Sovereignty © Zoe Metz Photo
SOVEREIGNTY SPIKES FEVER, SCRATCHED FROM CLASSIC
Every Breeders’ Cup has its “big name” scratch days before the races. But the one this year is as shocking and disappointing as it gets for the connections as well as the fans.
Kentucky Derby winner and morning line favorite for the Breeders’ Cup Classic Sovereignty has been scratched after he spiked a fever Tuesday. Trainer Bill Mott made the announcement.
“Yesterday afternoon about three o’clock he re-spiked another fever,” Mott told Fan Duel Racing’s Scott Hazelton. “Even though he had some medication in him from 6 o’clock that morning he re-spiked another fever. We re-treated him and now he’s on antibiotics. He seems to be doing well this (Wednesday) morning. His temp is down to just a tick above normal and he looks bright.”
Mott added that you wouldn’t know Sovereignty was sick by looking at him.
“It’s unbelievable,” Mott continued. “He still has not missed an oat. He’s in his haybag. He eats all of the hay and alfalfa on the ground and then he goes to his haybag. He’s got his nose in there and he’s got a good attitude. I don’t know if he knows he’s sick.”
With Sovereignty sidelined, Fierceness becomes the new morning line favorite in Saturday’s Breeders’ Cup Classic at Del Mar. The G1 Pacific Classic winner from last summer at Del Mar is now 5-2 followed by Japan’s Forever Young and Chad Brown’s defending champion, Sierra Leone, both now at 7-2. Journalism has been knocked down to 5-1 and Mindframe is at 6-1.
“Hate to see it,” trainer Todd Pletcher said about the scratch of Sovereignty. “I feel bad for the connections. We’ve all been on both sides of it and it’s no fun.”
Pletcher trains the new favorite in the Classic as well as Mindframe and Antiquarian.
Mott says Sovereignty will ship back to Kentucky on Tuesday where they will await word from the owners of the horse, Godolphin, as to whether or not he will race in 2026.
LET IT RIDE KICKS-OFF FALL STAKES SCHEDULE AT DEL MAR THURSDAY
The 2025 Bing Crosby season launches Thursday with a nine-race card featuring the first of 20 stakes races this fall, the $100,000 Let It Ride Stakes for 3-year-olds. Seven are expected to contest the one mile turf event, a couple of which won on the Jimmy Durante Turf Course last summer.
Friendly Confines took down an entry-level allowance race on closing weekend at Del Mar. He’s done little wrong during his brief four race career. After running sixth in his debut at Del Mar in 2024, he returned at Santa Anita in February and broke his maiden followed by a runner-up finish in the $100,000 Pasadena Stakes a month later. Trainer Richard Baltas gave his colt a freshening and brought him back at Del Mar in September.
“It’s a good spot,” Baltas says of the Let It Ride. “Came off the layoff, ran big and won here. Got (Flavien) Prat back on him. He’s won on him before.”
The son of Twirling Candy is expected to get a stiff challenge from Geometry, another horse who won at Del Mar last summer. He’s done some traveling since, shipping back to Delaware Park where he ran fourth in the $150,000 Kent Stakes.
“It rained all day,” trainer Jonathan Thomas says of the race in Delaware. ”It was bottomless ground and I don’t know if he’s a mile and an eighth horse. Getting him back to a mile here with firm turf should suit him. He’s going to have to jump up and run his best race.”
Geometry ran twice at Del Mar last summer. He returned from a ten-month layoff to win an entry-level allowance race and then ran fourth in the G2 Del Mar Derby.
“We wheeled him back pretty quick in the Del Mar Derby,” Thomas notes. “I think it was a week. I thought he ran fine, maybe a little flat, a little too much to do.”
Thomas also has Hiding in Honduras running in the Let It Ride. The son of Dialed In broke his maiden by seven lengths his first time out at Presque Isle Downs earlier this month.
“He’s a horse that’s taken awhile to get to the races,” Thomas says. “We thought we’d throw him in here and give him a spin around. See what he’s all about.”
