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7h ago

Breeders’ Cup Classic Set at Del Mar After Sovereignty Scratch, With Fierceness Favored and Sierra Leone Seeking Repeat

Sovereignty’s fever scratch refocused the Classic into a nine-horse test shaped by revised odds plus a planned rabbit.

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DEL MAR, CALIFORNIA - OCTOBER 31: A general view of the paddock on day one of the 2025 Breeders' Cup World Championships at Del Mar Race Track on October 31, 2025 in Del Mar, California. (Photo by Orlando Ramirez/Getty Images)
DEL MAR, CALIFORNIA - OCTOBER 31: Horses break from the gate during the Pacific Shore race during the first day of the 2025 Breeders' Cup World Championships at Del Mar Race Track on October 31, 2025 in Del Mar, California. (Photo by Sean M. Haffey/Getty Images)

Overview

  • Fierceness was installed as the 5-2 morning-line favorite from post 1 for the $7 million, 1¼-mile Classic, scheduled for 6:25 p.m. ET on NBC.
  • Defending champion Sierra Leone bids for a rare back-to-back Classic, a feat achieved only by Tiznow in 2000-01, and drew post 7.
  • Trainer Chad Brown entered Contrary Thinking as a designated pace horse to set up Sierra Leone’s late run, a tactic that drew public objections from Fierceness owner Mike Repole.
  • The field stands at nine after Sovereignty’s withdrawal, with last year’s top three finishers—Sierra Leone, Fierceness and Forever Young—joined by Journalism, Baeza, Mindframe, Antiquarian and Nevada Beach.
  • Friday’s card crowned Ted Noffey in the Juvenile and Gstaad in the Juvenile Turf, giving Aidan O’Brien a record 21 Breeders’ Cup wins and setting the stage for Saturday’s championships.