World Racing Weekly: Breeders’ Cup Classic still a classic despite the lack of Sovereignty

Breeders’ Cups often come with hype, but the word going around that this year’s Breeders’ Cup Classic would be America’s race of the year—if not the decade or perhaps the century—had plenty of substance until the news on Wednesday morning that race favorite Sovereignty was out due to the fever he caught Monday afternoon. But even without him, it still promises to be a great contest.

The race has, after all, the first three home in last year’s Breeders’ Cup Classic—Sierra Leone, Fierceness, and Forever Young—plus the second and third best three-year-olds in America, Journalism and Baeza.

And let’s not forget Fierceness’s Grade 1-winning stablemates Mindframe and Antiquarian—both have beaten Sierra Leone this season—or trainer Bob Baffert’s lightly raced and emerging last-start Grade 1 winner Nevada Beach, all trading at double-figure odds.

The intensity of the competition and the US$7 million on the table makes it a race that sparks passions. Fierceness’s owner, billionaire businessman and sports administrator Mike Repole, is never one to shy away from saying what he thinks, and he took to social media a week back to call out the use of a pacemaker for defending champion Sierra Leone, calling the horse in question, Contrary Thinking, an “emotional support rabbit.”

Sierra Leone’s trainer Chad Brown told Idol Horse at Del Mar on Tuesday morning: “The last time I used a pacemaker in a race I won with the pacemaker. It was the Flower Bowl, a Dubawi filly named Idea Generation, last year at Saratoga. I sent her for the Frankel filly McKulick and she made all and she won, so it wouldn’t be the first time. Contrary Thinking is definitely in there to see how far he can take everybody.

“I think Del Mar favors speed a lot, forward horses. He’s going to break on the lead, hopefully, set the pace and let’s see how far he can go. There’s a lot of purse money, and if they leave him alone out there, he could be dangerous; this horse has some quality to him.”

Brown might be expected to say that, of course, but Fierceness’s trainer Todd Pletcher is not concerned by Contrary Thinking’s pace-setting role in the 10-runner field.

“I have no issue with the pacemaker. I think Fierceness is perfectly happy to have a target, and my concern is just that he runs a straight course from the inside gate,” Pletcher said, referencing his colt’s dive to the left after exiting gate one in the G1 Pacific Classic, which he won at the track last time.

Meanwhile, California’s G1 Preakness Stakes hero Journalism will break from gate nine, but that doesn’t faze his trainer Michael McCarthy.

“We’ll bounce out of there, kind of run into the first turn and look to have ourselves just back to the first flight of horses—stalking-speed type of position,” he said.

Japan’s Forever Young, conqueror of Romantic Warrior in the G1 Saudi Cup, will break from gate five, and that suits his trainer Yoshito Yahagi, who said last year’s defeat was “a mistake on my end” because he did not expect the race to be so fast.

“He is a versatile horse, but ideally we want him to race in a good position, which is in the middle slightly toward the front,” Yahagi said.

As for the hype around this year’s Classic: “It’s just a real good race,” McCarthy added.
 

Tenno Sho & Touch Of Destiny

While there’s obvious Japanese interest in the Breeders’ Cup, the JRA’s domestic program this weekend features one of its majors, the G1 Tenno Sho (Autumn).

Masquerade Ball is the likely market leader under Christophe Lemaire, but it’s a hot race, and Cristian Demuro, recently crowned France’s champion jockey for the first time, will ride the G1 Satsuki Sho hero Museum Mile.

There’s also a first ride in a Japanese Group 1 for young French jockey Alexis Pouchin, currently in Japan on a short license. Pouchin rode two winners in Hong Kong during a short-term stint last season and will partner the talented outsider Urban Chic at Tokyo.

Back at Del Mar, trainer Michael McCarthy will see how the Uruguayan import Touch Of Destiny—a Southern Hemisphere three-year-old—gets through his Breeders’ Cup assignment before deciding whether to take up the JRA’s invitation to the G1 Champions Cup at Chukyo.

“It’s been part of the conversation, and we’ll see what happens here this coming week,” McCarthy told Idol Horse.

Touch Of Destiny won six from six in Uruguay last season and goes into the G1 Breeders’ Cup Dirt Mile first-up since winning a Group 3 at Maronas in June.

“I’m sure the race will tighten him up plenty,” McCarthy said. “We’ll get a good idea. We’ll see how Uruguay’s best stacks up against, in this case, America’s best. So it’ll be interesting to see. He’s been a delightful horse to be around. He enjoys his job, very laid back, sleeps a lot.

“In a perfect world you’d like to have one race to move them forward a little bit, but obviously it’s very exciting for the Uruguayan people and everybody involved in Uruguayan racing, so we’re delighted to be able to go and have the opportunity to represent them.”
 

This week in horse racing history

It was on October 27, 1990, that the Argentine-bred mare Bayakoa became the first horse to win the G1 Breeders’ Cup Distaff two years in a row. Having won at Gulfstream Park in 1989, the Rona McAnally-trained six-year-old took the spoils at Belmont Park in 1990. Both wins came under Laffit Pincay Jr.

Also on October 27 (2001), Tiznow became the first and so far the only horse to win the G1 Breeders’ Cup Classic twice. The four-year-old defeated the brilliant Godolphin colt Sakhee by a nose, having defeated another European star, Giant’s Causeway, in a dramatic finish the year before.

The great Secretariat raced for the final time on October 28, 1973, winning the Canadian International at Woodbine, Canada, by six and a half lengths under Eddie Maple.

