$900,000 thoroughbred colt with a champion bloodline now carries the name of college football’s biggest star

Jeff Hauser

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$900,000 thoroughbred colt with a champion bloodline now carries the name of college football’s biggest star image

One horse with champion bloodline and famed owner takes on the namesake of Fernando Mendoza.

Tom Ryan, managing partner of SF Racing and an owner with Hall of Fame trainer Bob Baffert, announced this week that the stable’s new colt will be named Mendoza, honoring Indiana quarterback Fernando Mendoza following his Heisman Trophy win.

“Fernando Mendoza is a star in the world’s most American sport,” Ryan wrote on X, formerly Twitter. “When I watched Mendoza’s post-Heisman interview, it felt like a perfect fit.”

The colt is by Gun Runner, one of the most accomplished sires in modern racing, and out of Songbird, the champion filly who won 13 of 15 career starts and earned Eclipse honors. Gun Runner finished third in the 2016 Kentucky Derby and later won the 2017 Breeders’ Cup Classic, cementing his status as a cornerstone of American breeding.

Mendoza will be eligible for the 2027 Triple Crown, as thoroughbreds compete in those races at age 3, according to On3. The colt is currently one and will spend the next two years developing under Baffert’s program.

The quarterback is also preparing for a high-stakes stretch. Mendoza led the nation with 33 touchdown passes this season, throwing for 2,980 yards with six interceptions while completing 71.5% of his passes. He guided Indiana to a Big Ten title and the No. 1 seed in the College Football Playoff.

While one Mendoza trains for the sport’s grandest races, the other is two weeks from a CFP quarterfinal at the Granddaddy of them all at the Rose Bowl. 

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Staff Writer