The Jockey Club Gold Cup, set to headline next Friday’s reopening day at Belmont Park, took a massive hit, folks. Reigning Horse of the Year Sovereignty, the 2025 Kentucky Derby, Belmont Stakes, and Travers winner, has officially been ruled out of the Grade 1, $1 million race. This is a tough pill to swallow for anyone looking forward to the big return.
The Abscess and Mott’s Big Pivot
Can you believe this? Daily Racing Form’s David Grening reported Friday that Sovereignty developed an abscess in his left hind foot a little more than a week ago. That’s why he missed two planned workouts, you know? Trainer Bill Mott is already on the clock, hoping to get Sovereignty back on the track by the middle of next week. The plan now? Straight up training him for the Oct. 31 Breeders’ Cup Classic, skipping any races before then. It’s a huge pivot, no doubt, especially after his big Whitney win last month at Saratoga. You have to wonder what this means for his momentum heading into the Classic.
What the Gold Cup Loses and Who’s Left
Seriously, the absence of Sovereignty completely changes the vibe for the Gold Cup. We were all hyped for one of the most anticipated head-to-head horse racing matchups of the year, and now it’s gone. Sovereignty versus Forever Young was going to be epic! Forever Young, the 2025 Breeders’ Cup Classic runner-up and a Japan-based horse, got to Belmont Park on Tuesday, cleared quarantine on Thursday, and even had his first jog over the new main track later that morning. What a debut it could have been. Beyond Forever Young, we’re still looking at Phileas Fogg, who’s won the Grade 2 Suburban at Saratoga the last two years. And get this: the Brad Cox-trained Money Game is also out after a breeze Friday morning. This Gold Cup is getting wild before entries are even officially drawn on Saturday!
A Year of Ups and Downs, and What’s Next for Sovereignty
This latest scratch is just another chapter in what has been a seriously up-and-down 12 months for the Godolphin-owned star. Think back to 2025: after a dominant spring and summer, including that blowout Travers win, Mott trained him up to the Breeders’ Cup Classic. He was the morning-line favorite at Del Mar! Then, boom, a fever after shipping, and he was scratched. His 4-year-old campaign started bumpy too, getting beaten in the Oaklawn Handicap and finishing third in the Stephen Foster. But man, his Whitney performance in early August was vintage Sovereignty, taking down top filly Nitrogen and a field of older horses. It felt like he was back, on a collision course with Forever Young, and now this. So, while we won’t see him next Friday, Mott is aiming for the Breeders’ Cup Classic on Oct. 31. Let’s hope for a smooth recovery and an even bigger comeback then. That’s the real big one.
This article was created with AI assistance and published under Seattle On Tap’s editorial standards. See our Editorial Policy.
Originally reported by Yahoo Sports.
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