The undefeated 2025 Champion 2-Year-Old Male has been ruled out of this year’s Triple Crown after developing bone bruising, a setback that will see the colt given an extended break with an eye on a later-season return. Trainer Todd Pletcher confirmed Thursday that Ted Noffey will be stopped on for 90 days and will recuperate at Stonestreet Farm in Ocala, Florida.

“I wasn’t happy the way he was moving the last couple of days, sent him for evaluation, and he’s got some bone bruising,” Pletcher said in a statement to Daily Racing Form. “We’re going to give him 90 days off and hopefully have him back for Saratoga.

“It’s frustrating, disappointing, but we got to do the right thing by the horse,” Pletcher added.

Owned by Spendthrift Farm, Ted Noffey compiled a flawless juvenile campaign that left little doubt about his standing at the top of the division. After breaking his maiden at Saratoga on Aug. 2, the son of Into Mischief immediately stepped into Grade I company and never looked back.

He captured the Hopeful Stakes at Saratoga, followed with a commanding victory in the Claiborne Breeders’ Futurity at Keeneland, and capped his season with a defining performance in the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile at Del Mar. The three Grade I victories came consecutively and established him as the dominant two-year-old of 2025.

That body of work was formally recognized on Jan. 22, when Ted Noffey was named Eclipse Award Champion 2-Year-Old Male, receiving 218 of 220 first-place votes cast.

The winter had begun with classic ambitions firmly in place. Following the Breeders’ Cup, Ted Noffey spent 10 days at the Fair Hill Training Center in Maryland before shipping to Palm Beach Downs in Florida. He returned to the work tab there on Jan. 16 and breezed twice as preparations began for a planned seasonal debut in the Grade 2, $400,000 Fountain of Youth Stakes on Feb. 28 at Gulfstream Park.

Those plans are now on hold, with his ownership group united behind a long-term view. In an official Spendthrift Farm release, General Manager Ned Toffey acknowledged the disappointment while emphasizing the priority placed on the colt’s future.

“Obviously we're disappointed,” Toffey said in the Spendthrift Farm statement. “But after discussions with Todd, the veterinary team, and owners Eric and Tammy Gustavson, we are all in agreement that giving the colt time off is the right decision. Our priority is his long-term health and career.

“With proper rest and turnout, we're hopeful he'll be back and ready to compete later this summer and fall,” he added.

For a colt who dominated his generation at two, the focus has shifted from chasing early-season prizes to preserving what made him special in the first place. If all goes according to plan, Ted Noffey’s story is expected to resume later in the year, when the spotlight turns to Saratoga and beyond.

Image Breeders' Cup/Eclipse Sportswire