The Breeders’ Cup Classic field at Keeneland Race Course is down to seven horses after a late scratch, setting up a Saturday showdown between defending champion Forever Young, last year’s Horse of the Year Sovereignty, and 2026 Triple Crown standout Golden Tempo. The $7 million, 1¼-mile race for 3-year-olds and up is scheduled to go off at 6:16 p.m. Eastern as the finale to the two-day Breeders’ Cup World Championships in Lexington, Kentucky.
The championships returned to the historic Keeneland Race Course, according to USA Today. Keeneland says this is the fourth running there, following earlier editions in 2015, 2020 and 2022. This year’s two-day event, held Friday and Saturday, features 14 championship Grade 1 races and $34 million in purses and awards. As the Fort Worth Star-Telegram notes, NBC, USA Network and Peacock are carrying the broadcast.
Magnitude Scratched After Leg Scan
The Classic field lost one of its contenders Thursday when Magnitude was scratched after a scan revealed disruption in the suspensory fibers of his left foreleg, according to BloodHorse. That scratch left the Classic with a field of seven horses heading into Saturday’s race, the outlet reported.
Magnitude had been trained by Bill Mott, who also conditions Sovereignty, and was set to be ridden by Flavien Prat before the withdrawal. The Star-Telegram’s pre-scratch field listing had Magnitude drawing post position 6 with morning-line odds of 6-1.
Forever Young Eyes Rare Repeat
Forever Young enters as the reigning Breeders’ Cup Classic champion seeking to defend his title, according to the El Paso Times. A win would make him only the second horse after Tiznow to capture the Classic twice, per NBC Sports. The Star-Telegram’s field report lists Forever Young in post position 5 with morning-line odds of 2-1, trained by Yoshito Yahagi with Ryusei Sakai aboard.
Forever Young made history last year as the first Japanese horse to win the Breeders’ Cup Classic, the Japan Times reports, and is now attempting a repeat. NBC Sports analyst Drew Dinsick projected Forever Young would likely be the post-time favorite and expected him to finish in the money, even as he picked Sovereignty as his top choice for the race.
Sovereignty and Golden Tempo Loom as Top Threats
Sovereignty, last year’s Horse of the Year, drew post position 2 with morning-line odds of 5-2, trained by Mott with Junior Alvarado in the irons, the Star-Telegram’s field data shows. Sovereignty also won the 2025 Kentucky Derby, Belmont Stakes and Travers Stakes, according to NBC Sports.
Golden Tempo, winner of both the 2026 Kentucky Derby and Belmont Stakes, drew post position 3 with morning-line odds of 5-2, trained by Cherie DeVaux and ridden by Jose Ortiz, the El Paso Times reported. The Puma rounds out a group of serious contenders, drawing post position 4 with morning-line odds listed at 10-2 by the El Paso Times, trained by Gustavo Delgado and ridden by Javier Castellano — though NBC Sports listed The Puma’s morning line at 10-1 in its own analysis, calling the colt a bargain at that price.
The Rest of the Field
Rounding out the Classic entries per the Star-Telegram’s field report are T O Password, in post position 1 at 30-1 morning-line odds under trainer Daisuke Takayanagi and jockey Kazushi Kimura; Knightsbridge, in post 7 at 9-2 odds, also trained by Mott with Luis Saez riding; and Napoleon Solo, at 15-1 odds, trained by Chad Summers with John Velazquez in the saddle.
Breeders’ Cup coverage runs Friday and Saturday, with Friday’s broadcast window and Saturday’s window both carried across NBC, USA Network and Peacock, per the Star-Telegram. The Classic caps Saturday’s card as horse racing’s richest single-day championship event returns to the Bluegrass.
