Every two weeks through Oct. 20, 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 2026 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 second poll of 2026 Breeders' Cup Classic contenders is led by Sovereignty , who earned the first win of his 4-year-old season Aug. 8 in the Whitney Stakes, and defending 2025 Longines Breeders' Cup Classic winner Forever Young, who together have garnered nearly all of the first-place votes. The big mover in the latest poll is Knightsbridge based on his big win in the Pacific Classic Stakes Aug. 22 at Del Mar. Two horses in the top 10, 3-year-olds Golden Tempo and Renegade, are entered in this weekend's DraftKings Travers Stakes, Aug. 29 at Saratoga.

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

Breeders’ Cup Classic Rankings for Aug. 25, 2026

Sovereignty. (Candice Chavez/Eclipse Sportswire)

1. Sovereignty (27 first-place votes)

Owner: Godolphin

Trainer: Bill Mott

Jockey: Junior Alvarado

2026 record: 3 starts – 1 win – 1 second – 1 third

Last race: 1^st, Whitney Stakes, Aug. 8 at Saratoga Race Course

Next race: Jockey Club Gold Cup Stakes, Sept. 18 at Belmont Park

Forever Young. (Kat Turnbull/Eclipse Sportswire)

2. Forever Young (9 first-place votes)

Owner: Susumo Fujita

Trainer: Yoshito Yahagi

Jockey: Ryusei Sakai

2026 record: 2 starts – 1 win – 1 second – 0 thirds

Last race: 2^nd, Dubai World Cup Sponsored by Emirates Airline, March 28 at Meydan Racecourse

Next race: Jockey Club Gold Cup Stakes, Sept. 18 at Belmont Park

Knightsbridge. (BENOIT photo)

3. Knightsbridge (2 first-place votes)

Owner: Godolphin

Trainer: Bill Mott

Jockey: Junior Alvarado

2026 record: 6 starts – 4 wins – 1 second – 0 thirds

Last race: 1^st, Pacific Classic Stakes, Aug. 22 at Del Mar

Next race: Longines Breeders' Cup Classic, or Breeders' Cup Dirt Mile, Oct. 31 at Keeneland

Magnitude. (Candice Chavez/Eclipse Sportswire)

4. Magnitude (2 first-place votes)

Owners: Winchell Thoroughbreds

Trainer: Steve Asmussen

Jockey: Jose Ortiz

2026 record: 4 starts – 3 wins – 0 seconds – 0 thirds

Last race: 6^th, Whitney Stakes, Aug. 8 at Saratoga Race Course

Next race: Longines Breeders' Cup Classic, Oct. 31 at Keeneland

Golden Tempo. (Tim Sudduth/Eclipse Sportswire)

5. Golden Tempo 

Owners: Phipps Stable and St. Elias Stable

Trainer: Cherie DeVaux

Jockey: Jose Ortiz

2026 record: 5 starts – 3 wins – 0 seconds – 2 thirds

Last race: 1^st, Belmont Stakes presented by NYRA Bets, June 6 at Saratoga

Next race: DraftKings Travers Stakes, Aug. 29 at Saratoga

Renegade. (Scott Serio/Eclipse Sportswire)

6. Renegade 

Owners: Robert Low, Lawana Low, and Repole Stable

Trainer: Todd Pletcher

Jockey: Irad Ortiz Jr.

2026 record: 5 starts – 3 wins – 1 second – 1 third

Last race: 1^st, Jim Dandy Stakes Presented by Mohegan Sun, Aug. 1 at Saratoga

Next race: DraftKings Travers Stakes, Aug. 29 at Saratoga

Baeza. (Scott Serio/Eclipse Sportswire)

7. Baeza

Owners: C R K Stable LLC and Grandview Equine

Trainer: Bill Mott

Jockey: Flavien Prat

2026 record: 3 starts – 0 wins – 1 second – 1 third

Last race: 4^th, Whitney Stakes, Aug. 8 at Saratoga Race Course

Next race: Goodwood Stakes, Sept. 26 at Santa Anita Park

Nitrogen. (Gary Johnson/Eclipse Sportswire)

8. Nitrogen

Owner: D J Stable

Trainer: Mark Casse

Jockey: John Velazquez

2026 record: 5 starts – 2 wins – 2 seconds – 1 third

Last race: 2^nd, Whitney Stakes, Aug. 8 at Saratoga Race Course

Next race: Locust Grove Stakes, Sept. 12 at Churchill Downs

Commandment. (Coglianese Photos/Gulfstream Park)

9. Commandment 

Owner: Wathnan Racing

Trainer: Brad Cox

Jockey: John Velazquez

2026 record: 6 starts– 3 wins – 2 seconds – 0 thirds

Last race: 2^nd, Jim Dandy Stakes Presented by Mohegan Sun, Aug. 1 at Saratoga

Next race: Pennsylvania Derby, Sept. 19 at Parx Racing

Antiquarian. (Sophie Shore/Eclipse Sportswire)

10. Antiquarian

Owners: Centennial Farms

Trainer: Todd Pletcher

Jockey: Manny Franco

2026 record: 4 starts – 1 win – 0 seconds – 1 third

Last race: 3^rd, Whitney Stakes, Aug. 8 at Saratoga Race Course

Next race: Jockey Club Gold Cup Stakes, Sept. 18 at Belmont Park