The 42nd edition of the Breeders’ Cup attracted 191 entries over 14 championship races at today’s post position draw. Southern California’s Del Mar Thoroughbred Club hosts the festivities Friday and Saturday for a fourth time and welcomes headliners like Kentucky Derby and Belmont Stakes winner Sovereignty. His potential place in history meets at a crossroads with last year’s 1-2-3 finishers in the $7 million Classic.

Sovereignty begins the mile and one-quarter Classic from post 6 as the 6-5 morning line favorite. Defending Classic winner Sierra Leone (post 7, 8-1), ’24 runner-up Fierceness (post 1, 4-1) and ’24 third-place finisher Forever Young (post 5, 6-1) flank the likely favorite. The Classic field also boasts this year’s Preakness winner Journalism (post 9, 10-1), who joins Baeza (post 2, 15-1) in renewing their spring and summer rivalries with Sovereignty.

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From a handicapping standpoint, the Classic starting spots should not have a huge impact given the long run to the first turn and moderate field size. But the obvious talking point to the Classic draw is Fierceness landing the rail immediately after ducking in at the start of the Pacific Classic over the same trip and track last time out. He overcame it that day and will have to do so once again with early pace pressure just to his outside with Contrary Thinking (post 4, 50-1) and Nevada Beach (post 3, 20-1). Contrary Thinking entered as a pacemaker (“rabbit”) to help the chances of stablemate Sierra Leone.

Defending Breeders’ Cup winners dot the Saturday program: Full Serrano (post 6) in the Dirt Mile; Straight No Chaser (post 12) in the Sprint; and Rebel’s Romance (post 1) in a bid for a third career Turf title. Only Goldikova and Beholder have ever won 3 Breeders’ Cup races. Also in action: 2024 Kentucky Derby winner Mystik Dan (post 4) and 2024 Breeders’ Cup Classic winner White Abarrio (post 10) in the Dirt Mile.

The two-day BC gets underway with Future Stars Friday and its 5-race championship lineup for 2-year-olds. Trainer Aidan O’Brien, who looks to surpass D. Wayne Lukas as the winningest trainer in Breeders’ Cup history with his next score, brings potential heavy favorites with unfortunate widest post draws in the Juvenile Turf (Gstaad, post 14) and Juvenile Fillies Turf (Precise, post 13). The international raiders also will be looking for a fourth straight win in the Juvenile Turf Sprint to open the card, while the Americans seek to continue their stranglehold in the dirt races, the Juvenile and Juvenile Fillies. The Juvenile features Ted Noffey (post 8) and Brant (post 7) for divisional heavyweights Todd Pletcher and Bob Baffert as the freshmen class looks toward winter favoritism for next year’s Kentucky Derby.

Post time Friday will be 2:35 pm ET. Saturday’s action gets underway at 1:05 pm ET. Advance wagering on the Saturday card will be available beginning on Friday.

Breeders’ Cup Classic | Saturday | Del Mar Race 9 | 6:25 pm ET

#1-Fierceness (John Velazquez / Todd Pletcher) 4-1
#2-Baeza (Hector Berrios / John Shirreffs) 15-1
#3-Nevada Beach (Mike Smith / Bob Baffert) 20-1
#4-Contrary Thinking (Florent Geroux / Chad Brown) 50-1
#5-Forever Young (Ryusei Sakai / Yoshito Yahagi) 6-1
#6-Sovereignty (Junior Alvarado / Bill Mott) 6-5
#7-Sierra Leone (Flavien Prat / Chad Brown) 8-1
#8-Mindframe (Irad Ortiz Jr. / Todd Pletcher) 10-1
#9-Journalism (Jose Ortiz / Michael McCarthy) 10-1
#10-Antiquarian (Luis Saez / Todd Pletcher) 15-1

Special Wagers Friday
• All-Turf Pick 3 (Juvenile Turf Sprint - Juvenile Fillies Turf - Juvenile Turf)
• Two-Day Daily Double (Juvenile - Classic)
• Two-Day Daily Double (Juvenile Turf - Turf)
• Two-Day Daily Double (Juvenile Fillies - Distaff)

Special Wagers Saturday
• All Turf Pick 4 (Turf Sprint - Turf - Mile - F&M Turf)
• All Dirt Pick 4 (F&M Sprint - Sprint - Distaff - Classic)
• Non-Sequential Daily Double (Distaff - Classic)