| Wednesday, January 02, 2019 | Contact: Rhonda Norby (859) 224-2856 |
| Hronis Racing LLC, Ortiz and Brown Top Leading Earners in 2018 | |
Hronis Racing LLC and Irad Ortiz Jr. finished the year as the leading owner and jockey, respectively, by earnings for the first time while Chad Brown repeated as the top earner for trainers, according to final statistics released today by Equibase Company LLC, the Thoroughbred industry’s official database for racing information. Pegasus World Cup Invitational Stakes (Gr. 1) winner Gun Runner led all Thoroughbreds in North American earnings with $7,000,000. The 2017 Horse of the Year, Gun Runner, entered stud for the 2018 breeding season after his Pegasus World Cup win in January. Accelerate, winner of the Breeders’ Cup Classic and four other grade 1 races, finished second in earnings with $5,005,000. Triple Crown winner Justify, who was undefeated in his six races en route to becoming only the 13th winner of the Kentucky Derby, Preakness and Belmont Stakes, rounded out the top three with earnings of $3,798,000. The year-end compilations are distributed annually by Equibase and include results from Thoroughbred racing in North America from January 1, 2018, through December 31, 2018. Expanded North American racing leaders’ lists that include all trainers, jockeys, owners, and horses are available within the statistical section at equibase.com. These lists include the ability to look at leaders with and without the inclusion of Dubai World Cup earnings and in a variety of categories, including age, sex, surface, graded races, and foaling year for horses. Completing the list of top 10 horses by North American earnings were Monomoy Girl with $2,818,200 , Gunnevera with $2,484,600, Enable (GB) with $2,200,000, Sistercharlie (IRE) with $2,054,200, Good Magic with $1,728,400, West Coast with $1,720,000, and Midnight Bisou with $1,535,000. Seven out of the top 10 leading horses by earnings in 2018 participated in the Breeders’ Cup World Championships with four on the list having won (Accelerate, Monomoy Girl, Enable, and Sistercharlie) and two others having placed (Gunnevera, second; Midnight Bisou, third) in their respective races. Some of the leading horses also were the top earners from their respective foal crops. The leading earners by foaling year from the past five years were Game Winner (2016 foal crop), Justify (2015), Gunnevera (2014), Gun Runner (2013), and American Pharoah (2012). Hronis Racing LLC, which campaigns Accelerate, won 41 races from 259 starts and earned $7,344,810 in North America in 2018 to lead all owners. When including earnings from Dubai World Cup Day, Godolphin Racing LLC was the leading owner with 72 wins from 324 starts and earnings of $20,797,365. Godolphin ranked fourth among owners in North American earnings with 68 wins from 306 starts and earnings of $5,587,365. Completing the list of top 10 owners by North American earnings in 2018 were Winchell Thoroughbreds LLC and Three Chimneys Farm, $7,002,280 (1 win / 2 starts); Calumet Farm, $6,348,640 (86/599); Juddmonte Farms Inc., $5,266,043 (25/116); Gary and Mary West, $4,883,965 (46/204); Gary Barber, $4,824,614 (70/371); China Horse Club, Head of Plains Partners LLC, Starlight Racing, Winstar Farm, $4,698,400 (7/9); Loooch Racing Stables Inc., $4,418,484 (215/917); and Ken and Sarah Ramsey, $4,388,120 (86/436). Brown, who led all trainers in earnings for the third consecutive year, sent out the winners of 224 races from 297 starters with 839 starts for earnings of $27,546,057 in 2018. (Brown’s results in 2018 once again included an impressive record on turf, leading all trainers for the seventh consecutive year with a record of 140 wins from 191 starters with 500 starts on grass and earnings of $17,260,362.) Steve Asmussen, who has led the list twice, finished second in 2018 with his horses having won 401 races from 513 starters with 1,905 starts for earnings of $26,457,276. Completing the list of top 10 trainers by North American earnings in 2018 were Todd Pletcher, $18,373,767 (215 wins / 975 starts / 334 starters); Bob Baffert $17,017,899 (113/348/123); Brad Cox, $15,182,346 (243 /921/299); Mark Casse, $14,946,783 (221/1,249/337); Michael Maker, $9,645,601 (191/1,167/314); John Sadler, $8,914,045 (59/415/116); Karl Broberg, $8,078,228 (509/1,837/466); and Peter Miller, $8,035,634 (133/584/162). Ortiz Jr. reached the winner’s circle 346 times from 1,616 mounts and ended the year with earnings of $27,727,039. Finishing second after being the leading rider by earnings last year was Ortiz Jr.’s brother, Jose Ortiz, with 264 wins from 1,513 mounts and earnings of $26,801,159. Rounding out the list of top 10 jockeys by North American earnings in 2018 were Javier Castellano, $22,125,615 (207 wins / 1,020 starts); Joel Rosario, $21,538,452 (160/916); Florent Geroux, $21,471,603 (179/959); John Velazquez, $18,074,053 (161/823); Manuel Franco, $17,068,709 (251/1,419); Luis Saez, $17,031,716 (245/1,465); Ricardo Santana Jr., $14,036,047 (189/1,075); and Flavien Prat, $12,933,522 (182/829). Equibase Company is a partnership between The Jockey Club and the Thoroughbred Racing Associations of North America and serves as the Thoroughbred industry’s official database. Through its website and mobile applications, Equibase offers a comprehensive menu of wagering products, statistical information and video race replays in support of the North American Thoroughbred racing industry. Additional information is available at equibase.com. | |