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Godolphin, Cox Set North American Earnings Records For Owner, Trainer; Rosario No. 1 Among Jockeys In 2021

Godolphin LLC – the ownership group that campaigned Belmont Stakes (Grade 1) and Runhappy Travers Stakes (G1) winner Essential Quality along with 14 other North American graded stakes winners – established a single-season record as the leading owner by earnings, according to final statistics released Jan. 3 by Equibase Company LLC, the Thoroughbred industry's official database for racing information.

Brad H. Cox established a single-season record as the top earner for trainers. It was the first leading owner and trainer titles, respectively, for Godolphin and Cox. Joel Rosario was the top money-earning jockey, a first for him, after finishing second last year.

The year-end compilations are distributed annually by Equibase and include results from Thoroughbred racing in North America from January 1, 2021, through December 31, 2021. 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 in a variety of categories, including age, sex, surface, graded races, foaling year for horses, and the inclusion of designated foreign races, such as the Saudi Cup and Dubai World Cup races.

Longines Breeders' Cup Classic (G1) winner Knicks Go, who won five of his six North American races, led all Thoroughbreds in North American earnings with $5,824,140. In addition to his win in the Classic, Knicks Go won the Pegasus World Cup Invitational Stakes (G1), the Whitney Stakes (G1), and two other graded stakes races. He also finished fourth in the Saudi Cup.

Completing the list of top 10 horses by North American earnings were Medina Spirit with $3,520,000, Essential Quality with $3,420,000, Yibir (GB) with $2,615,000, Hot Rod Charlie with $2,127,500, Letruska with $1,945,540, Silver State with $1,693,000, Malathaat with $1,563,000, Mandaloun with $1,560,000, and Maxfield with $1,512,550.

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 Echo Zulu (by Gun Runner, 2019 foal crop), Essential Quality (by Tapit, 2018 foal crop), Authentic (by Into Mischief, 2017), Knicks Go (by Paynter, 2016), and Vino Rosso (by Curlin, 2015).

Godolphin – with 84 North American wins from 479 starts – was a dominant force among owners in 2021 with record earnings of $17,403,204, smashing the former single-season earnings record of $12.2 million set in 2013 by Kenneth L. and Sarah K. Ramsey. When including earnings from Dubai World Cup and Saudi Cup days, Godolphin had 88 wins and earnings of $29,398,204, those earnings coming primarily from Dubai World Cup winner Mystic Guide and U.A.E. Derby winner Rebel's Romance (IRE).

Completing the list of top 10 owners by North American earnings in 2020 were Klaravich Stables, Inc., $7,016,654 (72 wins / 294 starts); Juddmonte, $5,899,094 (38/134); Korea Racing Authority, $5,824,140 (5/6); Calumet Farm, $5,415,390 (63/528); End Zone Athletics Inc., $5,076,698 (266/1,248); Three Diamonds Farm, $5,044,008 (52/318); Peter M. Brant, $4,417,444 (31/124); Stonestreet Stables, $4,378,427 (36/127); and Gary Barber, $4,333,024 (91/482).

Cox sent out the winners of 269 races from 358 starters with 1,025 starts in establishing a single-season earnings record of $31,832,345 in 2021, edging the previous record of $31.1 million set in 2019 by Chad C. Brown. When including earnings from Dubai World Cup and Saudi Cup days, Cox's earnings for the year totaled $33,332,345. Steven M. Asmussen, last year's leading trainer by earnings, finished second with his horses having won 453 races from 640 starters with 2,427 starts for earnings of $31,268,944.

Completing the list of top 10 trainers by North American earnings in 2021 were Brown, $22,213,740 (196 wins / 316 starters / 839 starts); Todd A. Pletcher, $22,098,436 (204/306/915); Michael J. Maker, $14,938,517 (214/419/1,340); Mark E. Casse, $14,881,212 (225/363/1,347); Bob Baffert, $14,646,762 (108/117/341); William I. Mott, $12,410,845 (108/194/616); Christophe Clement, $10,069,223 (116/189/564); and Saffie A. Joseph Jr., $9,027,406 201/279/875).

