In a year in which the older dirt male division had a lot of one-hit wonders, National Treasure found the winner’s circle in two Grade 1 races, making him the favorite to win the Eclipse Award in the this division. Based in Southern California with trainer Bob Baffert, National Treasure, who won the 2023 Preakness, traveled the country and the world in his five starts during his 4-year-old campaign. He began the year with a gritty head victory over Senor Buscador in the Grade 1, $3 million 1/ST BET Pegasus World Cup Invitational at Gulfstream Park. After a trip to the Middle East, where he ran a fourth in the $20 million Saudi Cup that was better than it looked on paper, National Treasure was a convincing 6 1/4-length winner of the Grade 1 Hill ‘n’ Dale Metropolitan Handicap run at Saratoga. In his lone bad start of the year, National Treasure finished sixth of 10 in the Grade 1 Whitney Stakes at Saratoga. Back home in Southern California, in the $1 million California Crown, National Treasure made all the pace only to get run down by a head by Subsanador. That race was similar to National Treasure’s nose defeat to Cody’s Wish in the 2023 Breeders’ Cup Dirt Mile at Santa Anita, a result that foreshadowed his Pegasus World Cup success, according to Baffert. :: Full list of 2024 Eclipse Awards finalists, including profile stories “I think that was a race he showed the caliber of horse he was, which was why we felt good about him going into the Pegasus,” Baffert said. In the Pegasus World Cup, jockey Flavien Prat kept National Treasure glued to Hoist the Gold, who was coming off a victory in the Grade 2 Cigar Mile, took over from that one after six furlongs in 1:11.21, and then held off the late run from Senor Buscador. National Treasure and Senor Buscador met again in the Saudi Cup, a one-turn 1 1/8-mile race in Saudi Arabia. National Treasure chased the speedy Saudi Crown, who fought him off, but both ended up finishing behind Senor Buscador and Ushba Tesoro. National Treasure was fourth, beaten 1 1/2 lengths. The Met Mile was deemed to be a showdown between National Treasure and White Abarrio, the 2023 Breeders’ Cup Classic winner. In a bit of a role reversal from the Pegasus World Cup, National Treasure was on the lead, hounded by Hoist the Gold, but after six furlongs, National Treasure opened up and went on to a dominant victory over Post Time. White Abarrio was a well-beaten fifth. “That was another great effort,” Baffert said. “To me, those are three impressive races right in a row. It’s hard to get three [top] races in a row, and he shipped, that’s what was most impressive.” National Treasure couldn’t deliver another great performance when he shipped back to Saratoga in August for the Whitney, where he was beaten 10 lengths by Arthur’s Ride. Following his narrow defeat to Subsanador in the California Crown, National Treasure was being pointed to the Big Ass Fans Breeders’ Cup Dirt Mile, but he developed a foot problem that forced him to miss that race. National Treasure was retired and will stand at stud in 2025 at Spendthrift Farm. National Treasure, who earned $5.5 million, was campaigned by SF Racing, Starlight Racing, Madaket Stables, Robert Masterson, Stonestreet Stables, Jay Schoenfarber, Waves Edge Capital, and Catherine Donovan. The $500,000 purchase at the 2021 Fasig-Tipton Saratoga yearling sale was bred by Peter E. Blum Thoroughbreds LLC. :: Want to learn more about handicapping and wagering? Check out DRF's Handicapping 101 and Wagering 101 pages.