Ned Toffey finished strong under John Velazquez to take the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Oct. 31 at Del Mar and complete his first season of racing with a perfect record of four wins in as many starts. (Eclipse Sportswire)
It was the perfect ending for the 2-year-old colt with the imperfect name.
It’s well-known by now that Spendthrift Farm’s four-legged Ted Noffey received his name following an innocent typo of the name of the farm’s manager, Ned Toffey.
And, of course, what has happened since then makes perfect sense.
For the evergreen team of trainer Todd Pletcher and jockey John Velazquez it was their 496th stakes win together over the course of 29 years, and it provided Pletcher with his fifth Juvenile winner. It was also Pletcher’s third unbeaten Juvenile winner and gave him the perfect measuring stick for what Ted Noffey has accomplished in his unblemished season.
“He’s as good as any 2-year-old we’ve had,” said Pletcher, the sport’s all-time leader in earnings who now has 16 Breeders’ Cup wins. “Look at his résumé. To go from the (Spendthrift) Hopeful (Stakes) to the (Claiborne) Breeders’ Futurity (at Keeneland) back to Saratoga and then to the Breeders’ Cup on the West Coast, that’s pretty hard to beat. You always worry about shipping all the way to the West Coast, so that’s a pretty impressive résumé.”
Those 3 Grade 1 stakes wins plus a maiden score at Saratoga Race Course make Ted Noffey more of a cinch for the Eclipse Award as the champion 2-year-old male than his 4-5 odds in Friday’s Juvenile. Ted Noffey also added 30 qualifying points for the 2026 Kentucky Derby Presented by Woodford Reserve to the 10 he pocketed for winning the Breeders’ Futurity.
Not bad for a colt named after a typo.
“I think the thing that has struck me about it is just the reaction from people, just all the well wishes and people seem to get a charge out of it,” Toffey said. “So that’s fun. I think we’re having fun with it. People are having fun with it. I think that’s a good thing for the sport.”
Needless to say, the rivals chasing Ted Noffey have not been having much fun. He has won his four races by a combined margin of 13 ¾ lengths in dominating the 2-year-old division.
“First, give credit to Ned and the guys, the buying team that identified Ted. He’s by Into Mischief, our best sire. That’s an easy one for us. I actually remember saying this to Ned: Do we really want a gray Into Mischief? And thankfully they said yes,” said Spendthrift owner Eric Gustavson. “We just feel so blessed to have Ted, and the two Hall of Famers (Pletcher and Velazquez) got all that God-given ability out of him and we’re sitting here today. What a thrill.”
Velazquez celebrates (Eclipse Sportswire)
With a small field of six after two scratches, the centers of attention in the Juvenile were Ted Noffey and Brant, a $3 million colt named for Peter Brant who had won his first two races for trainer Bob Baffert.
And for much of the 1 1/16-mile trip, the race centered on them. and their East vs. West showdown. Brant led through fractions of :23.46, :46.99, and 1:10.32 with Ted Noffey on his flank.
Turning for home, Ted Noffey edged clear and the outcome seemed a foregone conclusion. But in mid-stretch, he began to idle and Brant and the late-closing Mr. A. P. began to gain on him.
“You can see he idled; more than idled,” Velazquez said. “He went to a gallop basically. It scared me for a second.”
While it appeared Ted Noffey was tiring, the most likely culprit was a shadow on the track. Once the 2-year-old cleared it, his focus returned and he pulled away from Brant and fended off 20.60-1 longshot Mr. A. P. to complete the 1 1/16 miles in 1:42.25.
“After that, when he re-engaged, he was back to his normal routine,” Velazquez said after his 22nd Breeders’ Cup win. “It was right before that shadow between the building and the eighth pole. After that it was pretty easy.”
Ted Noffey increased his career earnings of $1,657,963.
Recent maiden winner Honor A.P., an American Pharoah ridgling trained by Vladimir Cerin, took second as well as 15 Kentucky Derby qualify points, finishing a half-length ahead of 1.70-1 second betting choice Brant.
“Looks like he came back great,” Cerin said. “I watched all the races all day long and no matter how fast they went, speed held. Very few horses came from just a little off the pace. I was very happy with the way he closed. I think he has room to improve. I like his running style. He can stay close to the pace but doesn’t have to be on the lead and he kicked turning for home so I’m very proud of him.”
Litmus Test, Intrepido, and Comport completed the order of finish on a perfect day for Ted Noffey and Ned Toffey.
“Other than that brief moment when it seemed like he idled a bit,” Pletcher said, “it was perfect.”
There’s that word again.
2025 FanDuel Breeders' Cup Juvenile Presented by Thoroughbred Aftercare Alliance October 31st, 2025
