National Treasure

Godolphin LLC, who campaigned 13 North American graded stakes winners during 2025, including dual classic winner Sovereignty (Into Mischief), set a single-season record in earnings as the leading owner for the fifth consecutive year, and Irad Ortiz, Jr., established a single-season record as the leading jockey by earnings according to final year-end statistics released by Equibase Company on Friday. Godolphin--with 104 North American wins from 448 starts--amassed record earnings of $22,395,556, surpassing their previous mark of $20.2 million set in 2024. When including earnings from the Dubai and Saudi Cup...

In its annual Report of Mares Bred (RMBs) released Thursday, The Jockey Club estimates that the 2026 foal crop will be 17,000. That represents a slight decline of 300 from the 2025 crop. The foal crop projection is computed by using RMBs received to date for the 2025 breeding season. RMBs are to be filed by August 1 of each breeding season. The number of mares bred has fallen every year since 2015, when 34,122 mares were bred. Over that ten-year period, the foal crop has dropped by 28%. During...

What is the common denominator between the last three runnings of the second jewel of the U.S. Triple Crown and Fasig-Tipton's Saratoga Select Yearling Sale? When Journalism (Curlin) crossed the wire first in the GI Preakness Stakes last May, it marked the third consecutive year that a yearling sold at Fasig-Tipton's Saratoga venue brought home the blanket of Black-Eyed Susans. Beginning in 2023, National Treasure (Quality Road), a $500,000 Saratoga buy, won for trainer Bob Baffert and a partnership consisting of SF Racing, Starlight, Madaket Stables, Robert Masterson, Jay Schoenfarber,...

Thorpedo Anna (Fast Anna), who was named Horse of the Year and champion of her generation at the Eclipse Award ceremonies in January, was recognized with the same honors at Friday night's annual champion Kentucky-Bred Awards Dinner. The daughter of Sataves (Uncle Mo) was campaigned to six wins from seven starts in 2024, highlighted by victories in the GI Longines Kentucky Oaks and GI Breeders' Cup Distaff. In total, she took out five elite-level contests and was narrowly runner-up in the GI Travers Stakes against the boys while earning better...

Last year ended on a high note for Top o' the Lane Farm and has continued into 2025. Vixen (Vekoma) was second by a neck in the GI Natalma Stakes last September, then followed it up by a solid run in the Breeders' Cup after having to break from the parking lot and has continued on in 2025 after a short break to capture the Sweetest Chant Stakes and GIII Herecomesthebride Stakes. Keeneland November was a major success with three foals going through the ring to great connections through Highgate...

The TDN staff is once again sitting down with leading breeders to find out what stallions they have chosen for their mares, and why. Today we caught up with Blue Heaven Farm. 2024 was Blue Heaven Farm's best year on record. In addition to several nice results at the Keeneland September sale, we were represented by five different stakes horses on the track, including two runners in the Breeders' Cup. We are hoping to keep the momentum going in 2025 and beyond.  Below are the mating plans for a handful...

   Chip Montgomery sits down with TDN to discuss his 2025 mating plans for Haymarket Farm. The 2025 mating season will be a milestone for Haymarket Farm, as, for the first time, all of our mares will be based in central Kentucky, rather than on our farm in Simpsonville. It was such a competitive disadvantage being located outside of the core nucleus of the terrific vets, farriers, et al, that serve our farms and in this day, we need all the economic help we can get! You ask what we're...

The English polymath John Ruskin, who was always hard at work scribbling a well-timed observation for some future generation to co-opt, said when it came to the weather, "Sunshine is delicious, rain is refreshing, wind braces us up, snow is exhilarating; there is really no such thing as bad weather, only different kinds of good weather." Well, bully for you Mr. Ruskin! Send him a going stick and put him to work on the nearest turf course. Some might care to offer quite a different observation after recent events. What...

Only a courageous runner-up effort behind 'TDN Rising Star' and 3-year-old male Eclipse finalist Fierceness (City of Light) in the GI Travers Stakes this past August stood between Brookdale Racing Inc, Mark Edwards, Judy Hicks and Magdalena Racing's 'TDN Rising Star' Thorpedo Anna (Fast Anna) and a perfect season in 2024. But the enormously talented dark bay filly was utterly dominant against her own sex in 2024 and became the first female since Havre de Grace (Saint Liam) in 2011 to take home the coveted Horse of the Year statuette...

With victories in 2024 in two of the most prestigious races run in this country, National Treasure (Quality Road) proved a handy winner of the Eclipse Award for champion older dirt male, easily outpointing GI Breeders' Cup Dirt Mile upseter Full Serrano (Arg) (Full Mast) and Straight No Chaser (Speightster), who caused a bit of a surprise in the GI Breeders' Cup Sprint. National Treasure is just the second Bob Baffert trainee to take home the statuette in this particular division (Improbable, 2020). After giving future Horse of the Year...

It's an interesting year when it comes to the Eclipse Awards, which will be announced next week. As always, there are the categories that are no-brainers where the winners should be unanimous. But there are several divisions this year that aren't so clear-cut, which will make for an interesting ceremony come Jan. 23. Here's a look at my ballot: Two-Year-Old Male: Citizen Bull (Into Mischief) Became the obvious pick after winning the 2024 GI FanDuel Breeders' Cup Juvenile. Scary thing is that he might be no better than the third...

Mt. Brilliant Family Foundation has signed on for the third consecutive year as the presenting sponsor for the Thoroughbred Charities of America's (TCA) upcoming 35th Annual Stallion Season Auction to be held Wednesday, Jan. 8 through Sunday, Jan. 12, the organization said via a Wednesday press release. The largest fundraiser for the TCA opens with an online auction beginning at 9:00 a.m. ET. Jan. 8 and continues through 4:00 p.m. ET. on Friday, Jan. 10. The online auction will offer over 200 seasons to stallions standing in 13 states and...