National Treasure's Met Mile victory further cements sire potential

As National Treasure cruised home by 6 1/4 lengths in the Grade 1, $1 million Metropolitan Handicap on June 8 at Saratoga, Spendthrift Farm general manager Ned Toffey turned to Mark Toothaker, Spendthrift’s stallion sales manager, who will be responsible for recruiting mares to National Treasure’s book when he eventually retires.

“Ned just said, ‘This makes your job a lot easier!’ ” Toothaker said outside the winner’s circle.

Spendthrift announced earlier this year that it had acquired the future stallion rights to National Treasure, a 4-year-old Quality Road colt trained by Bob Baffert for the partnership of SF Racing, Starlight Racing, Madaket Stables, Robert Masterson, Stonestreet Stables, Jay Schoenfarber, Waves Edge Capital, and Catherine Donovan. After National Treasure won the 2023 Preakness Stakes, he did not win again that season. Later in the year he was second by a nose to Horse of the Year Cody’s Wish in the Breeders’ Cup Dirt Mile. In his first start of 2024, National Treasure won the Pegasus World Cup Invitational before finishing fourth, beaten 1 1/2 lengths, in the Saudi Cup. He successfully returned from the trip and the layoff to win his third career Grade 1 in the Metropolitan.

:: Bet the races with a $200 First Deposit Match + FREE All Access PPs! Join DRF Bets.

“We couldn’t be more excited,” Toothaker said. “This horse, we bought him after he won the Preakness, and just took a shot. Bob had told us, ‘This horse is just gonna keep improving,’ and he said, ‘I think he’s well worth you guys trying to buy him.’

“And so we got him bought, and we’d been on pins and needles ever since, but then when he won the Pegasus, and then to come back and add this to his résumé, it’s starting to look awfully promising.”

On a promising note for Spendthrift, the Met Mile has a history of being a stallion-making race, won through its 131-year history by prominent sires such as Tom Fool (1953), Native Dancer (1954), and Buckpasser (1967). A Grade 1 race since the North American graded stakes system began in 1973, it has been won more recently by prominent sires Tentam (1973), Cox’s Ridge (1978), Fappiano (1981), Gulch (1987-88), Ghostzapper (2005), and Quality Road (2010), the successful sire of National Treasure.

“He’s royally bred and a beautiful horse,” Baffert, reached by phone after National Treasure’s win, said of his charge. “The stallion part of it, he’ll have to prove down the road, but we know he’s a tremendous racehorse.”

Quality Road finished second to Spendthrift’s perennial leading sire Into Mischief on the 2022 North American general sire list; finished fifth last year; and is fourth this season through June 13. In addition to multiple Grade 1 winner National Treasure, he is the sire of Eclipse Award champion Abel Tasman, winner of the Kentucky Oaks and five other Grade 1 races; Eclipse champion juveniles Caledonia Road and Corniche; Breeders’ Cup Dirt Mile and Pegasus winner City of Light; and additional North American Grade 1 winners Bellafina, Bleecker Street, Dunbar Road, Hootenanny, Illuminant, Klimt, Roadster, Salty, and Spring Quality.

City of Light has made a promising start to his own stud career, with Eclipse champion Fierceness in his second crop. Quality Road has nine other sons advertised at stud worldwide, and would appear to be on an upward trajectory, with young stallions such as Corniche and Roadster yet to have runners.

National Treasure will eventually stand at Spendthrift alongside two other promising Met Mile winners – Mitole (2019), who was last year’s leading freshman sire, and Vekoma (2020), who is among the most well-regarded freshmen in this year’s class. The Met’s two most recent winners, Flightline (2022) and Cody’s Wish (2023), both retired elsewhere in Kentucky with Horse of the Year titles and have the highest stud fees in their respective classes. Flightline retired unbeaten in six career starts, including the Breeders’ Cup Classic, and debuted for a fee of $200,000 last year at Lane’s End. Cody’s Wish, who also counted two editions of the Breeders’ Cup Dirt Mile among his five Grade 1 wins, entered stud this year at Darley for $75,000.

:: Want to learn more about handicapping and wagering? Check out DRF's Handicapping 101 and Wagering 101 pages.