Sierra Leone ready to repeat. (Ernie Belmonte/Past The Wire)
Breeders’ Cup Classic Update
Scratch Report
Friday 10-31-25
Race # 6 Juvenile Turf Sprint – Scratch AE # 14 Should’ve (Ward) did not ship
Race #9 Juvenile – Scratch #5 Civil Liberty (O’Neill) trainer withdrawnSaturday 11-1-25
Race #4 Filly & Mare Sprint – Scratch #5 Fee Blanche (Fujita) veterinary scratch
Race #7 Distaff – Scratch #5 Scottish Lassie (Abreu) trainer withdrawal
Race #9 Classic – Scratch #6 Sovereignty (Mott) trainer withdrawal
Longines Breeders’ Cup Classic
ANTIQUARIAN
Trainer: Todd Pletcher
Jockey: Luis Saez
Set: Approximately 5:45 a.m.
Thursday Activity: Galloped 1 3/8m at Del Mar under exercise rider Edy Quinteros.
Planned Activity: Will go to the track for a routine gallop. Expected to be at 5:45 a.m.
Antiquarian will be the eighth Breeders’ Cup starter for Centennial, whose first was Silent Account in 1985. …To read BC Closer Look click here.
"This year every race has been getting better and better and better."
— FanDuel Racing (@FanDuel_Racing) October 29, 2025
Don Little, Owner with @Centennial_Farm & VP of the Belmont Childcare Association, chatted with @CBredar about their @BreedersCup Classic entrant ANTIQUARIAN. pic.twitter.com/tO3E5NIYOp
BAEZA
Trainer: John Shirreffs
Jockey: Hector Berrios
Set: 8 a.m.
Thursday Activity: Galloped on the main track
Planned activity: Same routine tomorrow
The Quote: Trainer John Shirreffs on the potential set-up of the Longines Classic:
“There isn’t a lot of speed in the race, we all know that. I think it will be curious to see who decides to be the speed, because speed is always dangerous in any dirt race. Whoever wants to go, [it’s about] how much he wants to try to stretch the field. Everybody else are either closers or stalkers. This race is totally a riders’ race, and I don’t know that you can really handicap that easily. You know Chad’s got the one horse (Contrary Thinking) that he wants to go and make a little pace for Sierra Leone, and we’ll have Fierceness on the inside, and they want to get out of the gate – they don’t want to have that horse stuck in again, so they’ll want to get going. I see them past the gap trying to show a little bit of speed. Then, it’s how everybody else falls into place.”
On post position No. 2: “It’s not my favorite spot. Historically, a horse that hasn’t raced a lot prefers to have a little room, because when they break from the gate, they all want to get close to the rail. It can get real tight in there from the one and the two post positions. He’s been in a lot of different spots now, and he’s pretty experienced with that. In the Jim Dandy, he had the one hole, so I think he will be OK.”
BAEZA, a half-brother to Mage and Dornoch, galloping this morning at Del Mar for trainer John Shirreffs ahead of Saturday’s @BreedersCup Classic!
— Equibase (@Equibase) October 30, 2025
Baeza is fresh off a 2 1/4 length win in the G1 Pennsylvania Derby last time earning a career best 116 ESF. #BC25 pic.twitter.com/tX3J7HW8B9
CONTRARY THINKING
Trainer: Chad Brown
Jockey: Florent Geroux
Thursday Activity: Galloped 1½m
Planned activity: Gallop 1½m
Quote: “He went out the earliest of my horses and went well.”
FIERCENESS
Trainer: Todd Pletcher
Jockey: John Velazquez
Set: Approximately 5:45 a.m.
Thursday Activity: Galloped 1 3/8 miles at Del Mar under exercise rider Danny Wright.
Planned Activity: Will go to the track for a routine gallop at approximately 5:45 a.m.
