A year after a fever kept him out, Sovereignty wins the Breeders' Cup Classic; Aidan O'Brien sets the trainers' record
AFP's roundup (via Kuwait Times) covers the whole Keeneland meeting, including a photo-finish 'by a nostril' and a Japanese sprint upset.
Sovereignty, the 2025 Kentucky Derby winner, won the $7 million Breeders' Cup Classic at Keeneland in Lexington, Kentucky, on Saturday, Oct. 31, under jockey Junior Alvarado for trainer Bill Mott. Reuters (via The Star) reports he had been scratched from last year's Classic with a fever; AFP says he lost his first two races of 2026 and a hoof abscess threatened his start. The Puma was second and stablemate Knightsbridge third, while defending champion Forever Young of Japan faded to fifth.
Irish trainer Aidan O'Brien won three races at the meeting, the last with Benvenuto Cellini in the Turf, for a record 24 Breeders' Cup wins, two more than Bob Baffert, according to AFP. Other moments: Further Ado won the Dirt Mile by a nostril after a long photo study, and Japan's T O Elvis, unraced since May, ran down the favorite in the Sprint.
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Tiznow
After exploring Sovereignty wins Breeders’ Cup Classic as O’Brien sets trainer record | Kuwait Times Newspaper, the only repeat winner of the race is Tiznow.
Tiznow won the Breeders' Cup Classic in 2000 and 2001, the only horse to win the race twice, which is the feat Forever Young was chasing.
Wikipedia · Wade · 5 min
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