(Photo credit score: Jeff Faughender)
LEXINGTON, Ky. — Sovereignty capped a comeback 12 months with a victory Saturday within the Breeders’ Cup Classic, as final 12 months’s Kentucky Derby winner took the $7 million stakes race by 1-3/4 lengths over The Puma at Keeneland.
Trained by Bill Mott, the 4-year-old colt received 5 of his begins final 12 months. However, he developed a fever within the days main as much as final 12 months’s Breeders’ Cup at Del Mar in Southern California, forcing him to overlook it.
Mott returned the colt to the monitor in April with a runner-up end within the Oaklawn Handicap, then positioned third within the Stephen Foster at Churchill Downs in June earlier than profitable the Whitney Stakes at Saratoga in August.
On Saturday, jockey Junior Alvarado saved his horse off the tempo behind stablemate Knightsbridge and defending champion Forever Young earlier than making his transfer approaching the stretch.
Sovereignty had a transparent path popping out of the ultimate flip and was by no means critically challenged down the stretch, ending in 2:00.36.
The winner paid $5.94 to win, $4.16 to position and $2.94 to point out on a $2 wager. The Puma, scratched from this 12 months’s Kentucky Derby on race day, paid $11.22 and $6.10. Knightsbridge paid $3.76.
The two Japanese-bred horses, T O Password and Forever Young, completed fourth and fifth respectively.
Irish-bred Benvenuto Cellini and jockey Ryan Moore used a late cost to take the $5 million Turf, with the 3-year-old colt working the 1-1/2 miles in 2:27.5. Map of Stars, a British-bred 5-year-old gelding, completed second by three-quarters of a size. Diamond Necklace, an Irish 3-year-old filly, ran third.
The races main as much as the Classic had some dramatic moments, highlighted by the stretch duel between Further Ado and Owen Almighty within the $1 Million Dirt Mile. The two went stride for stride to the wire, with jockey Flavien Prat getting Further Ado’s nostril throughout first.
The greatest shock got here within the $2 million Sprint, the place T O Elvis chased down the closely favored Englishman within the closing strides to win by 1-1/4 lengths. The Kentucky-bred colt ran in Japan in 2024 and 2025 earlier than profitable the Churchill Downs Stakes in May, his most up-to-date race.
Deterministic took the $2 million Mile, holding on to beat a hard-charging Notable Speech, the defending champion within the turf race, by three-quarters of a size. It was the primary Breeders’ Cup win for each jockey Kendrick Carmouche and coach Miguel Clement, who took over the 5-year-old after his father Christophe Clement died in May 2025.
Trainer Chad Brown collected two victories as Ways and Means received the $1 million, seven-furlong Filly & Mare Sprint by 6 1/4 lengths and Kathynmarissa captured the $2 million, 1 3/16-mile Filly & Mare Turf by 1 3/4 lengths.
Bacio prolonged his profitable streak to 5 because the 3-year-old colt received the $1 million 5-1/2 furlong Turf Sprint, giving coach Wesley Ward a win on his dwelling monitor and a primary Breeders’ Cup victory for jockey Juan Hernandez.
Nitrogen and Jose Ortiz overcame a gradual begin to give coach Mark Casse a win within the $2 million 1-1/8 mile Distaff for fillies and mares by two lengths over Fully Subscribed.
–Steve Bittenbender, Field Level Media