From the Breeders’ Cup Media Team / Jim Gluckson:

SOVEREIGNTY LEADS FIRST WEEK OF LONGINES BREEDERS’ CUP CLASSIC RANKINGS

International Poll Tracks Leading Contenders for $7 million Longines Breeders’ Cup Classic at Keeneland

LEXINGTON, Ky. (Aug. 11, 2026) ― After a dominating performance in Saturday’s Whitney Stakes (G1) at Saratoga Race Course, Godolphin’s homebred Sovereignty, the 2025 Horse of the Year, leads the first week of tabulated votes for the 2026 Longines Breeders’ Cup Classic Rankings.
The Longines Breeders’ Cup Classic Rankings rate the top 10 horses in consideration for the $7 million Longines Breeders’ Cup Classic (G1), which will be run Oct. 31 at Keeneland Race Course in Lexington, Kentucky, during the 43rd edition of the Breeders’ Cup World Championships.
Sovereignty, a 4-year-old son of Into Mischief and the winner of last year’s Kentucky Derby (G1) and Belmont Stakes (G1), earned 392 votes, which included 26 first-place votes. Trained by Hall of Famer Bill Mott, Sovereignty landed his first win this season in the Whitney, following a second-place finish in the Oaklawn Handicap (G1) and a third-place finish in the Stephen Foster Stakes (G1).
Sovereignty finished first in the 2025 Longines Breeders’ Cup Classic Rankings. He was scratched prior to last year’s Longines Breeders’ Cup Classic at Del Mar Thoroughbred Club due to a fever.
Forever Young (JPN), the defending Longines Breeders’ Cup Classic Champion and winner of the Saudi Cup (G1), is in second place with 360 votes, including 13 first-place votes, for owner Susumu Fujita and trainer by Yoshtito Yahagi.
Winchell Thoroughbreds LLC’s Magnitude, winner of the Dubai World Cup (G1) and the Stephen Foster, is in third place with 272 votes for trainer Steve Asmussen.
Phipps Stable and St. Elias Stable’s Golden Tempo, winner of the Kentucky Derby and the Belmont Stakes this year, is in fourth place. Trained by Cherie DeVaux, Golden Tempo has 254 votes. Robert and Lawana Low and Repole Stable’s 3-year-old Renegade, runner-up in the Kentucky Derby and winner of the Arkansas Derby (G1) and the Jim Dandy Stakes (G2), is in fifth place with 197 votes for trainer Todd Pletcher.
Godolphin’s 5-year-old Knightsbridge, also trained by Mott, is in sixth place. Winner of the Monmouth Cup Stakes (G3) in July, the son of Nyquist has 178 votes. The 4-year-old filly Nitrogen, who finished second in the Whitney, is in seventh place with 163 votes for owner D.J. Stable LLC and trainer Mark Casse.
Bill Mott’s third runner in the top 10 is CRK Stable LLC and Grandview Equine’s Baeza, second in the Stephen Foster and fourth in the Whitney. The 4-year-old son of McKinzie earned 111 votes.
Wathnan Racing’s 3-year-old Commandment is in ninth place with 92 votes. Trained by Brad Cox, Commandment won the Florida Derby (G1), and was second in the Belmont Stakes and the Jim Dandy.
Rounding out the top 10 is Centennial Farms’ 5-year-old Antiquarian. Trained by Todd Pletcher, Antiquarian, who finished third in the Whitney, has 79 votes.
Sovereignty (Whitney), Forever Young (Saudi Cup) and Magnitude (Dubai World Cup) have all earned automatic starting positions into the Longines Breeders’ Cup Classic through the Breeders’ Cup Challenge Series: Win and You’re In.
The Longines Breeders’ Cup Classic Rankings is determined by a panel of leading Thoroughbred racing media, horseplayers, and members of the Breeders’ Cup Racing Directors/Secretaries Panel. Rankings will be published next on Aug. 25, and continue Sept. 8, Sept. 22, Sept. 29, and concluding Oct. 6. A list of voting members can be found here.
In the Breeders’ Cup Classic Rankings, each voter rates horses on a 10-9-8-7-6-5-4-3-2-1 system in descending order.
Longines Breeders’ Cup Classic Rankings – Aug. 11, 2026*
 
Rank
Horse
Total Votes
First-Place Votes
1
Sovereignty
392
26
2
Forever Young (JPN)
360
13
3
Magnitude
272
2
4
Golden Tempo
254
0
5
Renegade
197
0
6
Knightsbridge
178
0
7
Nitrogen
163
0
8
Baeza
111
0
9
Commandment
92
0
10
Antiquarian
79
0
 
*Note – The Breeders’ Cup Classic Rankings have no bearing on qualification or selection into the Breeders’ Cup Classic.

The 2026 Longines Breeders’ Cup Classic, which will be run at 1 1/4 miles on the main track at Keeneland, is limited to 14 starters. The race will be broadcast live on NBC.

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Breeders’ Cup Limited administers the Breeders’ Cup World Championships, Thoroughbred racing’s year-end Championships, as well as the Breeders’ Cup Challenge Series: Win and You’re In, which provides automatic starting positions into the Championships races through partnerships with host countries around the globe, and the U.S.-based Dirt Dozen Bonus Series.

The 2026 Breeders’ Cup World Championships, featuring 14 Grade 1 Championship races run during a two-day festival worth more than $34 million in purses and awards, will be held Oct. 30-31 at Keeneland Race Course in Lexington, Ky., and the 2027 World Championships will be held Oct. 29-30 at Belmont Park in Elmont, N.Y. The Championships will be televised live by NBC Sports and FanDuel TV. Press releases appear on the Breeders’ Cup website, BreedersCup.com. You can also follow the Breeders’ Cup on social media.