Breeders' Cup Classic: Sovereignty looks strong in half-mile work

LEXINGTON, Ky. - Sovereignty worked a half-mile in 48.37 seconds Sunday morning over Keeneland’s main track and his connections are quite optimistic that he is ready to run in Saturday’s $7 million Breeders’ Cup Classic.

After Sovereignty completed the work, which he began about a length behind his regular workmate Thunder Roll and finished a head in front of him, trainer Bill Mott, on his stable pony, sidled alongside Sovereignty and his regular work rider Neil Poznansky for his opinion of the move.

“He said that’s as good as he’s worked in a long, long time,” Mott said. “Not a long time, a long, long time. I’d say that’s a pretty good recommendation.”

The work was Sovereignty’s fifth since he resumed training after a hind foot abscess forced him to miss some training time in early September as well as the Grade 1 Jockey Club Gold Cup on Sept. 18 at Belmont Park.

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Sovereignty had a couple of works in which the time was slow, but Mott believes that was as much a function of a dry, cuppy Oklahoma training track in Saratoga as it was anything else. Overall, Mott seems content with the work and Sovereignty’s overall preparation for the Classic.

“As we stand here Sunday morning, six days before the race, I’m happy,” Mott said.

Sovereignty has been training in a bar shoe on his left hind foot that Mott said will remain on until either Friday or race day, when Sovereignty will be fitted with a regular shoe.

“I’m just looking for extra protection before the race,” Mott said. “Maybe it’s even a little bit of overkill to have that shoe on at this point.”

Sovereignty, the 2025 Horse of the Year, was forced to scratch from the Breeders’ Cup Classic last year after developing a fever following his final workout at Del Mar, which took place the Monday before the race as opposed to Sunday.

It remains to be seen how Sovereignty’s work may impact the decision of Mott and the Godolphin team on which race to run stablemate Knightsbridge. That horse, coming off a win in the $1 million Pacific Classic going 1 1/4 miles at Del Mar on Aug. 22, is pre-entered in both the Dirt Mile and Classic. A decision on which race he will be entered in is not expected until Monday morning. Entries for all 14 Breeders’ Cup races are due by noon.

The decision will be made by Mott and the U.S-based team at Godolphin, which includes Michael Banahan, director of bloodstock.

“I’m happy whatever way it goes,” Mott said. “I’m fine if we go in two different races.”

Banahan admitted that Knightsbridge deserves a chance in the Classic, but the possibility of winning two races is also an enticing reason to split up the horses, both of whom will be making their final career starts on Saturday.

“I printed out the [past performances]. I want to see what makes sense now that we’re in the situation where both horses have worked well; very happy going into next week on the back of these works,” Banahan said. “But the big thing is how Sovereignty comes out of it tomorrow morning; that’ll tell a story. If he comes out of it well, that’ll make it difficult, but it’s nice to have a difficult decision.”

Knightsbridge had his final workout on Saturday, going a half-mile in 48.41 seconds.

Meanwhile, T O Password, one of five horses pre-entered in the Dirt Mile and Classic, will run in the Classic, Hiroshi Ando, stable manager for owner Tomoya Ozasa and trainer Daisuke Takayanagi.

Ando said the fact he believes the Classic will be a shorter field than the Dirt Mile was one reason why that race was chosen.

“We prefer fewer horses,” Ando said. “He finished fifth in the [2024] Kentucky Derby when he was running with Forever Young. He was able to perform well. We think he has enough [talent] to run in that race.”

In that Kentucky Derby, T O Password was bumped at the break and raced in 17th position before coming with a late run to finish fifth, 6 1/2 lengths behind Mystik Dan, Sierra Leone and Forever Young, who were separated by two noses on the wire.

T O Password last ran in August in the Group 3 Elm Stakes, a 1 1/16-mile race in which he finished third behind Luxor Café. Kazushi Kimura, who rode T O Password in the 2024 Kentucky Derby, will be aboard on Saturday.

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