National Treasure to stand at Spendthrift upon retirement

Spendthrift Farm has acquired the breeding rights to multiple Grade 1 winner National Treasure, last year’s Preakness (G1) champ and a thrilling winner of Saturday’s Pegasus World Cup Invitational (G1) at Gulfstream.

“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 Ned Toffey, Spendthrift general manager. “He was precocious enough to place in a very good Breeders’ Cup Juvenile, he’s an American classic winner at three and now a leading older horse at four. 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 stamped himself as one of the top horses in training with a determined victory in the $3 million Pegasus World Cup (G1) last weekend at Gulfstream, earning a 105 Beyer for the performance.

“He’s just going to get better and better,” trainer Bob Baffert said after the 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 the 2021 Fasig-Tipton Saratoga sale, began his career at two with a debut victory at 6 ½ furlongs over Grade 1 winner Practical Move at Del Mar. He finished runner-up to Cave Rock a month later in the American Pharoah S. (G1) at Santa Anita, before traveling to Keeneland and running a good third to the more experienced 2-year-old champion Forte in the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile (G1).

As a 3-year-old, National Treasure became his sire Quality Road’s first classic winner with a victory in the Preakness S. (G1) at Pimlico over Kentucky Derby winner Mage. He completed his sophomore season with a narrow defeat when runner-up by a nose to Horse of the Year Cody’s Wish in the Breeders’ Cup Dirt Mile (G1) at Santa Anita, earning a 107 Beyer for the performance.

“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.