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.

Week three of the 2025 Breeders' Cup Classic rankings are led by Kentucky Derby presented by Woodford Reserve and Belmont Stakes presented by NYRA Bets winner Sovereignty, who is entered in this weekend's August 23 DraftKings Travers Stakes at Saratoga Race Course.

The rankings will be updated each week. The results of the latest poll are below.

Breeders’ Cup Classic Rankings for Aug. 19, 2025

Sovereignty. (Eclipse Sportswire)

1. Sovereignty (20 first-place votes)

Owner: Godolphin

Trainer: Bill Mott

Jockey: Junior Alvarado

2025 record: 5 starts – 4 wins – 1 second – 0 thirds

Last race: 1^st, Jim Dandy Stakes presented by Mohegan Sun, July 26 at Saratoga Race Course

Next race: DraftKings Travers Stakes, Aug. 23 at Saratoga Race Course

Sierra Leone. (Scott Serio/Eclipse Sportswire)

2. Sierra Leone (12 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: 1^st, Whitney Stakes, Aug. 2 at Saratoga Race Course

Next race: Jockey Club Gold Cup, Aug. 31 at Saratoga Race Course

Mindframe. (Casey Laughter/Eclipse Sportswire)

3. Mindframe (1 first-place vote)

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: 1^st, Stephen Foster Stakes, June 28 at Churchill Downs

Next race: Jockey Club Gold Cup, Aug. 31 at Saratoga Race Course

Journalism. (Bill Denver/EQUI-PHOTO)

4. Journalism 

Owners: Eclipse Thoroughbred Partners, Bridlewood Farm, Don Alberto Stable, LaPenta, Robert V., Elayne Stables 5, Magnier, Mrs. John, Tabor, Michael B. and Smith, Derrick

Trainer: Michael McCarthy

Jockey: Umberto Rispoli

2025 record: 6 starts – 4 wins – 2 seconds – 0 thirds

Last race: 1^st, NYRA Bets Haskell Stakes, July 19 at Monmouth Park

Next race: FanDuel Pacific Classic Stakes, Aug. 30 at Del Mar or Pennsylvania Derby, Sept. 20 at Parx Racing

Nysos. (Richard Steele/Eclipse Sportswire)

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: 1^st, San Diego Handicap, July 26 at Del Mar

Next race: FanDuel Pacific Classic Stakes, Aug. 30 at Del Mar

Forever Young. (Shamela Hanley/Eclipse Sportswire)

6. 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: 3^rd, 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

Fierceness. (Jessica Morgan/Eclipse Sportswire)

7. Fierceness

Owners: Repole Stable, Derrick Smith, Michael Tabor, and Susan Magnier

Trainer: Todd Pletcher

Jockey: John Velazquez

2025 record: 3 starts – 1 win – 1 second – 0 thirds

Last race: 5^th, 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

Baeza. (Scott Serio/Eclipse Sportswire)

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: 2^nd, Jim Dandy Stakes presented by Mohegan Sun, July 26 at Saratoga Race Course

Next race: FanDuel Pacific Classic Stakes, Aug. 30 at Del Mar or Pennsylvania Derby, Sept. 20 at Parx Racing

Highland Falls. (Ben Breland/Eclipse Sportswire)

9. Highland Falls

Owner: Godolphin

Trainer: Brad Cox

Jockey: Luis Saez

2025 record: 2 starts – 1 win – 1 second – 0 thirds

Last race: 2^nd, Whitney Stakes, Aug. 2 at Saratoga Race Course

Next race: Jockey Club Gold Cup, Aug. 31 at Saratoga Race Course

White Abarrio. (Carlos J. Calo/Eclipse Sportswire)

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: 4^th, Whitney Stakes, Aug. 2 at Saratoga Race Course

Next race: Jockey Club Gold Cup, Aug. 31 at Saratoga Race Course