Breeders' Cup opens Friday with nine returning champions and two Derby winners

The Breeders' Cup begins Friday at Keeneland Race Course in Lexington, Ky., with 14 races scheduled over two days. The event brings together more than two dozen horses ranked in the top 50 in North America and Europe. Racing starts at 11:55 a.m. PDT Friday and continues at 10:10 a.m. Saturday.

Nine horses returning from previous Breeders' Cup victories will compete, including Forever Young in Saturday's Classic. The field also includes eight champions from the 2024 and 2025 Eclipse Awards, led by reigning Horse of the Year Sovereignty. Two Kentucky Derby winners are also entered in the meet.

Trainer Bob Baffert sends out multiple contenders, with Hughes favored to win the Juvenile on Friday. Hughes has won four of his four starts at Los Alamitos, Del Mar, and Santa Anita. Baffert also entered Miss Monica in the Juvenile Fillies after she won the Del Mar Debutante. He passed on the Oak Leaf Stakes at Santa Anita to focus on the Breeders' Cup, citing the horse's physical and mental growth.

In the Juvenile, Baffert has a chance to extend his record of six victories in the race. Salahudin, ridden by Tyler Gaffalione, is 3 for 3 in Kentucky and showed improvement by winning at Churchill Downs despite starting from behind. Hughes, ridden by Flavien Prat, is the official favorite at 1-1 odds.

Aidan O'Brien, who is tied with Baffert for the most trainer wins in Breeders' Cup history with 21, has a strong showing in the turf events. His horse Sun Goddess is the 6-5 favorite in the Juvenile Fillies Turf after winning a Group 1 race at Newmarket. O'Brien also entered Benvenuto Cellini in the Turf, where he chose the horse over Diamond Necklace and drew a preferable inside post.

Saturday's Classic is the $7 million main event. It is framed as a battle between Forever Young, the top horse from Japan, and Sovereignty, the leading American. Sovereignty has dealt with a hind-foot abscess, which limited his preparation. Forever Young is seeking the first repeat winner in the Classic since Tiznow in 2000 and 2001. Knightsbridge, winner of the Pacific Classic, is positioned as a strong contender in the exacta.

Other notable matchups include the Filly & Mare Turf, where Blue Bolt leads the European rankings but faces a distance increase to 1¼ miles. Precise is favored in that race after passing a similar test in France. In the Sprint, Englishman, trained by Cherie DeVaux, is the 4-5 favorite. DeVaux also trains Kentucky Derby winner Golden Tempo.

The Dirt Mile features Further Ado, who may perform best on the Keeneland track. Full Serrano is a longshot at 10-1, having endured a string of defeats with excuses. The Filly & Mare Sprint is a tactical race where Ways and Means is the 7-5 favorite, facing potential speed from outside posts.

Last year at Del Mar, five of the 14 races were won by the betting favorites. This year, the field includes more than 40 runners with active winning streaks and a similar number of horses with more than $1 million in earnings this year. The meet offers a mix of established stars and improving challengers across all tracks and distances.