The Japan Times - Sovereignty wins Breeders' Cup Classic, Benvenuto Cellini triumphs in Turf for O'Brien

Trained by Bill Mott and ridden by Junior Alvarado, 2025 Kentucky Derby winner Sovereignty seized his first chance at the Classic after he was scratched from last year's edition because of a fever.

He was beaten twice to open his 2026 campaign, and his Classic participation was again threatened by a hoof abscess, but Alvarado said he never doubted that Sovereignty could win the Classic.

"What he did today, Sovereignty, it's just spectacular," Alvarado said. "We really wanted to run so bad the Classic last year. I'm just so glad the Godolphin team gave us a chance to keep him in training and get to do what he did today."

Sovereignty settled in well behind pace-setting stablemate Knightsbridge and left no doubt when Alvarado set him loose at the top of the stretch.

He finished ahead of The Puma, with Knightsbridge third.

"Turning in the back side ... I was like oh boy, it's like I can't wait to turn for home because I knew the power I have underneath me," Alvarado said.

"The way he was traveling the whole time, letting me know, like, I'm here for you. I never had a doubt the whole way around."

Forever Young, who gave Japan a first Classic winner at Del Mar last year, ran just behind Knightsbridge for much of the way but faded to finish fifth.

The well-traveled star trained by Yoshito Yahagi had been vying to join Tiznow as the only horses to win back-to-back Breeders' Cup Classics.

Yahagi said he thought jockey Ryusei Sakai had Forever Young perfectly positioned but when it came to the stretch run "there was no response".

"I feel apologetic, but above all I'm relieved that the horse came back safely," Yahagi said.

Benvenuto Cellini won the $5 million Turf as Irish trainer Aidan O'Brien pushed his Breeders' Cup wins tally to 24 -- two more than American Bob Baffert.

O'Brien came into this year's 14-race, $34 million Breeders' Cup festival in Lexington, Kentucky, tied with Baffert for most wins by a trainer with 21.

The Turf marked his third of the week after he saddled winners in the Juvenile Fillies Turf and Juvenile Turf on Friday.

Baffert also nabbed a victory on Friday, in the Juvenile, but Ireland's O'Brien will depart Kentucky two ahead atop the trainers' table after an outstanding performance from jockey Ryan Moore aboard Benvenuto Cellini -- the Irish Derby winner who had finished a disappointing ninth in the Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe earlier this month.

Bacio gave trainer Wesley Ward a first Breeders' Cup victory in the $1 million Turf Sprint, returning home to the United States to triumph after picking up wins at Ascot and York this year.

European contenders were also denied in the $2 million Mile on the turf track and the $2 million Filly & Mare Turf Sprint.

Deterministic, trained by Miguel Clement and ridden by Kendrick Carmouche, held off a fierce stretch run by last year's winner Notable Speech in the Mile while Chad Brown's Kathynmarissa charged late to win the Filly & Mare Turf.

Brown's second win of the day -- after Ways and Means flew to victory in the Filly & Mare Sprint -- took his tally of Breeders' Cup wins to 21.

- Dirt Mile thriller -

Ways and Means gave US-based French jockey Flavien Prat one of his two victories. He also piloted even-money favorite Further Ado to a thrilling victory in the $1 million Dirt Mile.

After gaining ground on the rail, Prat burst through on the outside and chased down Owen Amighty to win by a the flare of a nostril.

"Twenty lengths, 11 lengths or a nose -- it all pays the same," trainer Brad Cox said after the judges studied the photo for several minutes before declaring a winner.

Despite the disappointment for Forever Young, Japan could celebrate a stirring Sprint victory for T O Elvis, who ran down front-running favorite Englishman in the final straight.

Jockey Sakai skillfully threaded T O Elvis through a crowd to set up the impressive stretch run for the Daisuke Takayanagi-trained colt that hadn't raced since May but has now won six straight.

K.Nakajima--JT