Breeders' Cup: Forever Young again draws post 5 in bid for Classic repeat
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LEXINGTON, Ky. - Forever Young won the 2025 Breeders’ Cup Classic from post 5 in a field of nine at Del Mar and on Saturday he will break from post 5 again in a field of eight when he attempts to become just the second horse to score repeat victories in the Classic, at $7 million, North America’s richest race, to be run at Keeneland.
Forever Young, the 7-2 second choice in 2025, was made the 2-1 morning-line favorite for Saturday’s Classic by Daily Racing Form’s David Aragona. The eight-horse field represents the smallest Classic field since 2022, when Flightline dominated his rivals, also here at Keeneland.
Forever Young, trained by Yoshito Yahagi, looks to join Tiznow (2000-01) as the only horses to win the Classic in consecutive years. Forever Young prepped for the Classic by winning the Jockey Club Gold Cup at Belmont on Sept 18.
His competition includes three of the top older dirt males in training, including Knightsbridge, whose connections, owner Godolphin and trainer Bill Mott, decided Monday morning that the 5-year-old son of Nyquist would run in the Classic and not the Dirt Mile. Knightsbridge will join his Godolphin-owned, Mott-trained stablemate Sovereignty, the 2025 Horse of the Year, in the Classic starting gate. Sovereignty missed the Classic last year, scratching the day after entries were taken due to a fever.
Sovereignty, who drew post 2, was made the 5-2 second choice while Knightsbridge, in post 7, was made the 9-2 third choice. Knightsbridge will be ridden by Luis Saez as Junior Alvarado, his regular rider, is staying on Sovereignty.
Magnitude, who has victories this year over Forever Young in the Dubai World Cup and Sovereignty in the Stephen Foster, drew post 6 and was made the 6-1 fourth choice. He is coming off a well-beaten sixth behind Sovereignty in the Grade 1 Whitney at Saratoga, a track at which he has run his two worst races.
The presence of Sovereignty and Golden Tempo, this year’s Kentucky Derby winner, makes this the first time since 1991 that two Kentucky Derby winners are in the Classic. That year, Unbridled, the 1990 Derby winner, finished third while Strike the Gold, the 1991 Derby winner, finished fifth.
In addition to Golden Tempo, the Classic drew top 3-year-olds Napoleon Solo, the Preakness winner who drew post 8 and was made 15-1 on the morning line, and The Puma, the Pennsylvania Derby winner who drew post 4 and is listed at 10-1. Japan’s 5-year-old T O Password, fifth behind Forever Young in the 2024 Kentucky Derby, is a 30-1 shot in the Classic.
Golden Tempo drew post 3 and was made the 5-1 fourth choice. He will attempt to become the 15th 3-year-old to win the Classic.
“I respect all the horses in the race. It's eight horses but I’d say that most of the field is very impressive horses,” Cherie DeVaux, the trainer of Golden Tempo said. “To be included in the top tier of them it is an honor.”
While Golden Tempo will not be favored in the Classic, DeVaux will send out the favorite in the $2 million BC Sprint in Englishman, the freakishly fast 3-year-old who figures to be a heavy favorite in a field of 13.
Englishman drew the extreme outside post in the Sprint, where he will face Japan’s T O Elvis, who was impressive winning the Churchill Downs Stakes six months ago and who hasn’t run since.
“I’d rather be on the outside than the inside, especially sprinting,” DeVaux said. “They’re going to try and engage with him so on the outside he can watch the race unfold and decide what he wants to do.”
T O Elvis drew post 11.
Forever Young was one of 10 former previous Breeders’ Cup winners - seven from last year - who were entered in Breeders’ Cup races this year.
* Ethical Diamond, a 27-1 upset winner breaking from post 14 in last year’s $5 million Turf, will break from the rail this year in the Turf, where he’ll face fellow European horses such as Tiffany, Diamond Necklace, and Hotazhell.
North America’s contingent is only four strong and includes Burnham Square, Minaret Station, Far Bridge, and Test Score.
* Notable Speech, last year’s BC Mile winner, is back for a repeat bid for Godolphin and Charlie Appleby. Notable Speech, who drew post 8 in a field of 14 this year, will rematch with Deterministic, whom he beat in the Grade 1 Woodbine Mile. Deterministic, trained by Miguel Clement, drew the rail.
Notable Speech will also rematch with Formidable Man, second in last year’s BC Mile at 18-1, who will break from post 11. Other North American contenders include Rhetorical, Brilliant Berti, and Zulu Kingdom.
* Shisospicy, last year’s Turf Sprint winner, will break from post 2 in a bid to repeat. She has had just one race this year and finished last in it.
