Equibase Leaders: Record Earnings for Godolphin, Ortiz Jr. Highlight 2025 Year in Review

January 7th, 2026 by Ben Kudla

Equibase, earnings, rankings, leaderboard, North America, owner, breeder, jockey, trainer, Irad Ortiz, Flavien Prat, Brad Cox, Steve Asmussen, Godolphin, Sovereignty, Ted Noffey, Super Corredora, Forever Young, Ag Bullet, Shisospicy, horse racing, ABR

Jockey Irad Ortiz Jr., pictured aboard Shisospicy after that filly won the Breeders’ Cup Turf Sprint in November, surpassed his own annual earnings record in North America last year, finishing 2025 with $40,497,847. (Eclipse Sportswire)

2025 was a year to remember in Thoroughbred racing, delivering unforgettable moments from start to finish and finishing with single-season North American earnings records set by leading owner Godolphin and leading jockey Irad Ortiz Jr.

Irad Ortiz Jr. finished 2025 with $40,497,847 in earnings, finishing the year with 351 victories, including 65 stakes wins, 36 graded stakes wins, and nine Grade 1 triumphs. The 33-year-old native of Puerto Rico surpassed his previous North American earnings record of $39,193,365 set in 2023.

The race for top-earning jockey went down to the wire, as Flavien Prat closed the season just $1,669 behind Ortiz Jr. in earnings. Prat recorded 310 wins in 2025 but led all jockeys in stakes success with 75 stakes victories, including 46 graded stakes wins and 13 Grade 1 wins. The remarkable season-long duel between the two elite riders earned both Ortiz Jr. and Prat Eclipse Award finalist honors for Outstanding Jockey.

Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid al-Maktoum’s Godolphin also set a new North American earnings record for owners, finishing 2025 with $22,395,556. Back in May, Godolphin became becoming the first owner-breeder (not including partnership members) to sweep the Longines Kentucky Oaks and Kentucky Derby Presented by Woodford Reserve since Calumet Farm accomplished the feat in 1952, as Good Cheer rolled to victory in the Oaks and Sovereignty was every bit as impressive in the Derby. Godolphin also led all breeders in North America with $27,288,066 in earnings for 2025. The international powerhouse has finished as leading owner and breeder for five consecutive years starting in 2021. Their previous earnings record as owner of $20,234,455 was set in 2024.

After his Kentucky Derby win, Sovereignty continued to excel, posting marquee victories in the Belmont Stakes Presented by NYRA Bets and the DraftKings Travers Stakes. He finished 2025 as the leading-earning racehorse in North America with $5,692,020 and to the delight of racing fans will continue his on-track career in 2026. See other divisional leaders below.

On the training side, Brad Cox dominated the North American standings by earnings, finishing the year with $30,255,435, more than $5 million than Steve Asmussen in second. Cox finished the year with 277 victories, winning at a 26% clip from 1,068 starts and had more stakes wins than any other trainer in North America with 59.

North American leaders lists for horses, jockeys, trainers and owners are available on equibase.com and you can filter the data to view by a wide variety of categories including age, sex, surface and race type.