A showdown between 2025 Horse of the Year Sovereignty and fellow champion Forever Young won't take place when Belmont Park reopens next Friday (Sept. 18).
Sovereignty developed an abscess in his left hind foot more than a week ago, and trainer Bill Mott told drf.com Friday (Sept. 11) that his star will miss the $1 million Jockey Club Gold Cup (G1), a race targeted for months by Japan's star Forever Young, who recently arrived in New York.
“All I can tell you is I can take the 57 years of experience I have doing this and do my best,” Mott told Dave Grening of drf.com, adding he hoped Sovereignty could return to training next week and hopefully run in the $7 million Breeders' Cup Classic (G1) at Keeneland on Oct. 31.
The Jockey Club Gold Cup is a Breeders' Cup Challenge "Win and You're In" race to the BC Classic and the showcase event as rebuilt Belmont Park opens after three years of reconstruction.
Last year, after winning the Kentucky Derby (G1), Belmont Stakes (G1) and Travers Stakes (G1), Sovereignty was scratched from the BC Classic after developing a fever. Forever Young won the Classic, and the two were set to go at each other on Friday. Now, the matchup may – or may not – take place at Keeneland on Halloween.
Sovereignty lost his first two races as a 4-year-old, second in the Oaklawn Handicap (G2) and third in the Stephen Foster Stakes (G1), but rebounded with a 4 ¾-length victory in the Whitney Stakes (G1) at Saratoga.
In addition to Forever Young, other contenders for the Jockey Club Gold Cup include the filly Nitrogen (Whitney runner-up), Phileas Fogg, Banishing, Willy D's, and Yo Daddy. Entries will be taken Saturday (Sept. 12).
Forever Young cleared quarantine Thursday and trained for the first time over the Belmont Park main track. The 5-year-old Real Steel horse, trained by Yoshito Yahagi, returned to the main track Friday morning under assistant trainer and exercise rider Yuki Araki to gallop once around the main track. He then enjoyed an extended walk around parts of Belmont’s backstretch before returning to his barn.
The writing team at US Racing is comprised of both full-time and part-time contributors with expertise in various aspects of the Sport of Kings.
