Photo:

Bentley Breland / Eclipse Sportswire

After sending out a combined 1,038 starters for the nine meets at Kentucky’s five Thoroughbred racetracks, Steve Asmussen and Brad Cox finished 2024 with 96 victories apiece. That led all trainers for wins in the commonwealth.

Just about 24 percent of the Hall of Famer Asmussen’s North America-leading 407 overall victories last year came in Kentucky, and about 41 percent of Cox’s 243 seasonal wins came in his home state. Asmussen, who started a whopping 670 horses in the state last year, won meet titles at Churchill Downs in the spring and fall; Ellis Park, where he tied with Brendan Walsh; and Kentucky Downs, where he tied with Walsh and Joe Sharp. Cox, who had 368 starters on the year, won Churchill’s September and Keeneland’s fall title.

The Kentucky Horsemen’s Benevolent and Protective Association asked Equibase, the industry’s official data-keeper, to provide the leaders participating in Kentucky’s year-round circuit of Turfway Park, Keeneland, Churchill Downs, Ellis Park and Kentucky Downs.

Leading Kentucky jockey at 142 victories went to Luan Machado, who rides year-round in the state. He edged the 139 wins accrued by Tyler Gaffalione, who rides at Keeneland, Churchill and Kentucky Downs but is based at Saratoga in the summer and Gulfstream Park in the winter. Machado earned Turfway Park’s 2024 winter title with 62 wins.

The overall leading Kentucky owner was the global breeding and racing juggernaut Godolphin, whose 45 total victories more than doubled No. 2 Juddmonte’s 22 wins. Godolphin won owner’s titles based on wins at Keeneland’s spring meet, where it tied with Juddmonte, Ellis Park, Keeneland fall and Churchill Downs’ fall meet.

“The Equibase statistics tell the story of Kentucky racing and its rise,” Kentucky HBPA president Dale Romans said. “It’s no surprise that Steve, Brad and Godolphin won the most races. They are racing at every meet in the state, and that’s a good thing. It was only a few years ago that Godolphin didn’t run a single horse at Ellis Park or Turfway. Now they are regulars.

“Also, at least 47 trainers who race regularly in the state earned more than $1 million in Kentucky purses last year. That includes horsemen stabled across the commonwealth such as Eric Foster, Bill Morey, Ben Colebrook and Tommy Drury, who keep the vast majority of their horses in Kentucky year-round. Many more Kentucky trainers have greatly cut back on their out-of-state summer and winter divisions to race more horses at home.”

According to Equibase, Cox led all trainers in 2024 Kentucky earnings, $12,305,246 to Asmussen’s $11,263,025.

Gafflione’s $19,174,560 in Kentucky purses led all jockeys, with Luis Saez second at $16,115,242.

Godolphin’s in-state runners accrued $7,197,863 last year, with Juddmonte second at $3,439,964.