Sovereignty, Ted Noffey runaway Eclipse Award winners for Into Mischief
January 23, 2026
Into Mischief added to his already phenomenal legacy at Thursday’s Eclipse Awards ceremony held at The Breakers in south Florida when Sovereignty earned both Horse of the Year and Champion 3-year-old Male trophies and Ted Noffey garnered the 2-year-old Male championship.
Into Mischief now has sired eight Eclipse winners and a pair of Horse of the Year award winners, the first being Authentic in 2020.
Sovereignty, owned and bred by Godolphin, won five of six starts in 2025, with dominating wins in the Kentucky Derby (G1), Belmont (G1) and Travers (G1), the latter he won by 10 lengths. An untimely illness caused him to miss the Breeders’ Cup Classic (G1), but that did not affect the voters’ respect for his accomplishments. Sovereignty earned 201 of a possible 220 Horse of the Year votes, and all 219 cast for 3-year-old honors.
“First of all, I can’t express how proud I am to be the one to hold this award,” said trainer Bill Mott, accepting the night’s most-coveted trophy. “I mean, it is so telling of the entire Godolphin team, His Highness Sheikh Mohammed. What he’s done for racing in this country and all around the world is amazing. To be able to be part of winning his first Kentucky Derby and another Horse of the Year is just unimaginable, unexplainable. I’m so proud to be standing here with the Godolphin team: Michael (Banahan), Dan (Pride), the whole entire group.”
Sovereignty kicked off the New Year back in training with Mott (who won last night’s Eclipse for the top trainer) at Payson Park with plans for his 4-year-old debut still to be determined.
Earlier in the evening, Ted Noffey garnered 218 of a possible 220 votes in the 2-year-old Male category. Sporting an unblemished record in 2025, with four wins, including Grade 1 scores in the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile, Breeders’ Futurity and Hopeful S., Ted Noffey racked up $1,657,963 in earnings.
Ted Noffey was bred by Aaron and Marie Jones and sold to Spendthrift Farm for $650,000 at the 2024 Keeneland September sale. The gray/roan colt is trained by Todd Pletcher, and on Jan. 16, recorded his first timed work of the year as he sets his sights on the 2026 Kentucky Derby (G1).