Rosario reached the winner's circle 228 times from 1,083 mounts in 2021 and earned $32,944,478. With earnings from the Dubai World Cup and Saudi Cup days included, Rosario earned $35,421,978. Finishing second was Irad Ortiz, Jr., who was the leading jockey for the past two years, with 336 wins from 1,443 mounts and earnings of $29,274,435. Ortiz holds the single-season North American earnings record of $34,109,019 set in 2019.

Rounding out the list of top 10 jockeys by North American earnings in 2021 were Luis Saez, $26,187,754 (293 wins / 1,635 starts); Jose L. Ortiz, $25,000,069 (256/1,372); Flavien Prat, $23,098,013 (245/921); Tyler Gaffalione, $19,232,182 (2,691/423); Florent Geroux, $19,021,642 (185/898); John R. Velazquez, $17,738,203 (119/695); Ricardo Santana Jr., $16,976,612 (164/990); and Manuel Franco, $14,043,066 (184/1,341).

Knicks Go wins the Breeders' Cup Classic under Joel Rosario

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.

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Edgard Zayas On Injury Rehabilitation And Coming Back ‘Stronger Than Ever’

Horse racing is an incredibly dangerous sport to pursue as a professional athlete, and most jockeys can tell you a story or two about injuries that have forced them to watch from the sidelines until they were cleared to race. Multiple graded stakes-winning jockey Edgard Zayas is no exception, having sustained multiple injuries that have put him on the sidelines through the years.

The leading rider of Gulfstream Park's 2021 Fall Meet and Spring/Summer meet is a native of Puerto Rico as well as a former student of the Escuela Vocacional Hípica jockey school there. He moved to South Florida to pursue a career in racing in 2012. Over the span of his decade-long career, Zayas has won 1,930 races and $55,080,460 in earnings. He is currently recovering from shoulder surgery and is likely to not make another start until the spring.

Zayas discussed his stellar year of racing accomplishments, as well as his hopes for the future following rehabilitation from his current injury.

Question: How did you get into horse racing?

Edgard Zayas: “I used to live close to a racetrack in Puerto Rico. I used to go to that racetrack all the time with my grandfather and I really loved it. I was always into sports, but I got to a point where I was 14 or 15 years old and I was a little too small to play any sports so I decided that I really wanted to try to be a jockey. I was 17 years old when I decided to join the jockey school in Puerto Rico. It was amazing. I think they have a really good system. They teach us everything from treating a horse to riding a horse. It's awesome because at that point I had never really been involved with horses so I didn't know how to work with horses and groom them and all that. At the jockey school they teach you everything from grooming a horse and doing stalls to riding them.”

Q: How did it feel to have such a good year and bring home a leading rider title from Gulfstream after having two years in a row interfered with by injuries?

E: “It felt great. This year I was still kind of dealing with a little injury in my shoulder and I decided to get surgery because it was bugging me all year, but luckily I have support from big trainers down here in South Florida. I had a great year that would've carried on to the winter so it was a tough decision to do it [get shoulder surgery].”

Q: What does the rehabilitation process for your shoulder injury consist of?

E: “Right now I'm in a sling for four weeks. After that I'll start some therapies and whenever I get my motion and my muscles back I can start galloping horses in the morning again and then decide from there. I'm looking at probably three or four months.”

Q: Do the areas that you injured remain vulnerable to potential arthritis or re-injury now? If so, what kind of special care or precautions do you have to take now that you didn't before?

E: “Yeah absolutely. The more injuries I get, I have to take care of myself more. I'm young, but I'll start getting older little by little. There's things I like to do outside of horse racing like I used to play basketball and stuff like that, but those are things that I now have to compromise for horse racing. I have to concentrate on what I do to not get re-injured.”

Q: Did you find that having to take that much time off from racing had any impact on your mental health?

E: “Absolutely, and I've been doing really good every time I've gotten an injury, but it's really tough mentally. Hopefully I get a couple years of being healthy. That's all I can ask for.”

Q: Is it difficult to get momentum back with trainers after time away due to injuries?

