nor custom stale his infinite variety." To be enjoying an Indian summer like this, however, Medaglia d'Oro has had to stem what often proves an inexorable tide once a stallion enters the evening of his career. For the ageism so common among breeders can be self-fulfilling. Any stallion still operating at 26 must have shown an unequivocal prowess over the years. That being so, however, he will typically have produced fashionable sons to erode his own market share. And once enough...

While his status for the Preakness is still undecided, GI Kentucky Derby hero Sovereignty (Into Mischief) continues to impress his team with how well he has rebounded from his long stretch battle with Journalism (Curlin) last Saturday, but a decision might be around the corner. Since his win in the Spring marquee race, the son of Into Mischief has reportedly done no wrong, and has continued to thrive in his return to routine. Michael Banahan, Godolphin's director of bloodstock, told Steve Byk on his Monday morning satellite radio show that...

Two years ago, Godolphin came into the Kentucky Oaks with a serious threat in Wet Paint (Blame). The homebred was undefeated as a 3-year-old and looked every bit the part in the days leading up to the big event. She went off as the 8-5 favorite, but when the fillies hit the wire it was the other Godolphin runner, Pretty Mischievous (Into Mischief), who delivered the win. At 10-1 odds, she handed her connections of Godolphin, trainer Brendan Walsh and jockey Tyler Gaffalione their first Oaks victory. This year, Godolphin...

Godolphin's Sovereignty (Into Mischief), who closed from last to first to capture Saturday's Coolmore GII Fountain of Youth at Gulfstream Park, emerged as an exciting Triple Crown prospect in the first start of his 3-year-old season. "We were sort of hoping that was the way the race would pan out," Godolphin USA's director of bloodstock Michael Banahan said Sunday. "We didn't really know if he'd have enough ground to actually catch the horses on the lead with his running style, especially with the way the track seems to play for...

From Godolphin's 12 starters in 10 renewals of the GI Kentucky Derby, favored Essential Quality (Tapit)'s promoted third-place finish following Medina Spirit (Protonico)'s medication disqualification in 2021 has been the best result to date. With four serious contenders--all homebreds--on target for upcoming Kentucky Derby preps and fresh off a fifth consecutive Eclipse Award as outstanding owner, could this be the year for Sheikh Mohammed's powerhouse global operation? "We've been there before and we've had chances," Godolphin USA Director of Bloodstock Michael Banahan said. "Who knows what's written in the stars,...