Dornoch (

foaled Horse breeding is reproduction in horses, and particularly the human-directed process of selective breeding of animals, particularly purebred horses of a given breed. Planned matings can be used to produce specifically desired characteristics in ...

April 22, 2021) is a multiple-Grade one winning American Thoroughbred

racehorse Horse racing is an equestrian performance sport, typically involving two or more horses ridden by jockeys (or sometimes driven without riders) over a set distance for competition. It is one of the most ancient of all sports, as its basic pr ...

who won the 2024 Belmont Stakes and

Haskell Stakes The Haskell Stakes is a Grade I American Thoroughbred horse race for three-year-olds run over a distance of miles on the dirt held annually in July at Monmouth Park Racetrack in Oceanport, New Jersey. The event is a signature event at Monmouth P ...

Background

Dornoch is a

bay A bay is a recessed, coastal body of water that directly connects to a larger main body of water, such as an ocean, a lake, or another bay. A large bay is usually called a Gulf (geography), gulf, sea, sound (geography), sound, or bight (geogra ...

colt bred in Kentucky by Grandview Equine. His sire

Good Magic Good Magic (foaled March 1, 2015) is a retired Champion American Thoroughbred racehorse. He became the first horse to ever break his maiden in the Breeders' Cup when he won the 2017 Breeders' Cup Juvenile. As a three-year-old, he won the Blue Gr ...

was the U.S. Champion Two-Year-Old in 2017 after he won the 2017 Breeders' Cup Juvenile as a maiden; in 2018 he finished second in the

Kentucky Derby The Kentucky Derby is a horse race held annually in Louisville, Kentucky, United States, almost always on the first Saturday in May, capping the two-week-long Kentucky Derby Festival. The competition is a Grade I stakes race for three-year ...

. Good Magic, in 2024 stands for $125,000 at Hill 'n' Dale Farms in Paris, Kentucky. His dam, Puca, is a Grade 2-placed stakes-winning daughter of

Big Brown Big Brown may refer to: * Big Brown (horse), an American thoroughbred racehorse * Big brown bat, an North American bat * Big Brown, a nickname for the delivery company United Parcel Service * Big Brown Box, an Australian online retailer *Big Brown ...

. Breeders Grandview, with the help of Alex Solis II and Jason Litt, went to $475,000 for Puca at The November Sale in 2018,

Fasig-Tipton The Fasig-Tipton Company, Inc. is an American auction house for Thoroughbred and Standardbred horses. Founded in 1898, it is the oldest auction company of its kind in North America. The company has offices in Lexington, Kentucky, Elkton, Maryla ...

Kentucky's boutique fall mixed sale where she was consigned by Denali Stud. Puca's offspring include

2023 Kentucky Derby The 2023 Kentucky Derby (officially the 2023 Kentucky Derby presented by Woodford Reserve) was the 149th running of the Kentucky Derby. It took place on May 6, 2023, the first Saturday in May, in Louisville, Kentucky. The race was open to 20 h ...

winner

Mage Mage most commonly refers to: * Mage (paranormal) or magician, a practitioner of magic derived from supernatural or occult sources * Mage (fantasy) or magician, a type of character in mythology, folklore, and fiction *Mage, a character class in s ...

. Dornoch was bought by the Oracle Bloodstock agent as a yearling at the Keeneland September Sales for US$325,000. Former Major League Baseball player

Jayson Werth Jayson Richard Gowan Werth (born May 20, 1979) is an American former professional baseball outfielder who played in Major League Baseball (MLB) from 2002 to 2017. His 15-season career was split among the Toronto Blue Jays, Los Angeles Dodgers, P ...

's Two Eight Racing Stable is a co-owner of Dornoch.

Racing career

After finishing second in his first two starts at Saratoga Race Course and Monmouth Park, Dornoch broke his maiden on October 14, 2023 at Keeneland. He then went to

Aqueduct Racetrack Aqueduct Racetrack is a Thoroughbred horse racing facility and casino in the South Ozone Park, Queens, South Ozone Park and Jamaica, Queens, Jamaica neighborhoods of Queens, New York City, United States. Aqueduct is the only racetrack locate ...

and won the Grade 2 Remsen Stakes by a nose over Sierra Leone. In 2024 Dornoch began his three-year-old campaign winning the Grade 2 Fountain of Youth Stakes. He then finished fourth in the Blue Grass Stakes and tenth in the

2024 Kentucky Derby The 2024 Kentucky Derby (branded as the 150th Running of the Kentucky Derby presented by Woodford Reserve for sponsorship reasons) was the 150th running of the Kentucky Derby. It took place on May 4, 2024, at Churchill Downs, in Louisville, Ke ...

. Dornoch was then pointed to the Grade 1

Belmont Stakes The Belmont Stakes is an American Grade I stakes race for three-year-old Thoroughbreds run at Belmont Park in Elmont, New York. It is run over 1.5 miles (2,400 m). Colts and geldings carry a weight of ; fillies carry . The race, nicknamed Th ...

, which in 2024 was relocated to Saratoga and run at miles instead of the usual miles because of construction at

Belmont Park Belmont Park is a major thoroughbred horse racing facility in the northeastern United States, located in Elmont, New York, just east of the New York City limits. It was opened on May 4, 1905. It is operated by the non-profit New York Racin ...

. Sent off at 17-1 odds, Dornoch stalked Preakness Stakes winner Seize the Grey before being sent to the lead by jockey Luis Saez. The Todd Pletcher-trained Mindframe challenged entering the stretch, briefly passing Dornoch. As Mindframe drifted in the stretch, Dornoch regained the lead and went on to win by a half length. After the race,

of Two Eight Racing Stable commented about winning the race, saying that it was "the same emotions you feel when you play a playoff game, when you win a World Series game and arguably when you win a World Series." Dornoch was then shipped to Monmouth Park to contest their signature race, the

. Despite his credentials, Dornoch was the third betting choice while Mindframe was sent off as the 4-5 favorite. Dornoch was sent to the lead and contested with second choice Timberlake on the far turn. Dornoch eventually turned back Timberlake and held off Mindframe, who had stumbled at the start, to win the Haskell by lengths. Following the race, co-owner Randy Hill said that Dornoch would stand at

Spendthrift Farm Spendthrift Farm is a thoroughbred race horse breeding farm and burial site in Lexington, Kentucky, currently owned by Eric & Tammy Gustavson. It was founded by Leslie Combs II and named for the great stallion Spendthrift, who was owned by Combs' a ...

upon his retirement.

Statistics

''Notes:''
An (*) asterisk after the odds means Dornoch was the post-time favourite.

Pedigree

*^ Dornoch is inbred 4S x 5S x 4D to the stallion

Mr Prospector Mr. Prospector (January 28, 1970 – June 1, 1999) was a Thoroughbred racehorse who became an outstanding breeding stallion and notable sire of sires. A sprinter whose career was cut short by repeated injuries, he won seven of his 14 starts, inc ...

, meaning that he appears fourth and fifth generation (via Miswaki)^ on the sire side of his pedigree and fourth generation on the dam side of his pedigree. * Dornoch is inbred 4S x 4D to the stallion Danzig, meaning that he appears fourth generation on the sire side of his pedigree and fourth generation on the dam side of his pedigree.

References

{{Belmont Stakes Winners 2021 racehorse births American Grade 1 Stakes winners Racehorses bred in Kentucky Racehorses trained in the United States Thoroughbred family 5-g