Sovereignty bounces back to brilliant best with stunning Grade 1 success - and huge clash with Japanese ace Forever Young up next

Click here to add us to your Google preferred sources or find out more here

Last year's outstanding US three-year-old colt Sovereignty bounced back to his brilliant best with victory in the Whitney Stakes at Saratoga. 

Godolphin's star won the Kentucky Derby, Belmont Stakes, Jim Dandy and Travers Stakes in a stellar Classic campaign but had been beaten on his first two starts at four, finishing second in the Oaklawn Handicap and third in the Stephen Foster Stakes. He was sent off favourite for both races.

However, he reversed the form from his last run with Magnitude and Baeza in stunning style, circling the field into the home straight and powering past the front-running filly Nitrogen under Junior Alvarado. His powerful stretch run took him four and three-quarter lengths clear at the finish.

"Absolutely without a doubt, this was a relief," said trainer Bill Mott. "Naturally, any time a horse is undefeated or has a winning streak going, and then they get beat, you always wonder what's going to happen next time. He showed up today. He did what we thought he could do and what he was supposed to do – he didn't let us down."

Last year's Horse of the Year winner added his name to a roll of honour including greats like Alydar and Easy Goer as well as more recent top-class campaigners like Gun Runner and Sierra Leone. It was his fourth Grade 1 success.

Nitrogen held on to finish a gallant second while Antiquarian was third. Magnitude, who was sent off the strong favourite, was under pressure from an early stage and could only beat White Abarrio home in sixth.

Mott is targeting the Jockey Club Gold Cup at Belmont Park on September 18 for Sovereignty, meaning a clash with Japan's world champion Forever Young is on the cards as that horse prepares to defend his Breeders' Cup Classic crown.

The pair had been due to meet in last year's Classic before Sovereignty was withdrawn late due to a raised temperature and fever.

Mott said: "The race [Jockey Club Gold Cup] has always been on our schedule. We can't chicken out, can we?"

Bookmakers struggle to separate Sovereignty and Forever Young in the ante-post betting for this year's Classic, with both a best-priced 4-1 for the Grade 1 on October 31. This year's meeting will take place at Keeneland.

Breeders' Cup Classic (Keeneland, October 31)
Paddy Power: 4 Forever Young, Sovereignty, 7 Journalism, Nysos, 8 Magnitude, 10 Grande, 12 Baeza, Golden Tempo, 14 Commandment, 20 bar.

Read this next:

'We didn't bring him here for place money' - Hugo Palmer breaks new ground with victory in $750,000 Saratoga Derby 

Available exclusively to subscribers to Racing Post+ Ultimate, The Edge is a daily product designed to speed up the form study process without replacing your judgement. It distills Racing Post’s unrivalled data, insight and expertise into a single, focused briefing – so you can get to the decisions that matter, faster. New customers can sign up to Racing Post+ Ultimate here, while existing subscribers will need to opt-in to receive The Edge here.