One of the defining events of thoroughbred horse racing of the year is due in less than 20 days. And in the meantime, the stars of the previous season are already shining bright. The Breeders’ Cup Classic is waiting to unravel at the end of this month, on October 31, and it would be the event to crown the ultimate champions of the sport. Sierra Leone, the reigning champion, is back on the training track again. But alongside Sierra Leone, the most favored equine for this year, too, is making quite a mark on the grass.

Sovereignty, the American thoroughbred, has been reigning as the favorite this season. And why would he not? The Godolphin-owned colt has won the 2025 Kentucky Derby, followed by the Belmont Stakes and Travers Stakes. And now the trainer of the Colt himself, Bill Mott, has been left impressed by the, noble steed.

Last weekend, on Sunday, October 12, both the reigning champion and the season’s favorite stepped on the field on the Oklahoma Training Track. On the dry and dusty morning, both the colts put in workouts. And the difference, or rather the closeness in their timing would surely leave bidders in a state of dilemma. 

After the run was taken by Sovereignty, the trainer himself stated, “The gallop out is not a big strong gallop out.” Mott further added, “I’m sure if he had gotten after him, he would have galloped out faster. He went from the wire to the seven-eighths pole in :14, which is just kind of him, but he had done enough during the work. Over this track, that’s very good.” Sovereignty has indeed given enough reasons for Mott to be confident though.

Sierra Leone ran half a mile in just 48.54 seconds in company with maiden Duration. Just minutes after him, Sovereignty set foot, and he made it to five furlongs with reigning maiden winner Playa Del Mar in 59.94 seconds. While covering half a mile, Sierra Leone strongly galloped out, Sovereignty ended it in six furlongs in 1:14.03. And alongside Sovereignty, the trainer of the reigning champion is not losing hope on the young colt.

Is Sierra Leone and Sovereignty raising the stakes for the 2025 Breeders’ Cup Classic?

On the other hand, Chad C. Brown, the trainer of the four-year-old champion thoroughbred, is looking forward to giving Sierra Leone two more works before the big day. He has expressed a wish to give Sierra Leone the works at Saratoga before sending him to Southern California on October 26. 

 Brown even added, “Horse worked great, continues to train extremely well”. In the Grade 1 Whitney, Sierra Leone secured a win. However, he faced some trouble when Mindframe was bumped by other horses in the Grade 1 Jockey Club Gold Cup and finished second. 

On the other hand, referring to Sovereignty, Bill Mott stated that the horse “idle a little bit” after passing his company. Now with the big event just days away, the stakes are indeed rising high, and fans can’t wait to witness how the D-Day turns out to be when the equines start galloping on the tracks.