E: “Luckily I've always got support when I come back and I'm able to get the ball rolling quick. Hopefully this time will be the same way. I'm going to try to come back stronger than ever, and finally I can ride confidently because this whole year I had that shoulder problem that was really bugging me. Hopefully when I come back I can come back one hundred percent and get the support and get the ball rolling for a better year.”

Q: Who is one other jockey that you look up to the most?

E: “Johnny V absolutely. Inside he's the best and outside he's the best.”

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Refreshed And Ready, Caldwell Takes Aim At Sam Houston Meet

The day-to-day responsibilities of training racehorses is more than most people outside of the industry can fathom. In short, it's a 24-hour commitment beginning with acquiring quality owners, conditioning horses through morning works, making equipment adjustments when necessary and finding the right level come entry time. Coupled with attending sales, supervising staff, selecting a jockey, shipping to the next destination and dealing with weather extremes, it is far from an easy way to make a living.

Thoroughbred trainer J. R. Caldwell always loved horses. He rode on the bush tracks as a young teenager and assisted his father, Roscoe, running horses in Utah, Arizona, Wyoming and Idaho for decades before going out on his own at the age of 18. The wins did not come very often in the beginning, but in 2008, the tide changed. His top earner, Texas Chrome, was a two-time Texas Thoroughbred Association Horse of the Year and is now standing stud in Arkansas. Caldwell set up shop at Churchill Downs, Remington Park, Delta Downs and Lone Star Park. Two years ago, he finished tenth in the standings at Sam Houston Race Park. He remembers the end of 2020 as a turning point for himself and his stable.

“I was mentally fatigued and pulled my horses out of Remington Park,” he recalled. “Sam Houston got a nice boost in purses and despite the challenges of COVID-19, they worked with us.”

Caldwell started the 2021 season here strongly, and finished second in the standings with 34 victories, 21 seconds and 23 third-place finishes. His runners hit the board at a respectable 56% with Sky Ride, winning the Stonerside Stakes in a dead-heat with Hollis and taking the Bucharest Stakes on closing night of the season.

“Finishing second to Steve (Asmussen) is like being leading trainer,” quipped Caldwell. “But Houston got us off to a great start for the year and we did well at Lone Star as well. It was the third-best year of my career.”

On opening night of the 2022 season, the Idaho native has runners entered in nine of the ten races and hopes to replicate his success from last year.

“When we finished at Lone Star, I was gearing up for Houston,” added Caldwell. “I'm blessed to have good owners who support me buying some nice Texas-breds. I have goals for this year at Sam Houston, for sure, but am happy to be in one place, winning races and keeping my owners happy.”

Caldwell currently resides in Valley View, Texas. He relies on Kylie Salisbury, who has been his assistant trainer for the past six years. Jockeys Lane Luzzi and Obed Sanchez will ride the majority of his runners and last year's rider Stewart Elliott will also have mounts for Caldwell when he is not riding for Asmussen.

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‘Legend In The Making’: Prat Gets Six Wins, Four Seconds From 10 New Year’s Day Mounts

John Velazquez held a 9-3 advantage in Santa Anita's jockeys' race three days into the meet, but that seemingly large lead dissipated at the Arcadia, Calif., track on Saturday when perennial leader Flavien Prat won six races, closing the gap to 10-9 in a virtual blink.

Prat had mounts in all 10 races, delighting any place parlay players supporting him, as he was second in his other four rides.

The feat was no surprise to those who have watched the 29-year-old Frenchman ply his trade in earnest here since 2015.

Velazquez has registered his 10 victories from 22 mounts, a 45 percent winning average, with purse earnings of $743,850.

Prat has 29 mounts for a 31 percent winning average, with purse earnings of $795,000.

“What can you say?” pondered Doug O'Neill, who has given Prat a leg up on many a winner, including his 3-year-old star of 2021, Hot Rod Charlie, scheduled to leave Jan. 17 for the $12 million World Cup on March 26 in Dubai, where he will have one prep race at Meydan Racecourse before the World Cup.

“Flavien is so good,” O'Neill said. “I've been around here since the 80's with Shoemaker, McCarron and all the legends. Prat is still young with a big future.

“I think we're looking at a legend in the making.”

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