The Quote 1: “He’s a homebred and he’s out of Nonna Bella, which means beautiful grandmother, and she’s out of Nonna Mia, which was named for my grandmother and also by Stay Thirsty, which won the Travers (G1) for us. Coming back here, now I’m in the game 20 years and now I’m, starting to see the bloodlines. I raced your dad. I raced your mom. I raced your grandmother. It’s pretty cool.
“He’s given us three amazing years. Brought us here to the Breeders’ Cup for three straight years. He’s given us some ride. He paid $35 in the Juvenile and won by 7. Last year he went off as the favorite. No matter what he does here I’m always going to say, ‘His best career race was the time he was in Del Mar in the Breeders’ Cup race and went :22, :44, 1:09 and he still held on to second.’
“There is some redemption but it’s also an opportunity to think about all the thrills he’s brought to me, to my family, to all of my friends, to Todd, to Team Pletcher.” – Breeder-owner Mike Repole.
A post-training cooldown and bath for GI @BreedersCup Classic contender FIERCENESS (City of Light) this morning on the Del Mar backside #BC25 pic.twitter.com/Id1h1CswyS
— TDN (@theTDN) October 29, 2025
FOREVER YOUNG (JPN)
Trainer: Yoshito Yahagi
Jockey: Ryusei Sakai
Set: 8 a.m.
Thursday Activity: Just walking including schooling in the parade ring
The Quote: “He is in good shape after his fast work yesterday. I hope everything goes smoothly for the race on Saturday.” – a stable representative, Yukihiko Araki
FOREVER YOUNG knows where the cameras are # pic.twitter.com/ZnEgpts7lz
— Breeders' Cup (@BreedersCup) October 30, 2025
JOURNALISM
Trainer: Michael McCarthy
Jockey: Jose Ortiz
Thursday Activity: Galloped 1m at Del Mar under exercise rider Marc Witkowski and visited starting gate.
Planned Activity: Will gallop at a time TBD.
The Quote: Would you like to be placed closer in the Classic: “I think against the caliber of horses we’re running against; I don’t think you want to get yourself too far back. These horses just don’t stop.” – Michael McCarthy
“We’ll come up with a game plan. Obviously, we’ll leave it up to Jose. Once the gates open, it’s up to him. He was very tactical and the last couple races we’ve just gotten ourselves a little bit far out of it, whether it be the kickback, race shape, what have you. We’ll just try to go ahead bounce out of there and put him in a stalking position.” – Michael McCarthy
Journalism did a little gate schooling this morning in preparations for the @BreedersCup Classic. How do you think the @mwmracing trainee is looking? pic.twitter.com/xUboDzEfdw
— FanDuel Racing (@FanDuel_Racing) October 29, 2025
MINDFRAME
Trainer: Todd Pletcher
Jockey: Irad Ortiz, Jr.
Set: Approximately 5:45 a.m.
Thursday Activity: Galloped 1 3/8m under exercise rider Carlos Perez.
Planned Activity: Will go to the track for a routine gallop at approximately 5:45 a.m.
The Quote 1: “It’s a great race. A tough race. If one of them win I’m not going to be surprised. And if they come in second, third I’m not going to be surprised.
“I’m hoping at the top of the stretch they are head-to-head and it’s about 20 lengths back to the rest of them and I just get to watch it. One of them I will see in the winner’s circle and the other I will come see at the barn.
“Very exciting. To be in this position to have two live chances in this race is great. But there’s a little emotion, like knowing that when they worked last Friday, I knew that was going to be their last work. I just watched them gallop today. I’m not going to come tomorrow; it’s the last time I’m going to see them gallop. Then I’ll come here on Saturday, and last time in the paddock, the last time watching them race. They’ve been special. I think they’re running for each other, and they’re running for the stable, they’re running for my family, my friends, and, in many ways, the fans also.” – Mike Repole on Mindframe and Fierceness.
The Quote 2: Have we seen the best of Mindframe: “Other than when he didn’t finish for obvious reasons in the Jockey Club Gold Cup (G1), he’s only come second twice. There’s only one horse that has beaten him, Dornoch.
