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Breeders’ Cup 2026 Preview: Fields Set for Two Championship Days at Keeneland

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The fields are set. The 43rd Breeders’ Cup World Championships return to Keeneland Race Course in Lexington, Kentucky, on Friday, October 30 and Saturday, October 31, with 14 Grade 1 races and more than $34 million in purses across two days. Keeneland hosts the World Championships for the fourth time, following 2015, 2020 and 2022, and Monday’s post-position draw at the Keeneland Sales Pavilion locked in the starting gates for every race.

Future Stars Friday is devoted entirely to 2-year-olds, with five championship races. Championship Saturday answers with nine, closing with the richest race in North America — the $7 million Longines Breeders’ Cup Classic.

How to Watch

NBC Sports presents 10 1/2 hours of live coverage across the two days. Friday’s coverage runs 1-6 p.m. ET on USA Network and Peacock. Saturday’s coverage runs 1-3:30 p.m. ET on USA Network and Peacock, then moves to NBC and Peacock from 3:30-6:30 p.m. ET for the closing races, including the Classic. FanDuel TV carries continuous coverage of the full cards both days.

The Classic: Forever Young Meets Sovereignty

The Classic, run as Race 12 on Saturday with a 6:16 p.m. ET post time, drew a field of eight for 1 1/4 miles on the dirt. Defending champion Forever Young, Japan’s global star trained by Yoshito Yahagi, breaks from post 5 in a bid to become only the second horse to win the Classic in back-to-back years, after Tiznow in 2000-01.

Waiting for him is Sovereignty, the reigning Horse of the Year and the 2025 Kentucky Derby, Belmont Stakes and Travers winner, who missed last year’s Classic after coming down with a fever. Sovereignty, trained by Bill Mott for Godolphin, drew post 2 and meets Forever Young for the first time. Mott and Godolphin also run Knightsbridge, the Pacific Classic winner, from post 7.

Golden Tempo, the 2026 Kentucky Derby and Belmont winner trained by Cherie DeVaux, drew post 3 and tries to become the third 3-year-old to win the Classic at Keeneland, after American Pharoah in 2015 and Authentic in 2020. Magnitude, winner of the Dubai World Cup and the Stephen Foster, drew post 6 for Steve Asmussen. The Preakness winner Napoleon Solo (post 8) and Pennsylvania Derby winner The Puma (post 4) complete the 3-year-old contingent, and Japan’s T O Password drew the rail. Further Ado and Forged Steel, both considered for this race, were rerouted Monday to the Dirt Mile, and Phileas Fogg was withdrawn.

Future Stars Friday — Friday, October 30

Race 6 — Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Turf Sprint (G1)

$1,000,000 · 5 1/2 furlongs, turf · 2-year-olds · Post time 2:55 p.m. ET

A dozen 2-year-olds open the championship action in a 5 1/2-furlong dash on the turf, with an international flavor throughout the field and five also-eligibles waiting for a spot.

Post Horse Trainer Jockey
1 Moonrise Andrew Balding Oisin Murphy
2 Good to Be King Rusty Arnold Jose Ortiz
3 Libertango George Boughey Flavien Prat
4 Brickyard Belle Miguel Clement Manny Franco
5 Mussab Richard Fahey Oisin Orr
6 Velozee Paddy Twomey Tyler Gaffalione
7 Crownbreaker Kevin Philippart De Foy John Velazquez
8 Force Noir Robson De Aguiar David Egan
9 Final Objective Hamad Al Jehani James Doyle
10 Harper’s Corner Cathal Lynch Paco Lopez
11 Hell of A Spin Adrian Paul Keatley Mikey Sheehy
12 Primetime Emmy Francis-Henri Graffard Mickael Barzalona

Race 7 — Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies (G1)

$2,000,000 · 1 1/16 miles, dirt · 2-year-old fillies · Post time 3:35 p.m. ET

Brad Cox and Todd Pletcher each send out two fillies in the division’s championship race on the dirt.

