1. Preakness Stakes: Journalism wins an astonishing drop
Journalism became the second jewel of the 2025 Triple Crown after a runner-up finish in the Kentucky Derby, and with Derby winner Sovereignty sitting out the race, Journalism was the even-money favorite among nine horses competing in a historic 150e Preakness bet at Pimlico. However, it wouldn’t be easy for him as he entered the home stretch in heavy traffic. Forced into a narrow opening, jockey Umberto Rispoli made hard contact between Goal Oriented and Clever Again as all three horses narrowly avoided disaster. Gosger took advantage to race to a seemingly insurmountable lead down the stretch, until a resurgent journalism streak home in a valiant effort to pull off an unlikely and dramatic victory.
2. Personal Ensign Stakes: Thorpedo Anna gets over Dorth Vader
Reigning Horse of the Year, Thorpedo Anna, took to the track as the strong 3-4 favorite in Saratoga’s Grade 1 Personal Ensign Stakes, but had to fend off an unexpectedly fierce challenge from Dorth Vader all the way until gaining the upper hand on the narrowest nose margins as the pair dueled to the wire while 9 ¾ lengths clear of the rest of the field. The Personal Flag turned out to be the final victory of Thorpedo Anna’s exceptional career.
3. Churchill Downs Stakes Presented by Ford: Mindframe dominates in a four-way photo
Race fans were treated to an instant classic on the Kentucky Derby undercard in the Churchill Downs Stakes, as some of the top older horses of 2025 battled to the limit in a thrilling quadruple photo finish won by Mindframe. Nysos was dead set with Banishing for second place, a neck behind Mindframe, in Nysos’ only career loss to date, and it was only one ahead of Eclipse Award candidate Book’em Danno, who was unlucky enough to settle for fourth.
4. Kentucky Derby Presented by Woodford Reserve: Sovereignty is crowned
A sloppy race track on a rainy day at Churchill Downs didn’t dampen the mood or spoil the competition among the 19-horse field in the world’s most famous race. Curlin Florida Derby Presented by Hill ‘n’ Dale Farms at
5. Longines Breeders’ Cup Classic: Forever Young turns around its 2024 rivals
Sovereignty was scratched before the race and his presence was missed, but that didn’t detract from a memorable edition of the $7 million Breeders’ Cup Classic at Del Mar. The Classic attracted a standout field worthy of the climactic race of the 2025 season, highlighted by the 1-2-3 finishers from the 2024 Longines Classic also held in Del Mar: Sierra Leone, Fierceness and Forever Young. Ultimately, it was Japan’s Forever Young who were able to defeat Fierceness and then fend off a final bid from Sierra Leone to achieve a historic victory.
6. Breeders’ Cup Dirt Mile: Nysos beats stablemate by a head
The Breeders’ Cup gave us another thriller late in Saturday’s card as favorite Nysos fought hard to catch leader Citizen Bull and came to the wire in a dazzling photo finish, securing an exacta for trainer Bob Baffert.
7. Del Mar Handicap presented by the Japan Racing Association: Gold Phoenix takes a four-peat
The seven-year veteran Gold Phoenix has just refused to lose in the Del Mar Handicap since first competing in 2022. On August 30, he kept the pace high in the middle and made his move down the stretch to prevail in a multi-horse battle for the win, his fourth straight victory in Del Mar’s summer fixture’s signature grass race.
8. Juddmonte Spinster Stakes: Changing of the guard in an important race
The 2025 Spinster Stakes at Keeneland attracted only a five-horse field and many expected it to be yet another in a long line of victories in Thorpedo Anna’s career. That didn’t happen, however, as Thorpedo Anna dropped to fourth in what would be her final career race. Instead, Gin Gin dug in bravely and fought runner-up Nitrogen by a head after a dramatic long fight. With just a length and a half lead, the next Longines Breeders’ Cup Distaff winner Scylla finished in third place.
9. Further Ado’s first victory, October 10 at Keeneland: a tour de force of twenty lengths
Any of Ted Noffey’s spectacular victories for two-year-olds could have qualified for the list, but this spot in the top 10 goes to his youthful stablemate Further Ado of Spendthrift Farm, who turned a seemingly ordinary Keeneland girls race into a dazzling runaway on Oct. 10. Otherwise, Ado moved like a mighty machine down the stretch to extend his winning margin to 20 lengths, and followed that up with a more crafty 1 ¾-length victory in the Kentucky Jockey Club Stakes at Churchill Downs in November, earning 10 points for the 2026 Kentucky Derby.
10. Doncho’s world record victory, August 7 at Ellis Park: a new turf dash benchmark
Sometimes a truly standout performance comes completely out of nowhere and that’s what happened at Ellis Park in western Kentucky during the height of the summer, when 4-year-old turf sprinter Doncho stepped on the accelerator and blew his opponents away in a race where he claimed an optional allowance, setting a 5 ½ furlong world record on grass of :59.75.
#Thrillers #comebacks #breathtaking #outbursts #top #races