“Dornoch beat him in the Belmont (G1) by a half-length and he beat him at Monmouth. This reminds me a little bit of when it was about Uncle Mo and Stay Thirsty. Stay Thirsty, until he won the Jim Dandy (G2) and he won the Travers (G1) he was in a shadow. I think Mindframe has that a little bit, but he’s raced against Sierra Leone two times. He raced against him in the Belmont and he came in second and Leone was third. He raced him in the Stephen Foster in June and he won. I think he’s a little bit under the radar, but I think we see the best of him every time.” – co-owner Mike Repole.
The Quote 3: On the prospect of Fierceness and Mindframe retiring after the Classic:“I don’t get emotional that much, but I’m just trying to enjoy the moment with these horses. Both of them have been so special to me and my family. They are once-in-a-million horses and I own both of them at the same time. It’s pretty special. Both great horses.” – Mike Repole.
We caught up with @RepoleStable who has both Fierceness and Mindframe going in the @BreedersCup Classic.@failedtomenace gets the latest on how those two are training, Mike’s thoughts on Sovereignty’s scratch, and what Mike will be feeling on Saturday. #BC25 pic.twitter.com/3xVPJCDxaD
— NYRA Bets (@NYRABets) October 30, 2025
NEVADA BEACH
Trainer: Bob Baffert
Jockey: Mike Smith
Thursday Activity: Galloped 1 1/2m
Planned Activity: Same as Thursday
The Quote: “I backed him up to the wire and then went a mile and a half. He really feels great. He is such a good boy.” – Exercise rider Morgan Kervarrec
Bob Baffert is locked and loaded for this year’s @BreedersCup with 12 entries.@KaylieShapiro13 caught up with the HOF trainer to hear how Nevada Beach, Brant, Litmus Test, and Bottle of Rouge are doing. Plus, find out how Bottle of Rouge got her name. #BC25 pic.twitter.com/EMQibs4AiI
— NYRA Bets (@NYRABets) October 30, 2025
SIERRA LEONE
Trainer: Chad Brown
Jockey: Flavien Prat
Set: 8 a.m.
Thursday Activity: Galloped 1½m
Planned activity: Gallop 1½m
Quote: “He just went out there and galloped a mile and a half today and moved over this track very well. All of my horses seem to like the track.” – Chad Brown
Last year's @BreedersCup Classic winner, SIERRA LEONE was on the track at Del Mar this morning. Will he repeat? pic.twitter.com/e1wudO5zmX
— FanDuel Racing (@FanDuel_Racing) October 30, 2025
Horse: Sovereignty
Trainer: Bill Mott Scratched
Despite the Breeders’ Cup Classic being in the rear-view window, life went on for Hall of Fame trainer Bill Mott Thursday morning on the Del Mar backstretch.
His 3-year-old superstar, Sovereignty, was laying down in his stall the morning after being ruled out of running in the Classic because of a fever. He was the 6-5 morning-line favorite.
Mott said the Kentucky Derby/Belmont Stakes/Travers Stakes winner was doing better on Thursday. He said Sovereignty’s temperature was normal.
“But he is being supported by some medication to help him out,” Mott said. “His blood work really looks decent; nothing that is frightening.”
Mott said he has had a steady flow of well-wishers, be it in person or phone calls or text messages.
“People are apologizing, but they don’t need to apologize,” Mott said. “There have been people that have been in the game a long-time comment to me. I said, ‘look, we have all been through it.’ There have been disappointments – not always in the Breeders’ Cup Classic with the favorite – but certainly we have all been through it.”
Now that he is just a fan of the Classic, Mott said he thought that defending champion Sierra Leone would be “formidable” and that Forever Young would have a major say in the outcome. He also said he hopes that the 3-year-olds running – particularly Journalism and Baeza, who ran against Sovereignty this year – have big efforts.
There has been no definite plan for when Sovereignty will leave California or what might be next for the son of Into Mischief, owned and bred by Godolphin.
“I hope he runs next year,” Mott said. “Maybe in a few days we will know what next year’s plan will be.”
