
Euro Invader El Cordobes Wins Sword Dancer, Earns Spot in Breeders Cup Turf
Each week a panel of media members, horseplayers, and Breeders’ Cup World Championships officials release a poll tabulating their votes on the nation's top contenders for the 2025 Longines Breeders’ Cup Classic. The rankings are a weekly rating of the top 10 horses in contention and are determined by each voter ranking their top 10 horses with points assigned on a descending 10-9-8-7-6-5-4-3-2-1 basis.
The first week of the 2025 Breeders' Cup Classic rankings are led by top 3-year-old Sovereignty and top older horse Sierra Leone.
The rankings will be updated each week. The results of the latest poll are below.
1. Sovereignty (22 first-place votes)
Owner: Godolphin
Trainer: Bill Mott
Jockey: Junior Alvarado
2025 record: 5 starts – 4 wins – 1 second – 0 thirds
Last race: 1st, Jim Dandy Stakes presented by Mohegan Sun, July 26 at Saratoga Race Course
Next race: DraftKings Travers Stakes, Aug. 23 at Saratoga Race Course
2. Sierra Leone (15 first-place votes)
Owners: Peter Brant, Susan Magnier, Michael Tabor, Derrick Smith, Westerberg, and Brooke Smith
Trainer: Chad Brown
Jockey: Flavien Prat
2025 record: 3 starts – 1 win – 1 second – 1 third
Last race: 1st, Whitney Stakes, Aug. 2 at Saratoga Race Course
Next race: Jockey Club Gold Cup, Aug. 31 at Saratoga Race Course
3. Journalism (1 first-place vote)
Trainer: Michael McCarthy
Jockey: Umberto Rispoli
2025 record: 6 starts – 4 wins – 2 seconds – 0 thirds
Last race: 1st, NYRA Bets Haskell Stakes, July 19 at Monmouth Park
Next race: TBD, DraftKings Travers Stakes, Aug. 23 at Saratoga Race Course or FanDuel Pacific Classic Stakes, Aug. 30 at Del Mar
4. Mindframe (2 first-place votes)
Owners: Repole Stable and St. Elias Stable
Trainer: Todd Pletcher
Jockey: Irad Ortiz Jr.
2025 record: 3 starts – 3 wins – 0 seconds – 0 thirds
Last race: 1st, Stephen Foster Stakes, June 28 at Churchill Downs
Next race: Jockey Club Gold Cup, Aug. 31 at Saratoga Race Course
5. Nysos (1 first-place vote)
Owner: Baoma Corporation
Trainer: Bob Baffert
Jockey: Flavien Prat
2025 record: 3 starts – 2 wins – 1 second – 0 thirds
Last race: 1st, San Diego Handicap, July 26 at Del Mar
Next race: FanDuel Pacific Classic Stakes, Aug. 30 at Del Mar
6. Fierceness
Owner: Repole Stable
Trainer: Todd Pletcher
Jockey: John Velazquez
2025 record: 3 starts – 1 win – 1 second – 0 thirds
Last race: 5th, Whitney Stakes, Aug. 2 at Saratoga Race Course
Next race: TBD, Woodward Stakes, Sept. 27 at Belmont at the Big A or Lukas Classic Stakes, Sept. 27 at Churchill Downs
7. Forever Young (1 first-place vote)
Owner: Susumo Fujita
Trainer: Yoshito Yahagi
Jockey: Ryusei Sakai
2025 record: 2 starts – 1 win – 0 seconds – 1 third
Last race: 3rd, Dubai World Cup sponsored by Emirates Airline, April 5 at Meydan Racecourse
Next race: TBD, possibly the Longines Breeders' Cup Classic, Nov. 1 at Del Mar
8. Baeza
Owners: C R K Stable LLC and Grandview Equine
Trainer: John Shirreffs
Jockey: Hector Isaac Berrios
2025 record: 6 starts – 1 win – 3 seconds – 2 thirds
Last race: 2nd, Jim Dandy Stakes presented by Mohegan Sun, July 26 at Saratoga Race Course
Next race: FanDuel Pacific Classic Stakes, Aug. 30 at Del Mar
Owner: Godolphin
Trainer: Brad Cox
Jockey: Luis Saez
2025 record: 2 starts – 1 win – 1 second – 0 thirds
Last race: 2nd, Whitney Stakes, Aug. 2 at Saratoga Race Course
Next race: Jockey Club Gold Cup, Aug. 31 at Saratoga Race Course
10. White Abarrio
Owners: C2 Racing Stable, Barber, Gary and La Milagrosa Stable
Trainer: Saffie Joseph Jr.
Jockey: Irad Ortiz Jr.
2025 record: 4 starts – 2 wins – 0 seconds – 0 thirds
Last race: 4th, Whitney Stakes, Aug. 2 at Saratoga Race Course
Next race: FanDuel Pacific Classic Stakes, Aug. 30 at Del Mar