By Ryan Martin
Godolphin will have two shots at the one big race it has never won. Hall of Fame trainer Bill Mott confirmed outside Barn 60 at Keeneland on Monday morning that reigning Horse of the Year Sovereignty will run in the Grade 1 Breeders’ Cup Classic, and that Grade 1 winner Knightsbridge will join him there rather than run in the Dirt Mile.
After confirming Sovereignty to FanDuel TV’s Caleb Keller, Mott turned to the rest of the press corps and quipped, “Anyone want to take bets on the other one?” Then he surprised the crowd by putting Knightsbridge in the Classic, too.
The news came 24 hours after Sovereignty’s final breeze for the Classic, a half-mile in :48 1/5 over the Keeneland main track that Mott said “couldn’t have gone any better.” Sovereignty won last year’s Kentucky Derby, Belmont Stakes and Travers.
Why Knightsbridge is in the Classic
Godolphin has won major races around the world, and Sovereignty gave the operation its first Kentucky Derby last year. The Classic has eluded it. Its most famous near miss came in 2001 at Belmont Park, when Arc winner Sakhee was beaten by Tiznow in a desperately close finish.
“I think it’s important for Godolphin to win a Classic. I think that’s probably one of the biggest things that this decision came down to when we discussed with the Godolphin team,” Mott said Monday. “Naturally, we wanted to win the Dirt Mile, but I think it’s more important for them to win the Classic.”
“Last night, I went to bed thinking I wanted to run in the Classic, this morning I woke up thinking I wanted to run in the Dirt Mile. I’ve gone back and forth,” Mott continued. “But the one thing I have said all along is that I would be satisfied to run in either race. I think there’s been some points that have come up on how important it would be for Godolphin to win a Classic. That’s probably the grain of sand that tipped the scales. We want to have our best opportunity to win the race, and we feel that having two horses in there offers us that opportunity.”
Sovereignty: unfinished business
Sovereignty was scratched from last year’s Classic with a fever and kept in training at 4. He has made three starts this year, most recently a 4 3/4-length win in the Grade 1 Whitney at Saratoga on Aug. 8.
“That’s what it’s all about. I really believe the reason he’s back in training is to let him have the opportunity to prove who he really is,” Mott said. “There’s no better place to showcase that than the Breeders’ Cup Classic… If he gets a good pace up front and likes the track, he’s going to come with a run. I’ve watched him at ten furlongs, and I’ve seen when he fires his best shot. I think he fits in with the world’s best.”
Knightsbridge: speed to burn
Knightsbridge has won 8 of 12 starts, most recently the Grade 1 Pacific Classic at Del Mar in his first try at 1 1/4 miles. The race before that, he won the Grade 3 Monmouth Cup by 10 1/4 lengths and earned a 122 Beyer Speed Figure.
Early speed is his weapon, so he figures to be close to the lead in a Classic that also includes front-runners Napoleon Solo, winner of this year’s Preakness, and Dubai World Cup winner Magnitude. Defending champion Forever Young won last year’s Classic from second, a length off the lead early. More on his bid to repeat in Can Breeders’ Cup winners do it again? Classic defenders are 1-for-14.
“Knightsbridge isn’t going to let anything get away from him. He’s just naturally a fast horse,” Mott said. “You won’t see us take him back off the pace, we’re going to let him find his best stride and where he’s comfortable which most likely will put him up close to the pace. [In the Pacific Classic he] was able to shake loose from the fast fractions that he did. We all understand that we now have four horses that are proven at a mile and quarter, so it won’t be the same journey that he had in the Pacific Classic, but on the same token I don’t think that will throw him out.”
Post positions for all 14 Breeders’ Cup races are drawn at 5 p.m. ET Monday at Keeneland. The Classic is Saturday, Oct. 31.
“We’ve made our decision and we’re going to stick with it and we’ll live with it, win, lose, or draw,” Mott said.
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