Post Horse Trainer Jockey
1 Scarlett Begonia Brad Cox Manny Franco
2 Domain Expansion Leonard Powell Adrian Escobedo
3 Foxiest Brad Cox Junior Alvarado
4 Rum Twist Mark Hennig John Velazquez
5 Miss Monica Bob Baffert Flavien Prat
6 Revenge of the Sis George Weaver Edgard Zayas
7 Lexi’s Charm Mark Casse Jose Ortiz
8 Manuka Honey Brian Lynch Luis Saez
9 Badittude Todd Pletcher Joel Rosario
10 Emphatic Brendan Walsh Tyler Gaffalione
11 Voyager Mark Casse Javier Castellano
12 Life Changing Todd Pletcher Juan Hernandez

Race 8 — John Deere Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies Turf (G1)

$1,000,000 · 1 mile, turf · 2-year-old fillies · Post time 4:15 p.m. ET

A full field of 14 lines up for a mile on the turf, with runners from the Aidan O’Brien and Joseph Patrick O’Brien yards prominent throughout the gate.

Post Horse Trainer Jockey
1 Green Empress Joseph Patrick O’Brien Dylan Browne McMonagle
2 Go For Launch Kevin Attard Pietro Moran
3 Curracloe Johnny Murtagh Ben Coen
4 Serenas Ghost Joe Sharp Luis Saez
5 De la Renta Kevin Attard Kazushi Kimura
6 Alwaysanangel Joseph Patrick O’Brien Oisin Murphy
7 Vanta Jeff Mullins Umberto Rispoli
8 Citrus Springs Miguel Clement Manny Franco
9 Sun Goddess Aidan O’Brien Ryan Moore
10 Amusingly Francis-Henri Graffard Colin Keane
11 Scommessa Sicura Andrew Balding Billy Loughnane
12 Domestic Agenda Chad Brown Flavien Prat
13 Seneca Park Dallas Stewart Brian Hernandez Jr.
14 Ballinea Star Robson De Aguiar Tyler Gaffalione

Race 9 — FanDuel Breeders’ Cup Juvenile (G1)

$2,000,000 · 1 1/16 miles, dirt · 2-year-olds · Post time 4:55 p.m. ET

The Juvenile is the centerpiece of Future Stars Friday. Hughes, unbeaten in four starts and winner of the American Pharoah Stakes (G1), leads the division into the race for trainer Bob Baffert, who also saddles the unbeaten Salahudin.

Post Horse Trainer Jockey
1 Damavand Todd Pletcher Luis Saez
2 Gaudreau Chad Brown Manny Franco
3 Salahudin Bob Baffert Tyler Gaffalione
4 Earth Song Jorge Delgado Junior Alvarado
5 Hughes Bob Baffert Flavien Prat
6 American History Todd Pletcher John Velazquez
7 Coach Pope Kenny McPeek Jose Ortiz
8 He Is No Lie Doug O’Neill Joel Rosario

Race 10 — Brown Advisory Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Turf (G1)

$1,000,000 · 1 mile, turf · 2-year-olds · Post time 5:35 p.m. ET

Aidan O’Brien sends out four of the 14 starters — Florida Bay, Haffner, Man’s Best Friend and Great Barrier Reef — in the Friday finale.

Post Horse Trainer Jockey
1 Induction Graham Motion Junior Alvarado
2 Avec Toi Christopher Head Flavien Prat
3 Florida Bay Aidan O’Brien Wayne Lordan
4 Haffner Aidan O’Brien Christophe Soumillon
5 How’s Al Today Riley Mott Brian Hernandez Jr.
6 Pikachu Charlie Johnston David Egan
7 Let Em Know Whit Beckman Edgard Zayas
8 Liam’s Law Todd Pletcher Jose Ortiz
9 Sale Shark Hugo Palmer Oisin Murphy
10 Folsom Blues Joseph Patrick O’Brien Dylan Browne McMonagle
11 Man’s Best Friend Aidan O’Brien Colin Keane
12 Oscar Miguel Clement William Buick
13 Agate Kelsey Danner Tyler Gaffalione
14 Great Barrier Reef Aidan O’Brien Ryan Moore

Championship Saturday — Saturday, October 31

Race 4 — Breeders’ Cup Filly & Mare Sprint (G1)

$1,000,000 · 7 furlongs, dirt · fillies & mares, 3-year-olds and up · Post time 1:10 p.m. ET

Thirteen fillies and mares sprint seven furlongs to open Championship Saturday, including Bob Baffert’s Explora and Nooni and Chad Brown’s Ways and Means.

