Godolphin LLC, which campaigned 15 North American graded stakes winners, including two Breeders’ Cup winners, repeated as leading owner by earnings, and Irad Ortiz Jr., again established a single-season earnings record as the leading jockey according to final statistics released today by Equibase Co., the Thoroughbred industry’s official database for racing information. Brad Cox ended the year on top as the leading trainer by earnings; his first earnings title came in 2021.

Irad Ortiz Jr. (Eclipse Sportswire)

The year-end compilations are distributed annually by Equibase and include results from Thoroughbred racing in North America from Jan. 1, 2023, through Dec. 31, 2023. 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 winner White Abarrio, who also won the Whitney Stakes and finished third in the Hill ‘N’ Dale Metropolitan Handicap, led all Thoroughbreds in North American earnings with $3,883,800. When including earnings from Dubai World Cup and Saudi Cup days, Japan-based Ushba Tesoro ended the year with earnings of $7,140,000 on the virtue of his Dubai World Cup win and fifth-place finish in the Breeders’ Cup Classic.

Completing the list of top 10 horses by North American earnings were Mage with $2,507,450, Up to the Mark with $2,427,650, Idiomatic with $2,400,280, Auguste Rodin with $2,080,000, Art Collector with $1,898,800, Proxy with $1,793,750, Cody’s Wish with $1,773,900, Arcangelo with $1,742,300, and Pretty Mischievous with $1,703,250.

Some of the leading horses also were the top earners from their respective foal crops. The leading earners by foaling year from the past three years were Just F Y I (by Justify, 2021 foal crop), Forte (by Violence, 2020 crop), and White Abarrio (by Race Day, 2019).

For the third consecutive year, Godolphin - with 86 North American wins from 442 starts - was a dominant force among owners in 2023 with earnings of $17,270,223, down slightly from its single-season earnings record of $17.4 million set in 2021. When including earnings from the Dubai and Saudi Cup Days, Godolphin’s earnings for the year were $18,480,223. Completing the list of top 10 owners by North American earnings in 2023 were Klaravich Stables Inc., $9,503,875 (87 wins/339 starts); Juddmonte, $6,904,508 (33/128); Repole Stable and St. Elias Stables, $6,840,790 (41/136); Winchell Thoroughbreds, $5,695,428 (39/195); Bruno Schickedanz, $3,981,812 (178/1,185); Repole Stable, $3,960,117 (32/150); Rigney Racing LLC, $3,924,319 (33/125); Three Diamonds Farm, $3,865,990 (44/286); and Calumet Farm, $3,818,305 (51/462).

Cox sent out the winners of 266 races from 346 starters with 963 starts for earnings of $30,947,677 in 2023. Completing the list of top 10 trainers by North American earnings were Steve Asmussen, $27,514,712 (379 wins/599 starters/2,152 starts); Todd Pletcher, $27,072,704 (186/352/980); Chad Brown, $25,715,901 (207/331/909); Bill Mott, $17,437,147 (103/198/649); Mark Casse, $16,874,630 (206/325/1,250); Michael Maker, $15,679,866 (199/349/1,211); Bob Baffert, $12,648,992 (91/115/329); Brendan Walsh, $11,441,262 (109/197/614); and Jamie Ness $11,179,891 (347/283/1,362).

Ortiz Jr., reached the winner’s circle 366 times from 1,560 mounts in 2023 in establishing a single-season earnings record of $39,192,585, eclipsing the previous record of $37 million he set last year. Rounding out the list of top 10 jockeys by North American earnings in 2023 were Tyler Gaffalione, $29,979,112 (270 wins/1,398 starts); Flavien Prat, $26,746,503 (183/922); Luis Saez, $23,191,560 (251/1,344); Jose Ortiz, $22,577,022 (248/1,377); Joel Rosario, $20,918,384 (125/899); Javier Castellano, $19,492,859 (146/1,009); Florent Geroux, $18,191,379 (124/609); Manuel Franco, $17,680,105 (241/1,241); and John Velazquez, $15,527,186 (91/572).