Spendthrift Farm is splitting its star power in two directions: Ted Noffey is headed for the breeding shed, while Further Ado will remain in training after establishing himself as one of the country's most versatile young dirt horses. The farm announced Tuesday that Noffey will stand for $60,000 live foal, with Further Ado pointed toward a four-year-old season in 2027. Thoroughbred Daily News reported the plans.
Noffey's decision comes after a comeback that supplied less resolution than his juvenile campaign. The reigning champion 2-year-old male returned from a 53-week absence in the Nov. 7 Dwyer Stakes at Belmont Park, but finished fifth, beaten 12 1/2 lengths by Stimulate. It was the first defeat of his career. Before the layoff, the Todd Pletcher trainee had swept the Hopeful, Breeders' Futurity and Breeders' Cup Juvenile, making him one of the most accomplished juvenile sons of Into Mischief in recent seasons. BloodHorse's race report documented the result and the colt's bone-bruising interruption.
The timing is understandable from a commercial standpoint. Noffey's undefeated three-race Grade 1 run at two gave Spendthrift a valuable young stallion prospect, but the bone bruising discovered in January interrupted his Derby-season preparation and ultimately kept him away for nearly a year. His Dwyer appearance showed how difficult it can be to return at peak level off such an extended break, particularly in a one-turn mile against fit 3-year-olds. Pletcher had indicated before the race that the performance would help determine whether Noffey had a racing future in 2027. Daily Racing Form's preview detailed the long road back and Pletcher's assessment of the comeback.
Further Ado, by contrast, exits the season with momentum and a clear reason to keep racing. Trained by Brad Cox and ridden by Flavien Prat, the Spendthrift colt won the Breeders' Cup Dirt Mile at Keeneland in a tight stretch battle after connections chose the one-mile championship over the Breeders' Cup Classic. The victory followed his 11-length Blue Grass Stakes triumph at the same track, where he earned a career-best 106 Beyer Speed Figure, and reinforced a major handicapping angle: Further Ado has been dramatically better at Keeneland than almost anywhere else. DRF's Breeders' Cup report highlighted both Keeneland performances and the decision to redirect him to the Dirt Mile.
That profile gives Cox several options for 2027. Further Ado has already shown Grade 1 ability around two turns in the Blue Grass and the speed to handle a championship-mile test, so the older-horse program could include elite one-turn races as well as longer events. BloodHorse listed him with three wins in seven 2026 starts and $1,861,255 in earnings, a résumé that makes another top-level campaign more than a sentimental exercise. BloodHorse's race record provides the season figures.
For Spendthrift, the contrasting decisions are strategically clean. Noffey retires with an unbeaten juvenile record and a commercial résumé built around three Grade 1 victories, while Further Ado gets the chance to convert late-season improvement into a sustained older-horse campaign. One colt now represents the farm's immediate stallion investment; the other remains its most intriguing test of how far a Breeders' Cup Dirt Mile winner can climb at four.