Sovereignty won the Breeders' Cup Classic worth $7 million at Keeneland on Saturday, claiming the championship title and preventing Forever Young from achieving consecutive victories in this prestigious race.
Historic Victory and O'Brien's Record-Breaking
Sovereignty, the winner of the 2025 Kentucky Derby and trained by Bill Mott with jockey Junior Alvarado, participated in this race for the first time. He missed last year's race due to fever. Despite losing his first two races in 2026 and facing a foot infection threat, Alvarado never doubted the victory of this mare. He said: "What Sovereignty did today was incredible. We really wanted to participate in the Classic last year, and we are happy that the Godolphin team gave us the opportunity to train and achieve this success."
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Performance of Other Competitors and Trainers
Sovereignty stayed behind his colleague Knightsbridge during the race and surged ahead at the end of the track under Alvarado's command. In the end, Puma finished in second place, and Knightsbridge took third.
Yahagi, trainer of Forever Young, stated that jockey Ryusei Sakai had maintained a good position for Forever Young in this race, but at the end of the track, "he showed no reaction." He added: "I feel like I should apologize, but most importantly, I am glad that this horse returned safely."
Benvenuto Cellini won the $5 million Turf race, bringing Aidan O'Brien's total victories to a record 24, which is two more than Bob Baffert. O'Brien and Baffert were previously tied with 21 victories each.
Ryan Moore, the jockey of Benvenuto Cellini, who won the Irish Derby and finished ninth in the Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe, achieved this success. Meanwhile, Bacio brought home the $1 million Turf Sprint for Wesley Ward, marking this trainer's first victory in the Breeders' Cup.
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