Godolphin may not have been a presenting sponsor of the 55th annual Eclipse Awards, but the international racing and breeding behemoth surely dominated the Jan. 22 presentations.
Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum's prolific stable took home five awards, including the biggest prize of all when Sovereignty was honored as 2025's Horse of the Year in ceremonies at The Breakers Palm Beach in Florida.
Sovereignty gave Godolphin a second Horse of the Year crown in three years, following in the footsteps of Cody's Wish 's accolades in 2023. The homebred son of Into Mischief was also voted the champion 3-year-old male for a campaign that included wins in the Kentucky Derby (G1), Belmont Stakes (G1), and Travers Stakes (G1) for trainer Bill Mott.
Sovereignty amassed 201 of 220 first-place votes for Horse of the Year. Forever Young was second with 17 and champion 2-year-old male Ted Noffey received two. Journalism was also included among the finalists.
"It was an unbelievable night. An unbelievable year," said Godolphin USA director of bloodstock Michael Banahan. "To be recognized at the Eclipse Awards by your peers is special. It comes down to having a great stable of horses. Sovereignty was the team captain but we got a big assist from our European horses as well. It was a super year."
Sovereignty was first on 219 of the 220 votes for 3-year-old male with one abstention.
Mott accepted the Horse of the Year trophy on behalf of Godolphin and passed along his gratitude for being part of the Godolphin team.
"I can't express how proud I am to hold this award. It is so telling of the entire Godolphin team. What Sheikh Mohammed has done for racing here and around the world, and to be part of winning his first Kentucky Derby and another Horse of the Year is just unimaginable and unexplainable."
Godolphin also took home trophies for Breeders' Cup Mile (G1T) winner Notable Speech as the outstanding turf male as well as the honors for top breeder and owner.
It was the sixth straight year Godolphin has been selected as leading owner and ninth overall. Its horses amassed a record $22.3 million in earnings. The operation notched a fifth-straight breeding award and sixth overall with progeny earnings of $27.2 million.
"To get the collective owner-breeder awards is unbelievable. It means our stable is in great health," Banahan said. "We have lots of great horses that have won top stakes across all the categories and that is the most important thing to us. They are all homebreds so our employees have them from the start until their racing careers begin."
With Mott voted the outstanding trainer for the fifth time, there was a six-pack of awards for Godolphin connections.
"You don't have to worry about me going more than the minute," said Mott, referring to the time limit on acceptance speeches before music starts. "I am so grateful. This is like making a comeback. This is for the entire staff. It's good to be back."
Last year's Horse of the Year, Thorpedo Anna, could not match the standard of excellence she achieved in 2024 but with four wins in six starts for trainer Ken McPeek, including two in grade 1 company, the now-retired daughter of Fast Anna added the Eclipse Award for champion older dirt female to her résumé.
"She had a constant desire to run and coupled with her competitiveness, it made her a thrill to watch and be a part of. ... Our daughters grow up and leave home and you hope they succeed. We're pretty happy how Thorpedo Anna turned out," said Judy Hicks, the filly's breeder and co-owner along with Hill 'n' Dale Equine Holdings, Magdalena Racing, and Mark Edwards.
The evening's international flavor received added spice when Forever Young was chosen over Sierra Leone as the top older dirt male off his lone American start, a half-length victory in the Breeders' Cup Classic (G1).
"I am truly honored to receive this award and want to express my gratitude to everyone in the United States," said Yoshito Yahagi, who trains the son of Real Steel for owner Susumu Fujita.
The Japanese superstar's triumph in the Classic was also named the Moment of the Year.
The New Jersey breeding industry received a boost when the Garden State-bred Book'em Danno received the trophy as the champion male sprinter.
"How about that Jersey-bred!" said owner Jay Briscione. "For a champion, you need a lot of luck and desire and a great horse, and we had all three."
Owned by Atlantic Six Racing and trained by Derek Ryan, the son of Bucchero won four of five starts in 2025, topped by a season-ending win in the Forego Stakes (G1).
Spendthrift Farm's Ted Noffey was rewarded for a perfect juvenile season, dominating the voting for the champion 2-year-old male.
Trained by Todd Pletcher, the son of Into Mischief named after a tweet that swapped the first letters of Spendthrift general manager Ned Toffey's name was 4-for-4 with three grade 1 wins, capped by a score in the Breeders' Cup Juvenile (G1).
He received 218 of the 220 first-place votes cast.
The evening started with a video tribute to the legendary Hall of Fame trainer D. Wayne Lukas, who died June 28 at the age of 89. Throughout the ceremonies, mention was made of how many Eclipse Award winners Lukas trained in that category.
Starter Bob Duncan and track announcer Trevor Denman received Special Eclipse Awards, and the late turf journalist and historian Edward Bowen was honored with the Eclipse Award of Merit.
