Journalists Wandering Eyes Posted 3 hours ago Journalists Share Posted 3 hours ago With victories in 2024 in two of the most prestigious races run in this country, National Treasure (Quality Road) proved a handy winner of the Eclipse Award for champion older dirt male, easily outpointing GI Breeders' Cup Dirt Mile upseter Full Serrano (Arg) (Full Mast) and Straight No Chaser (Speightster), who caused a bit of a surprise in the GI Breeders' Cup Sprint. National Treasure is just the second Bob Baffert trainee to take home the statuette in this particular division (Improbable, 2020). After giving future Horse of the Year Cody's Wish (Curlin) all he could handle in a thrilling renewal of the Dirt Mile in 2023, National Treasure raced first off the nearly three-month layoff in the GI Pegasus World Cup Jan. 27. Forced to take up pace-pressing duties as opposed to making the running, the $500,000 Fasig-Tipton Saratoga yearling did so willingly, was sent to the front in upper stretch and held on grimly to score by a neck over a determined Senor Buscador (Mineshaft). A hard-trying fourth to the latter in the G1 Saudi Cup a month later, National Treasure returned stateside and was prepared for the GI Hill 'n' Dale Metropolitan Handicap at Saratoga the second Saturday of June. Hounded on the front end through demanding fractions, the bay won the battle and the war, drawing away by better than a half-dozen lengths. Unable to find the front and forced to sit in the kickback on a rain-affected track in the GI Whitney Stakes, National Treasure was never a threat, but bounced back with a more characteristic performance in the inaugural running of the GI California Crown Stakes in September, fighting out the fractions before being chinned on the wire. A fourth North American champion for Quality Road, National Treasure will cover his first book of mares at Spendthrift Farm this winter at a fee of $40,000. The post Big In Big Spots, National Treasure Named Champion Older Dirt Male appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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