Sovereignty was undoubtedly the biggest name to emerge from this year’s Triple Crown races. The Into Mischief colt had won his last four races, and the $7 million Breeders’ Cup Classic looked like it would be his fifth. The dazzling winner of the 2025 Kentucky Derby and Belmont Stakes touched down at Del Mar as the heavy 6-5 morning-line favorite, even poised to claim Horse of the Year honors. But on October 29, word came that the nation’s top three-year-old wouldn’t be joining the fray. Let’s dive into what happened.

Why is Sovereignty out of the Breeder’s Cup?

Trainer Bill Mott confirmed the shocking news Wednesday, ending days of speculation. The Hall of Famer shared the update on the Breeders’ Cup’s official X post, saying, “He spiked another fever even though he’d had some medication in him from 6 o’clock that morning. He re-spiked another fever, and we re-treated him, and of course, now he’s on antibiotics.” Mott added that while the horse’s condition has improved, there’s “almost no chance” Sovereignty will be ready for Saturday’s $7 million race.

The decision to scratch him takes the top 3-year-old in the country out of what was shaping up to be one of the year’s most anticipated showdowns. He had opened at 6-5 in a stacked field of 10 that includes Kentucky Derby and Belmont Stakes runner-up and Preakness winner Journalism. It was to be their final showdown of possibly the year, and was also expected to settle the Horse of the Year debate once and for all.

“There’s nothing I would have changed. There’s nothing we can do about it,” said Mott. “When it comes to something like this, I think it’s just really bad luck. You’ve got viruses and bacteria floating around through the air, and for whatever reason, his immune system probably didn’t battle it off. It’s just really bad timing for us.”

That said, news of the withdrawal isn’t surprising considering Mott had revealed on Tuesday that Sovereignty was running a temperature. Mott and Sovereignty’s ownership have stayed patient all season, always promising to put the colt’s health first. Their conservative approach showed earlier when they skipped the Preakness after his Kentucky Derby win, despite Triple Crown buzz swirling around him. With the Breeders’ Cup now out of reach due to a fever, Sovereignty’s season ends sooner than anyone hoped. But his 2025 legacy is already written in gold.

A look at Sovereignty’s run this year

The colt stamped himself as the year’s best 3-year-old and a front-runner for Horse of the Year. He launched his campaign with a G2 Fountain of Youth win, followed by a second place finish at the G1 Florida Derby.

Then came the thrilling Kentucky Derby win on May 3, where he stormed from 16th on a sloppy track to seize the first leg by 1.5 lengths to etch his name in horse racing history. On June 7, he carried over that momentum when he turned the Belmont Stakes into a coronation, cruising home three lengths clear and becoming the first colt since Justify in 2018 to grab two legs of the Triple Crown.

Trainer Bill Mott kept the big picture in focus, skipping the Preakness Stakes for the horse’s health, and watched him return sharper than ever. Sovereignty then rolled through the Grade 2 Jim Dandy Stakes in July before dismantling his rivals in the Grade I Travers at Saratoga, winning by a stunning 10 lengths. His 6-5 morning-line favoritism for the Breeders’ Cup Classic said it all—this colt could do it all, whether stalking or flying late.

By fall, the Godolphin colt was the talk of the sport. Six wins and a runner-up in his last seven starts made him nearly untouchable. Fans were already dreaming of one more grand finish on November 1, even with an elite Classic field looming. On October 19, FanDuel Racing fueled anticipation with a vote on X asking, “Who’s more likely to win the @BreedersCup Classic at @DelMarRacing: Sovereignty or Fierceness?” Within hours, Sovereignty’s faithful flooded the comments, rallying behind their 3-year-old star.

They had every reason to. At the Derby, he had already stunned favorite Journalism in a fearless run on the sloppy track. He then beat him again by three lengths at Belmont, showing it wasn’t just the wet conditions in Kentucky that gave him an advantage. July brought another classy win, this time over Baeza in the Jim Dandy Stakes, followed by his most dominant outing yet in August—a record Travers Stakes victory giving Bill Mott his first triumph in the “Midsummer Derby.”

What does this mean for Sovereignty and the Championship race?

The Breeders’ Cup Classic just lost its headline act. It also lost what was set to be a thrilling next chapter of the Sovereignty-Journalism rivalry, the prospect of which everyone was waiting for.

“It’s not good for the race; it’s not good for racing,” said Hall of Fame jockey Jerry Bailey, who won the Classic five times. “Any time you have a great horse that doesn’t run when planned, it’s disappointing. But the horse is going to be fine. It was a fever. Just the timing is terrible.”

Odds shifted fast after the news. Fierceness took over as the 5-2 favorite, with Forever Young and Sierra Leone close behind at 7-2, and Journalism at 5-1. Without Sovereignty, the Classic suddenly feels wide open, adding a new level of intrigue to Saturday’s race. It also opens the door for trainers like Bob Baffert. Though his horse, Nevada Beach, isn’t one of the frontrunners, Baffert rules the Classic with his record 30 wins. And the one thing about Hall of Famer Baffert is that he can never be ruled out of a race.

For trainer Bill Mott, the move fits his well-known philosophy. He and the ownership have never rushed this colt, from skipping the Preakness after the Derby to keeping him out now. “That’s been Bill Mott’s nature all along,” Bailey said. “It’s always about the horse first, and if everything’s not 100%, then he’s not going to carry on, so that’s not a surprise.”

Safe to say, it’s a hard blow right now for fans. However, health does come first, and who knows? Perhaps he’ll be back stronger than ever.