Post Horse Trainer Jockey
1 Look Forward Michael McCarthy Umberto Rispoli
2 Ways and Means Chad Brown Flavien Prat
3 Praying Robert Medina John Velazquez
4 R Disaster Saffie Joseph Jr. Tyler Gaffalione
5 Foie Gras Michael Maker Ricardo Santana Jr.
6 Majestic Oops Philip D’Amato Francisco Arrieta
7 Evanescence Eddie Kenneally Luis Saez
8 Kerry’s Kiss Saffie Joseph Jr. Edwin Gonzalez
9 Sweet Azteca Richard Baltas Juan Hernandez
10 Simply Joking Michael McCarthy Manuel Franco
11 Explora Bob Baffert Jose Ortiz
12 Kilwin George Arnold II Javier Castellano
13 Nooni Bob Baffert Mario Gutierrez

Race 5 — Prevagen Breeders’ Cup Turf Sprint (G1)

$1,000,000 · 5 1/2 furlongs, turf · 3-year-olds and up · Post time 1:48 p.m. ET

Defending champion Shisospicy returns in a deep turf dash that also includes Bacio, a Royal Ascot and Nunthorpe (G1) winner on a four-race win streak for trainer Wesley Ward.

Post Horse Trainer Jockey
1 John the Beer Man Rob Atras Kendrick Carmouche
2 Shisospicy Jose Francisco D’Angelo Luis Saez
3 Bacio Wesley Ward Juan Hernandez
4 Roja Graham Motion Manuel Franco
5 Time to Dazzle Mark Casse Oisin Murphy
6 Yellow Card Michael McCarthy Flavien Prat
7 Comanche Brave Donnacha O’Brien Billy Loughnane
8 Possiblemente Joe Sharp Jose Ortiz
9 In Our Time Saffie Joseph Jr. Micah Husbands
10 Cy Fair George Weaver John Velazquez
11 Joe Shiesty Eric Foster Fernando De La Cruz
12 Sorrento Sky Philip D’Amato Umberto Rispoli
13 Starlust Ralph Beckett Rossa Ryan
14 Miss Yechance Karl Burke Jack Nicholls

Race 6 — Breeders’ Cup Dirt Mile (G1)

$1,000,000 · 1 mile, dirt · 3-year-olds and up · Post time 2:26 p.m. ET

Further Ado, rerouted here on Monday after being considered for the Classic, drew post 1. Defending champion Full Serrano is back for trainer John Sadler.

Post Horse Trainer Jockey
1 Further Ado Brad Cox Flavien Prat
2 T Kraft Bill Mott Junior Alvarado
3 Full Serrano John Sadler Joel Rosario
4 Chunk of Gold Ethan West Jaime Torres
5 Coal Battle Lonnie Briley Juan Vargas
6 Lord Fons Shogo Yasuda Kazuo Yokoyama
7 Bracket Buster Victoria Oliver John Velazquez
8 Moonlight Peter Miller Manuel Franco
9 Forged Steel Saffie Joseph Jr. Edwin Gonzalez
10 Owen Almighty Brian Lynch Luis Saez
11 Iron Man Cal Philip D’Amato Tyler Gaffalione

Race 7 — Maker’s Mark Breeders’ Cup Filly & Mare Turf (G1)

$2,000,000 · 1 3/16 miles, turf · fillies & mares, 3-year-olds and up · Post time 3:04 p.m. ET

Blue Bolt brings a six-race win streak into the race for Juddmonte and trainer Andrew Balding, and Brendan Walsh’s Lush Lips was routed to this spot on Monday.

