The Breeders’ Cup Classic, already world-class with North American Horse of the Year Sovereignty and Japanese hero Forever Young set to run, became an even better race on Monday when Knightsbridge was entered in the main event of the two-day Breeders’ Cup scheduled for this Friday and Saturday at Keeneland Race Course in Lexington, Ky.
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On the day entries were finalized and post positions and morning-line odds set for the 14 races, owner Godolphin and trainer Bill Mott opted to put Knightsbridge in the $7 million Classic alongside stablemate Sovereignty after considering an easier spot in the $1 million Dirt Mile.
The Breeders’ Cup Classic, to be run Saturday at about 3:16 p.m. PDT, will line up this way from the rail out: 1. TO Password (Kazushi Kimura riding), 30-1; 2. Sovereignty (Junior Alvarado), 5-2; 3. Golden Tempo (Jose Ortiz), 5-1; 4. The Puma (Javier Castellano), 10-1; 5. Forever Young (Ryusei Sakai), 2-1 favorite; 6. Magnitude (Flavien Prat), 6-1; 7. Knightsbridge (Luis Saez), 9-2, and 8. Napoleon Solo (John Velazquez), 15-1.
“One of the things it boils down to is Godolphin would really like to win the Classic and we probably have a better chance of having two horses in there than just one,” Mott said, in remarks distributed by Breeders’ Cup publicists, about the decision to run Sovereignty and Knightsbridge against each other.
If Knightsbridge’s entry is a lift for the Breeders’ Cup Classic, it’s also validation for the Pacific Classic at Del Mar.
The Pacific Classic on Aug. 22 was where Knightsbridge won by more than six lengths with jockey Junior Alvarado to secure his first Grade I victory and prove he could handle the Breeders’ Cup Classic distance of 1¼ miles. Knightsbridge joins several other recent Pacific Classic winners in going on to Breeders’ Cup Classic contention, including Flightline, the brilliant winner the last time the Cup was held at Keeneland in 2022. The Del Mar race remains a springboard to the elite level in an era when winning major races in California no longer guarantees national stardom.
“Knightsbridge has earned his way, he has come up the ladder,” Mott said of the 5-year-old, whose previous victory in the Monmouth Cup earned the highest Beyer speed figure (122) since Flightline’s Pacific Classic (126). “He has won races at 7 furlongs, a mile, and, as soon as we stretched him out, he answered that question, going 1⅛ miles at Monmouth Park and (winning) the Pacific Classic.”
The Breeders’ Cup Classic is the top of the ladder. Forever Young, the 2025 Breeders’ Cup Classic winner at Del Mar, will try to become the first repeat winner of America’s richest race since Tiznow in 2000 and 2001, and will be the sixth to try since then. The meeting of 2025 Kentucky Derby winner Sovereignty and 2026 Derby winner Golden Tempo will mark the first time two champions of America’s most famous thoroughbred race have squared off in any race since 1991, when Unbridled and Strike the Gold finished third and fifth in the Classic behind Black Tie Affair.
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Knightsbridge was one of many horses whose connections had choices to make after staying eligible for two races when pre-entries were filed last week.
Preakness winner Napoleon Solo and Japan’s TO Password are passing up the Dirt Mile to go in the Classic. Napoleon Solo finished a close second at 1¼ miles at Saratoga in August.
“We thought he was very brave in defeat, going the (1¼-mile) distance the last time out in the Travers,” trainer Chad Summers said, “and we felt like he deserved another opportunity at 10 furlongs here.”
Further Ado and Forged Steel were entered in the Dirt Mile, passing up the Classic. Likely favorite Further Ado has run his best races at Keeneland, while Forged Steel scored his biggest wins by shipping to Santa Anita for the Hollywood Gold Cup and Goodwood Stakes.
“We just think that this gives him the best opportunity to win a race,” trainer Brad Cox said of putting Further Ado in the Dirt Mile.
Other potentially significant decisions saw trainer Bob Baffert’s 2025 Filly & Mare Sprint winner Splendora go to the Distaff this time, Ireland’s Aidan O’Brien put Diamond Necklace in the Turf instead of the Filly & Mare Turf, Britain’s Andrew Balding keep Blue Bolt in the Filly & Mare Turf instead of facing males in the Mile, and Leonard Powell keep Domain Expansion on dirt for the Juvenile Fillies instead of the Juvenile Fillies Turf.
The 43rd Breeders’ Cup begins with five races for 2-year-olds on Friday. Baffert’s stars drew comfortable starting slots, Hughes post 5 and Salahudin post 3 for the Juvenile, and Miss Monica post 5 for the Juvenile Fillies.
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Kevin Modesti reported from Los Angeles.