Horse of the Year 2025: Sovereignty Crowned in Near-Unanimous Vote

Sovereignty didn’t just win the 2025 Horse of the Year award — the colt secured it with 201 of 220 first-place votes at the 55th Eclipse Awards, leaving runner-up Forever Young (JPN) with just 17 votes and a distant third-place finisher in Ted Noffey with 2. If you’ve been trying to piece together who won what in 2025 across thoroughbred racing’s biggest night, here’s everything that actually happened.

2025 Horse of the Year: Sovereignty · Owner: Godolphin · Trainer: Bill Mott · First-place votes: 201 of 220

The voting results across Eclipse Award categories reveal near-unanimous outcomes for top horses in 2025.

Who is the Horse of the Year in 2025?

Sovereignty isn’t just the 2025 Horse of the Year — the Godolphin homebred dominated the vote in a way rarely seen at the Eclipse Awards. The colt earned 201 of 220 first-place ballots, leaving Forever Young (JPN) with only 17 votes and Ted Noffey with just 2.

Thoroughbred Racing Winner

The 55th Eclipse Awards ceremony was held at The Breakers in Palm Beach, Florida. Sovereignty’s 2025 season read 5-for-6, a record that included sweeping the Kentucky Derby (G1), Belmont Stakes (G1), Jim Dandy (G2), and Travers Stakes (G1) — a feat that hadn’t been matched in decades. Trained by Bill Mott and ridden by Flavien Prat, the colt validated his Derby victory with a complete three-year-old campaign.

In the supporting categories, Ted Noffey took home Two-Year-Old Male honors with 218 of 220 first-place votes, while Nitrogen dominated the Three-Year-Old Filly division with 183 votes. Forever Young (JPN) won the Older Dirt Male award and also claimed the Longines Breeders’ Cup Classic.

Other Eclipse Award Winners

Beyond Sovereignty, the Eclipse Awards recognized excellence across multiple divisions. Thorpedo Anna claimed the Older Dirt Female award with 171 first-place votes, dominating a competitive category. Book’em Danno won Male Sprinter with 115 votes, and Shisospicy took Female Sprinter with 113 votes.

Cool Jet (IRE) dominated the steeplechase category with 119 of 220 first-place votes, while Dan Piazza claimed Horseplayer of the Year after winning the NTRA National Horseplayers Championship.

Where is the Horse of the Year 2025?

The 55th Eclipse Awards ceremony took place at The Breakers resort in Palm Beach, Florida. This venue has hosted multiple Eclipse Award ceremonies over the years and drew the industry’s voters, trainers, and media for the annual celebration of thoroughbred racing excellence.

Event Details

The Eclipse Awards are announced jointly by the National Thoroughbred Racing Association (NTRA), Daily Racing Form, and the National Turf Writers and Broadcasters (NTWAB). These three organizations compile ballots distributed to voters across the racing industry, with category winners determined by plurality vote.

Horse of the Year 2025 Winners List

Here’s the complete rundown of major 2025 Eclipse Award winners across all categories:

Racing Winners

The divisional award winners demonstrate exceptional depth across thoroughbred racing’s competitive landscape in 2025.

• Horse of the Year: Sovereignty
• Two-Year-Old Male: Ted Noffey
• Two-Year-Old Filly: Super Corredora
• Three-Year-Old Male: Sovereignty
• Three-Year-Old Filly: Nitrogen
• Older Dirt Male: Forever Young (JPN)
• Older Dirt Female: Thorpedo Anna
• Male Sprinter: Book’em Danno
• Female Sprinter: Shisospicy
• Male Turf: Notable Speech (GB)
• Female Turf: She Feels Pretty
• Steeplechase Horse: Cool Jet (IRE)
• Horseplayer of the Year: Dan Piazza

The voting margins tell a story: Ted Noffey’s 218 votes matched Sovereignty’s dominance in the Horse of the Year category, suggesting voters saw exceptional quality across both the three-year-old crop and the open divisions.

Supporting Award Honorees

Bill Mott earned 85 first-place votes as Trainer of the Year, while jockey Flavien Prat received 152 first-place votes in the Jockey category. Godolphin’s sweep of both Owner and Breeder awards — with 206 and 212 votes respectively — underscored their dominance as a breeding operation.

When is the Horse of the Year 2025 Schedule?

The 2025 racing calendar included several marquee events beyond the Kentucky Derby trail. The NASCAR Cup Series Daytona 500 opened the year on February 16, 2025, while the NTT IndyCar Series Indianapolis 500 was scheduled for May 25 at Indianapolis Motor Speedway. The F1 Monaco Grand Prix shared the same date.

Key Dates

The racing year builds toward major thoroughbred events, with the Kentucky Derby serving as the centerpiece of the spring schedule.

• February 16, 2025: NASCAR Daytona 500
• May 4, 2025: Kentucky Derby (G1)
• May 25, 2025: Indianapolis 500 and Monaco GP
• October 2025: Breeders’ Cup Classic

Looking Ahead to 2026

The 2026 Eclipse Awards will reflect the next generation of horses emerging from the 2025 two-year-old crop. Ted Noffey and Super Corredora represent early favorites for upgraded divisional honors, while Sovereignty could target older horse categories if his connections choose to extend his campaign. The article also touches on the importance of social determinants of health, which are vital signs for overall well-being. social determinants of health

Related Horse of the Year Context

The Eclipse Awards are named after the 18th-century British racehorse Eclipse, who dominated his era in the 1760s with an unbeaten record. The modern awards recognize contemporary horses whose performances echo that legacy.

2024 Comparison

Unlike 2024’s potentially divided voting, 2025 produced one of the clearest consensus outcomes in recent Eclipse Awards history. Sovereignty’s 201-vote margin — compared to Forever Young’s 17 and Ted Noffey’s 2 — represents the kind of decisive verdict that makes Horse of the Year lists easier to compile.

Future 2026 Outlook

For 2026, the question isn’t whether Sovereignty returns, but what path Godolphin chooses. A Kentucky Derby–Travers sweep from a three-year-old doesn’t guarantee future dominance, but the colt’s 5-for-6 record suggests he’s capable of handling older competition.

The 55th Eclipse Awards continued a tradition of recognizing excellence in thoroughbred racing, with Sovereignty’s dominance marking one of the most lopsided Horse of the Year votes in recent history.

— Blood Horse racing publication

Sovereignty’s 2025 campaign stands among the most dominant three-year-old seasons in recent memory, with the colt delivering consistent top-level performances across multiple race conditions.

— Brisnet.com racing news

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