Post Horse Trainer Jockey
1 Gimme A Nother Graham Motion John Velazquez
2 Evershed Arnaud Delacour Mickael Barzalona
3 Classic Q Mark Casse Javier Castellano
4 Red Letter Ger Lyons Dylan Browne McMonagle
5 Kathynmarissa Chad Brown Jose Ortiz
6 Thought Process Philip D’Amato Manuel Franco
7 Bless the Broken Brad Cox Oisin Murphy
8 Jancis Willie McCreery William “Billy” Lee
9 Eccentric Wesley Ward Walter Rodriguez
10 Expensive Queen Brendan Walsh Luis Saez
11 Precise Aidan O’Brien Ryan Moore
12 Blue Bolt Andrew Balding Colin Keane
13 Lush Lips Brendan Walsh Tyler Gaffalione
14 Stellify Brad Cox Flavien Prat

Race 8 — Cygames Breeders’ Cup Sprint (G1)

$2,000,000 · 6 furlongs, dirt · 3-year-olds and up · Post time 3:42 p.m. ET

Englishman, perfect in four sprint starts this year for trainer Cherie DeVaux, drew the outside post in a 13-horse field.

Post Horse Trainer Jockey
1 Mad House David VanWinkle Paco Lopez
2 Dark Saffron Ahmad bin Harmash Connor Beasley
3 Liam Smith Peter Miller Manuel Franco
4 Hymn Ron Moquett Ricardo Santana Jr.
5 Listenupshance Doug O’Neill Emisael Jaramillo
6 American Stage Yoshito Yahagi Oisin Murphy
7 Built Wayne Catalano Luis Saez
8 Little Thunder Timothy Hamm John Velazquez
9 Nakatomi Wesley Ward Tyler Gaffalione
10 Roll On Big Joe Robert Hess Jr. Julien Leparoux
11 T O Elvis Daisuke Takayanagi Ryusei Sakai
12 Stradale Steve Asmussen Flavien Prat
13 Englishman Cherie DeVaux Jose Ortiz

Race 9 — FanDuel Breeders’ Cup Mile (G1)

$2,000,000 · 1 mile, turf · 3-year-olds and up · Post time 4:20 p.m. ET

Defending champion Notable Speech, in post 8 for Charlie Appleby and Godolphin, bids to become the Mile’s first repeat winner since Wise Dan in 2012-13.

Post Horse Trainer Jockey
1 Deterministic Miguel Clement Kendrick Carmouche
2 Lake Forest William Haggas Cieren Fallon
3 Facteur Cheval Mark Casse Manuel Franco
4 Cabo Spirit George Papaprodromou Mike Smith
5 Ask Ikigomi Hideaki Fujiwara Ryusei Sakai
6 Zulu Kingdom Chad Brown Flavien Prat
7 Qirat Ralph Beckett Colin Keane
8 Notable Speech Charlie Appleby William Buick
9 Rhetorical William Walden Jose Ortiz
10 Lugal Haruki Sugiyama Oisin Murphy
11 Formidable Man Michael McCarthy John Velazquez
12 True Love Aidan O’Brien Wayne Lordan
13 Brilliant Berti Cherie DeVaux Brian Hernandez Jr.
14 Puerto Rico Aidan O’Brien Ryan Moore

Race 10 — Longines Breeders’ Cup Distaff (G1)

$2,000,000 · 1 1/8 miles, dirt · fillies & mares, 3-year-olds and up · Post time 4:58 p.m. ET

A compact field of nine is led by Nitrogen, second in this race last year and second against males in the Whitney, and Fully Subscribed, who arrives off back-to-back wins in the Personal Ensign and the Spinster.