This year’s Turf Sprint field includes 2024 Turf Sprint winner Starlust and last year’s Juvenile Turf Sprint winner Cy Fair.
Bacio, trained by Wesley Ward, will likely go favored based on his 5-for-6 record, including wins at Royal Ascot in the Palace of Holyroodhouse Stakes and the Group 1 Nunthorpe.
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* Splendora, last year’s Filly and Mare Sprint winner for Bob Baffert, this year is in the $2 million Distaff at 1 1/8 miles. She will face Nitrogen, last year’s Distaff runner-up and 3-year-old filly champion, and the in-form Fully Subscribed.
Super Corredora, last year’s BC Juvenile Fillies winner, is also in this year’s nine-horse Distaff.
* The decision to run Knightsbridge in the Classic, in part, played a role in shaping the 11-horse field entered in the Dirt Mile.
Further Ado, also pre-entered in the Classic, went in the Dirt Mile instead and drew the rail. His dominant 20-length maiden win at 2 and his 11-length Blue Grass win at 3 - both at Keeneland - potentially make him the favorite in this field.
Full Serrano, the 2024 Dirt Mile winner, is in this field as are stakes winners Coal Battle, Chunk of Gold, Forged Steel, and T Kraft.
* Blue Bolt, undefeated in six starts this year for Juddmonte and trainer Andrew Balding, all at one mile, opted for the $2 million BC Filly and Mare Turf at 1 3/16 miles instead. She will break from post 12 in a field of 14 that includes four-time Group 1 winner Precise, trained by Aidan O’Brien, and North American two-time Grade 1 winner Classic Q, the latter also opting for the longer race as opposed to the Mile.
The South African-bred Gimme a Nother, trained by Graham Motion, and Grade 1 winner Kathynmarissa, trained by Chad Brown, are among the top U.S.-based contenders in the field.
* Ways and Means, trained by Brown, will try to transfer her Saratoga form (she is 6 for 7 at the Spa) to Keeneland, where she meets 12 opponents in the $1 million Filly and Mare Sprint. Among those she will face are Evanescence, who is 3 for 3 at Keeneland, Kilwin, R Disaster, and Sweet Azteca.
All five of Friday’s races are for 2-year-olds.
* Hughes, undefeated winner of the Grade 1 Del Mar Futurity and American Pharoah, drew post 5, and American History, undefeated winner of the Grade 1 Breeders’ Futurity, drew post 6 in a field of just eight entered in the $2 million Juvenile.
Hughes is trained by six-time Juvenile winner Bob Baffert, who also has the undefeated Grade 3 winner Salahudin (post 3) while American History is trained by five-time Juvenile winner Todd Pletcher, who also sends out maiden winner Damavand (post 1).
The remaining four horses are Gaudreau, Earth Song, Coach Pope, and He Is No Lie.
* Emphatic, undefeated winner of the Grade 1 Alcibiades, drew post 10 in a field of 12 entered in the $2 million Juvenile Fillies. Emphatic is trained Brendan Walsh, who is looking for his first Breeders’ Cup victory having gone winless with his first 13 starters.
The field includes undefeated Grade 1 Del Mar Debutante winner Miss Monica (post 5) and Grade 3 winner Manuka Honey (post 8).
* Trainer Aidan O’Brien will take four shots at winning his ninth Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Turf, but it may be his son Joseph who has the horse to beat in Folsom Blues.
Folsom Blues was impressive winning the Group 1 Vincent O’Brien National in September before finishing second to the filly Amusingly in the Prix Jean-Luc Lagardere at Longchamp.
Aidan O’Brien has the quartet of Florida Bay, Haffner, Man’s Best Friend, and Great Barrier Reef.
Trainer Todd Pletcher had two pre-entered but only entered with Liam’s Law. He did not enter Bold Friendship, a maiden in three starts, because he wasn’t happy with the way the horse came out of his most recent workout.
* Amusingly, who beat Folsom Blues in the Group 1 Prix Jean-Luc Lagardere in France, drew post 10 and is the likely favorite in a field of 14 entered in the $1 million Juvenile Fillies Turf.
Domestic Agenda, who goes out for six-time Juvenile Fillies Turf winner Chad Brown, drew post 12.
Aidan O’Brien, a two-time winner, counters with Sun Goddess.
* Libertango, a multiple group stakes winner who finished second to Sun Goddess in the Group 1 Cheveley Park Stakes at Newmarket, drew post 3 and is the expected favorite in a field of 12 plus five also eligibles entered in the $1 million Juvenile Turf Sprint.
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