Sovereignty turned a championship-caliber season into a virtually conclusive awards case Saturday, closing from just off the pace to win the $7 million Breeders' Cup Classic at Keeneland. Four days later, the Godolphin homebred received all 29 first-place votes in the final National Thoroughbred Racing Association Top Thoroughbred Poll, a result that makes him the overwhelming favorite to repeat as Horse of the Year and claim the Eclipse Award for older dirt male. BloodHorse reported that representatives of the NTRA, Daily Racing Form and National Turf Writers and Broadcasters participate in the poll, with the formal Eclipse Awards scheduled for Jan. 19, 2027.
The poll result followed a performance that answered the only serious question surrounding Sovereignty: whether he could reproduce his best form against an accomplished international field at the end of a demanding season. Junior Alvarado kept the colt within striking range before Sovereignty powered past Knightsbridge and held The Puma at bay by 1 3/4 lengths. According to Equibase's Classic race page, Sovereignty was trained by Bill Mott, carried 126 pounds and was listed at 5-2 on the morning line. He completed the 1 1/4 miles in 2:00.36 on a fast track.
The victory also gave Mott a third Classic triumph and delivered Godolphin its first win in the race. Sovereignty had already established a formidable résumé with Grade 1 victories in the Whitney at Saratoga and the previous season's Kentucky Derby, Belmont Stakes and Travers Stakes. The Classic was especially meaningful because a fever kept him out of the 2025 renewal, when he would have faced the same championship test a year earlier. Instead of treating the Keeneland race as a coronation, Mott brought him back after the Whitney and the colt produced the decisive late run expected of a horse who had been unbeaten in three previous starts at the distance, according to Keeneland's race-week analysis.
The poll's final order suggests that the most competitive Eclipse battles will come behind Sovereignty. Nitrogen was second and is positioned for older dirt female honors, while Deterministic ranked third and appears headed toward the turf male award. T O Elvis, meanwhile, sits ahead of Englishman in the sprint discussion, although the Japanese runner's limited American campaign could give voters another issue to weigh. Knightsbridge, Kathynmarissa, Forever Young, Ways and Means, Englishman and Golden Tempo completed the top 10, according to the published final poll report.
The timing matters. Before the Classic, Sovereignty and defending champion Forever Young were separated by only one point in the regular-season poll, with both receiving 12 first-place votes in the final pre-Championships ranking. The Classic settled that debate on the track, and the unanimous post-race ballot reflects more than reputation: Sovereignty won the race carrying the largest stakes, over a deep field, while giving Alvarado and Mott the season's defining result. Unless the Eclipse electorate breaks sharply from the poll's consensus, the 4-year-old has already done enough to join the short list of repeat Horse of the Year winners.