Post Horse Trainer Jockey
1 Immersive Brad Cox Junior Alvarado
2 Nitrogen Mark Casse Jose Ortiz
3 Regaled D. Whitworth Beckman Joseph Ramos
4 Fully Subscribed Chad Brown Flavien Prat
5 Scottish Lassie Jorge Abreu Luis Saez
6 Measure Mark Casse Manuel Franco
7 Super Corredora John Sadler Joel Rosario
8 Splendora Bob Baffert Tyler Gaffalione
9 Eunomia Saffie Joseph Jr. Micah Husbands

Race 11 — Longines Breeders’ Cup Turf (G1)

$5,000,000 · 1 1/2 miles, turf · 3-year-olds and up · Post time 5:36 p.m. ET

Defending champion Ethical Diamond drew the rail. Diamond Necklace, third in the Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe, tries to become the first female winner of the Turf since Tarnawa in 2020, also at Keeneland.

Post Horse Trainer Jockey
1 Ethical Diamond Willie Mullins Dylan Browne McMonagle
2 Benvenuto Cellini Aidan O’Brien Ryan Moore
3 Minaret Station William Walden Jose Ortiz
4 Far Bridge Miguel Clement John Velazquez
5 El Cordobes Charlie Appleby William Buick
6 Burnham Square Ian Wilkes Brian Hernandez Jr.
7 Hotazhell Jessica Harrington Shane Foley
8 Test Score Graham Motion Manuel Franco
9 Johanna Walsh Joseph O’Brien Mickael Barzalona
10 Tiffany Sir Mark Prescott Luke Morris
11 Survie George Boughey Flavien Prat
12 Diamond Necklace Aidan O’Brien Christophe Soumillon
13 Bay City Roller George Scott Oisin Murphy
14 Deep Monster Yasutoshi Ikee Tom Marquand

Race 12 — Longines Breeders’ Cup Classic (G1)

$7,000,000 · 1 1/4 miles, dirt · 3-year-olds and up · Post time 6:16 p.m. ET

Post Horse Trainer Jockey
1 T O Password Daisuke Takayanagi Kazushi Kimura
2 Sovereignty Bill Mott Junior Alvarado
3 Golden Tempo Cherie DeVaux Jose Ortiz
4 The Puma Gustavo Delgado Javier Castellano
5 Forever Young Yoshito Yahagi Ryusei Sakai
6 Magnitude Steve Asmussen Flavien Prat
7 Knightsbridge Bill Mott Luis Saez
8 Napoleon Solo Chad Summers John Velazquez

Two days, 14 Grade 1 races and the deepest international fields in North American racing — the Breeders’ Cup at Keeneland begins Friday afternoon. We Speak Media will recap Future Stars Friday on Saturday morning and the full Championship Saturday card, Classic-led, on Sunday morning.

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Blink and You’ll Miss Them: Englishman, Shisospicy and Ways and Means Headline the Breeders’ Cup Sprints

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4 days ago

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October 23, 2026

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Championship Saturday at Keeneland will pause for breath exactly three times — and each pause lasts about a minute. The Breeders’ Cup’s sprint divisions, the Sprint (G1), the Turf Sprint (G1) and the Filly & Mare Sprint (G1), bring together the fastest horses in the world, and this year’s editions are loaded.

The $2 million Sprint drew 19 pre-entries and is expected to fill all 14 starting gates for the second straight year. The horse they all have to catch is Englishman, Cherie DeVaux’s 3-year-old sensation whose lone defeat came in the Pat Day Mile (G2) and who has otherwise dominated his generation in the Woody Stephens Stakes (G1) and H. Allen Jerkens Memorial (G1). He faces older horses for the first time, with T O Elvis and Forego Stakes (G1) winner Hymn — trained by Ron Moquett, who won this race at Keeneland in 2020 with Whitmore — among the dangers. Last year’s winner, Bentornato, is sidelined and will not defend his title.

On the grass, champion female sprinter Shisospicy returns to defend her Turf Sprint crown for Jose D’Angelo despite having raced only once since last year’s Breeders’ Cup, while the Filly & Mare Sprint revolves around Ways and Means, whose 5 1/2-length Ballerina Stakes (G1) romp on Aug. 29 makes her the standout as trainer Chad Brown chases a record fourth victory in the race.

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