Spendthrift Farm has acquired the breeding rights to multiple grade 1 winner National Treasure , who last year's Preakness Stakes (G1) and most recently captured the $3 million Pegasus World Cup Invitational Stakes (G1) at Gulfstream Park.
"National Treasure is the kind of stallion prospect we all look for because he possesses every quality that excites you about his potential to become an important sire," said Spendthrift's general manager Ned Toffey. "He was precocious enough to place in a very good Breeders' Cup Juvenile, he's an American classic winner at 3 and now a leading older horse at 4. National Treasure is fast, has tremendous heart, and he's a very good-looking colt with exceptional sire power and pedigree. We are thrilled to partner with the 'Avengers' team on his future stallion career, and we wish them the best of luck on what could be a special year ahead for National Treasure."
Campaigned by SF Racing, Starlight Racing, Madaket Stables, Robert Masterson, Stonestreet Stables, Jay Schoenfarber, Waves Edge Capital, and Catherine Donovan, National Treasure starts the year at the top of the older horse division. His seasonal debut in the Pegasus World Cup produced a 114 Equibase Speed Rating, just a tick below the 115 he earned as runner-up by a nose in the 2023 Breeders' Cup Dirt Mile (G1).
"He's just going to get better and better," trainer Bob Baffert said after the Pegasus win. "And he's a fighter. That's a huge quality you want to see in a horse."
National Treasure, a $500,000 yearling at Fasig-Tipton's 2021 The Saratoga Sale, began his career at 2 with a debut victory at 6 1/2 furlongs over eventual grade 1 winner Practical Move at Del Mar. He finished runner-up to Cave Rock a month later in the American Pharoah Stakes (G1) at Santa Anita Park, before traveling to Keeneland and running a good third to the more experienced eventual 2-year-old champion Forte in the Breeders' Cup Juvenile (G1).
A son of Quality Road , National Treasure became his sire's first classic winner in the 2023 Preakness at Pimlico Race Course over Kentucky Derby (G1) winner Mage . He completed his sophomore season with a narrow defeat when runner-up by a nose to eventual Horse of the Year Cody's Wish in the Breeders' Cup Dirt Mile.
"National Treasure is an exceptional colt and his tenacity and appetite for racing are immense," said Tom Ryan of SF Racing. "Winning the Preakness was epic, and his performance in the Breeders' Cup, where he laid his body on the line against the Horse of the Year, showed that we have a serious horse on our hands.
"National Treasure's efficiency at a high speed is one of his weapons. He's very light on his feet. His Pegasus running style brought on a new dimension that gives him options going forward. He's a beautiful, streamlined specimen. We think breeders will love him, and his pedigree is well-rounded and deep, giving him a chance to become a household name for Spendthrift. We are extremely proud of him," Ryan added.
Out of the Medaglia d'Oro mare Treasure, National Treasure hails from a deep family that has been developed through generations by his breeder Peter Blum, who first raced National Treasure's sixth dam Mono in the mid-1960s. An earner of $3,322,000 to date, National Treasure's next start has yet to be determined.
This press release has been edited for content and style by BloodHorse Staff.