Lyle The Crocodile is back after a troubled start last out at Del Mar in August. The Irish-bred slammed the starting gate at the break and was eased out of the race. Rudy Cruz, assistant trainer to Phil D’Amato, says it may have had more to do with the jockey Umberto Rispoli who got off the horse sore and limping after apparently getting his leg pinched between the horse and the gate.
Cruz says Lyle The Crocodile was fine when he got back to the barn. Prior to that race, he missed by less than a length, finishing third in the $100,000 Oceanside Stakes on opening day at Del Mar.
The Let It Ride Stakes is named after the popular horse racing movie starring Richard Dreyfuss. The term ‘let it ride’ is often associated with gamblers and the phrase they use when asked what they want to do with all their winnings. It’s the seventh race on a nine race card. Post time is 3:30 p.m.
Here’s the field from the rail with the jockeys and morning line odds: Bodi Zafa (Kazushi Kimura, 12-1); Tempus Volat (Mirco Dimuro, 6-1); Hiding in Honduras (Oisin Murphy, 15-1); Geometry (John Velazquez, 5/2); Lyle The Crocodile (Irad Ortiz, Jr., 4-1); Friendly Confines (Flavien Prat, 2-1); Mescalero (Umberto Rispoli, 6-1).
KEENELAND AUCTION AT DEL MAR TO OFFER TOP NAME HORSES
Interested in purchasing a share of Thorpedo Anna or Mindframe?
The opportunity awaits you tonight when Keeneland will conduct its Championship Auction at Del Mar. It’s the second year for the special boutique auction that is held the week of the Breeders’ Cup at the sites where the World Championships are being held.
This year’s sale will feature a 20% share of last year’s Horse of the Year. Thorpedo Anna recently retired from racing. She’s expected to begin her new career as a broodmare at Hill ‘n Dale Farm at Xalapa in Lexington, Kentucky in 2026. Her trainer, Kenny McPeek says she is sound.
"For everybody out there who is worried about her, you can rest at ease," McPeek said in a press release announcing Thorpedo Anna’s retirement. “She’s fine.”
As for the other highlight of the auction, Mindframe is still active and is expected to run in the Breeders’ Cup Classic. He’s a deserving candidate this year for an Eclipse Award should he win the Classic this Saturday.
“Mindframe has put together a near-perfect record this year, and with the Breeders’ Cup Classic as his next step, there’s plenty more excitement to come,” Keeneland Vice President of Sales Tony Lacy said. “For buyers, this share represents a rare opportunity to participate in the tremendous potential of his future stallion career.”
The 4-year-old son of Constitution is expected to enter stud at Claiborne Farm in Kentucky at the end of his racing career.
A 25% share of a third Breeders’ Cup participant, millionaire and Grade I winner Mullikin will also be offered at the sale which will be conducted in the Del Mar paddock Wednesday night. Mullikin is expected to run in the Breeders’ Cup Sprint Saturday.
At last year’s inaugural Keeneland Championship Auction at Del Mar a share of Flightline sold for $2.5 million. This year’s auction begins at 6:30 p.m.
COOLING OUT: Two other Breeders’ Cup scratches of note were announced overnight. Civil Liberty from the Doug O’Neill barn will not run in the Juvenile on Friday and Fee Blanche, who came all the way over from Japan, has been scratched from Saturday’s Filly & Mare Sprint…Visitors flying in for the Breeders’ Cup will catch Southern California at its best weather-wire this weekend. The forecast is for sunny skies, highs around 72 on Friday and 70 degrees on Saturday…More Breeders’ Cup works were recorded Wednesday morning at Del Mar: Dirt - Forever Young (4f, :51.00. Classic); Alice Verite (5f, 1:01.20. Distaff); American Stage (4f, :51.60. Sprint); Turf - Bucanero Fuerte (2f, :25:60. Turf Sprint); Aspect Island (2f, :23:80. Juvenile Turf Sprint) and Silawi (4f, :52.80. Turf).