One of Japanese racing’s most iconic images this century was captured on October 28, 2012, after Mirco Demuro rode Eishin Flash to victory in the Autumn Tenno Sho. The Italian rider dismounted on the track, took off his helmet, and bowed low on one knee before the Emperor and Empress, who were watching from the packed Tokyo grandstand.

Global blackbook

Badrinath’s win in the Listed Hagi Stakes at Kyoto last weekend is impossible to look past, and the Contrail colt earned “Future Idol” recognition in Idol Horse for his one-length win under Ryusei Sakai.

The Sunday Racing-owned two-year-old was beaten on debut at Niigata in August, and his Kyoto win followed a maiden success at Hanshin in September. Trainer Mikio Matsunaga could well point his charge toward the G1 Hopeful Stakes at the end of the year.

But Sakai was aboard another eye-catching youngster at Kyoto worth mentioning, the Yoshito Yahagi-trained Teruhiko, who put two and a half lengths on the field in a Newcomers contest. In second place was Kitasan Black colt M’s Begin, the race favorite and a 600 million yen yearling.

Racing pic of the week
 

World horse racing calendar: what’s coming ip

Victoria Derby Day
Flemington, November 1
G1 Victoria Derby

One of the headline acts on Victoria Derby Day comes when the three-year-olds battle the 2500m staying test, but the G1 Coolmore Stud Stakes also takes center stage at Flemington on Saturday. The contest—run up Flemington’s “straight six”—has developed into one of Australia’s premier “stallion-making” races, and it is a contest that trainer Chris Waller has farmed, winning six renewals. This year, he sends his impressive G1 Golden Rose winner Beiwacht, who narrowly holds favoritism in overseas markets over the Freedman-trained Tentyris. The son of Street Boss, who sports the Godolphin blue, powered to victory in the Listed Gothic Stakes on Caulfield Cup day last time out.

Breeders’ Cup Day
Del Mar, November 2
(IFHA-rated: Breeders’ Cup Classic – equal 5th; Breeders’ Cup Turf – 15th; Breeders’ Cup Mile – 36th)

The Breeders’ Cup takes place at Del Mar for the second consecutive year and, unsurprisingly, the meeting has attracted a host of global superpowers targeting top-level success.

In the Breeders’ Cup Classic, we’ll find out whether Forever Young can avenge his loss in last year’s Classic when he takes on the likes of Sierra Leone, Fierceness, and Journalism. Meanwhile, in the Breeders’ Cup Turf, Rebel’s Romance will bid to become the first horse to win the contest three times. Standing in his way, though, will likely be Aidan O’Brien’s star filly Minnie Hauk, who arrives in the U.S. after her brave second in the Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe.

Tenno Sho (Autumn)
Tokyo, November 2
(IFHA-ranked 25th)

The Tenno Sho (Autumn) stands as Japan’s top 2000m test for older horses, serving as both a domestic middle-distance championship decider and a key lead-up to the Japan Cup. Meisho Tabaru, who claimed his first Group 1 victory in the Takarazuka Kinen, will be challenged by two three-year-olds, Satsuki Sho winner Museum Mile and Tokyo Yushun runner-up Masquerade Ball. Young French rider Alexis Pouchin is also set for his first top-level ride in Japan aboard Urban Chic.

Melbourne Cup Day
Flemington, November 4

He pushed Via Sistina to her limit in the Cox Plate, and Buckaroo is now confirmed for the Melbourne Cup after a brave second at Moonee Valley. Only a short head separated the Chris Waller-trained forecast in the Cox Plate, and after significant speculation, the runner-up gets his chance to go one better at Flemington. With the picture of the final field becoming increasingly clear, Idol Horse’s interactive “Likely 2025 Melbourne Cup Field” has been busy updating to give you the latest jockey bookings and those on the fringe of making the cut.

VRC Oaks Day
Flemington, November 6

The VRC Oaks is run over 2500m for three-year-old fillies, and this year’s renewal will see Getta Good Feeling head to the contest on the back of a promising effort in the Thousand Guineas at Caulfield on October 18. Getta Good Feeling kept on reasonably well on the rail for third and will likely take on the likes of Salty Pearl and Classic Gem, who finished fourth in Group 3 company over 2000m last time out.

Champions Stakes Day
Flemington, November 8

The Champions Stakes headlines a trio of Group 1s from Flemington when Via Sistina could bid to defend her crown after she held off Buckaroo in a thrilling Cox Plate at Moonee Valley. Treasurethe Moment, who finished a length and a half behind Via Sistina in the Cox Plate, could also have another crack at the daughter of Fastnet Rock.

Grosser Preis von Bayern Day
Munich, November 8

The last British trainer to win the Grosser Preis von Bayern was Sir Mark Prescott with the mighty Alpinista in 2021, and George Scott could be looking to follow suit in this year’s renewal of the 2400m Group 1. The talented mare, who celebrated Arc success the following year, asserted herself in the final furlong at Munich four years ago, and Scott will be hoping his three-year-old colt, Bay City Roller, can do the same. The trainer is contemplating a trip to Munich for his son of New Bay after a couple of near misses in Group 2 company in France recently.

Queen Elizabeth II Cup Day
Kyoto, November 16

The Queen Elizabeth II Cup is the only top-level contest in Japan that is restricted to fillies and mares aged three or above and takes place over 2200m. On the back of her powerful win in the All Comers at Nakayama, Regaleira may hunt for a third win at the top table in this year’s renewal. The four-year-old filly, who has won four of her 10 starts, claimed her first Group 1 win in the Hopeful Stakes at Nakayama in 2023 and followed that up with a gutsy Arima Kinen success over Shahryar in December last year.

This story first appeared on Idol Horse as "World Racing Weekly: Breeders’ Cup Classic “Just A Real Good Race”"