Sovereignty remains on top, but Forever Young enters the Breeders' Cup Classic as number 1
The Whitney Stakes winner maintained his lead in the NTRA Horse of the Year poll, while the Japanese contender topped the final rankings for the Breeders' Cup Classic ahead of him. Fully Subscribed climbed to 11th position following a convincing victory in the Spinster Stakes
LEXINGTON, Kentucky (Special for Turf Diario).— With only a few weeks remaining before the Breeders’ Cupdelivers definitive answers, the two premier contenders for the Classic continue to share top billing. Sovereignty (Into Mischief) maintains his lead in the NTRA Horse of the Year poll, but Forever Young (Real Steel) finished as the number 1 choice in the specific rankings for the $7,000,000 centerpiece to be run on October 31 at Keeneland.
An intense slate of stakes activity over the weekend produced few alterations among the leading names in the NTRATop Thoroughbred Poll, a vote conducted among members of the American turf media that will conclude following the Breeders’ Cup World Championships on October 30 and 31.
The top 7 positions remained unchanged. Sovereignty retained the overall lead, followed in order by Forever Young, Knightsbridge (Nyquist), Nitrogen (Medaglia D'Oro), Magnitude (Not This Time), Englishman (Maxfield), and Golden Tempo (Curlin).
The sole modification inside the top 10 came immediately below, with Deterministic (Liam's Map) climbing into eighth position while Notable Speech (Dubawi) slipped to ninth. Splendora held steady in tenth.
The relative positioning between Deterministic and Notable Speech carries a unique twist, as the pair recently clashed in the Woodbine Mile (G1), where the latter prevailed.
Trained in England by Charlie Appleby, Notable Speech traveled to Canada to defeat the two-time 2026 G1 winner, utilizing the race as a prep to defend his crown in the Breeders’ Cup Mile (G1).
The Godolphin representative captured both the Woodbine Mile and the Breeders’ Cup Mile (G1) in 2025, a campaign that ultimately earned him champion male turf horse honors in North America.
Fully Subscribed Knocks on the Door
One of the most significant moves occurred just outside the Top 10. Fully Subscribed (Tiz the Law) jumped from 15th to 11th position following her formidable victory on Sunday in the Spinster Stakes (G1) at Keeneland.
Owned by Klaravich Stables and trained by Chad Brown, the filly posted a 3 1/4-length victory over Counting Stars(Honor A.P.), coming on the heels of her 9 3/4-length romp in the Personal Ensign Stakes (G1) at Saratoga.
Her surge places her squarely in the conversation alongside Nitrogen in the older female division, with both slated to lock horns on October 31 in the Breeders’ Cup Distaff (G1).
The outcome of that duel will naturally carry immense weight in the final voting.
Forever Young Takes Top Billing
The dynamic shifts when attention turns strictly to the Breeders’ Cup Classic (G1).
In the final edition of the 2026 Longines Breeders’ Cup Classic Rankings, Forever Young finished on top with 371 points and 25 first-place votes.
The Japanese standout managed to hold a narrow edge over Sovereignty, who gathered 357 points and 12 first-place votes.
Behind them lie two candidates who also garnered support for the top spot. Knightsbridge finished third with 272 points and one first-place vote, while Magnitude placed fourth with 268 points, also securing a single first-place vote.
Golden Tempo, with 252 points, held onto fifth position as the highest-ranked 3-year-old colt. Further down, the standings began to shift.
Napoleon Solo (Liam's Map), with 144 points, relegated The Puma (Essential Quality, 134) to seventh. Further back, Further Ado (Gun Runner) moved up to eighth with 89 points, edging the 84 points compiled by Forged Steel(Vekoma).
Baeza (McKinzie) rounded out the top 10 with 57 points, though voting took place prior to the announcement of his retirement from racing and his joining the 2027 stallion roster at Spendthrift Farm.
The Classic rankings were compiled via votes from a panel composed of racing journalists, handicappers, and members of the Breeders’ Cup Racing Directors/Secretaries Panel, with polls conducted from August through October 6.
There will be no further updates prior to the race.
While Sovereignty continues to lead the overarching race for Horse of the Year, Forever Young secured a key symbolic victory heading into the Breeders’ Cup: in the eyes of the division voters, the Japanese contender stands as the chief horse to beat in the Classic.
On October 31 at Keeneland, the time will come to settle the debate where it matters most—on the racetrack.
