As November draws near, Del Mar’s hallowed turf glimmers invitingly under the California sun.
The Golden State will play host to arguably the biggest event in American racing in a few weeks as the Breeders’ Cup gets underway. And heading into the showdown, there is one topic on everyone’s mind.
That, of course, is the sensational Sovereignty and his quest for racing immortality. Bill Mott’s prized charge has already shone throughout 2025, thriving as an underdog in the Triple Crown.
The three-year-old upset the much-fancied Journalism to win the Land of the Free’s most storied race, the Kentucky Derby.
Then, he headed into the Belmont as a narrow underdog once again after his rival triumphed at the Preakness, and once again, he upset the odds.
Sovereignty +200 cashes ✅💰 https://t.co/SpHbGoNwWk
— Bovada (@BovadaOfficial) June 7, 2025
Now, he heads to Del Mar in a bid to crown one of the finest three-year-old seasons seen in years by winning the Breeders’ Cup Classic.
And online horse betting sites think that his quest will be a success. The latest Bovada horse betting odds currently price Sovereignty as a 6/4 frontrunner to win the Classic, with rival Journalism and reigning champion Sierra Leone both trailing in his wake.
But it isn’t just that blockbuster showdown that should garner attention. For British and Irish racing fans who are looking forward to November’s Breeders’ Cup, there are plenty of familiar horses set to steal the show. Here are our top three.
Notable Speech
Godolphin’s blue silks have glistened across continents, but few produce as much conversation as Notable Speech.
Cast your mind back: last year’s 2000 Guineas and Sussex Stakes belonged to this colt. But horse racing is rarely a straight road to glory.
In 2025, Notable Speech has offered both glimpses of raw brilliance and cold reminders of racing’s uncertainty.
He opened at Newmarket with a style befitting his reputation—crisp fractions, a high cruising gear, and the kind of acceleration that brings crowds to their feet.
But Royal Ascot? A different tale. Sluggish early splits, a lack of fluidity when the going softened, and a performance that saw his Racing Post Rating dip below 116, prompting fervent post-mortems across the paddocks.
What remains is potential, sharpened by the pain of missed opportunity. Crucially, Del Mar offers the conditions Notable Speech relishes: firm, sun-baked turf that enables him to rekindle that devastating turn of foot.
With a third in last year’s Breeders’ Cup Mile already banked, and with James Doyle likely back in the irons, the task is clear: find that final gear, surge late, and bring glory back to Moulton Paddocks. Notable Speech is a 9/2 shot to do exactly that.
Calandagan
Every year, one horse emerges with momentum and mystique in equal measure. Enter Calandagan, France’s flagbearer, trained by the astute Francis-Henri Graffard. His 2025 narrative reads like a symphony of rising tempo to build to a perfectly timed crescendo.
A measured campaign was ignited by a calculated performance at Epsom’s Coronation Cup, followed by a blistering King George triumph at Ascot, a race where he uncorked a remarkable 11.5s final furlong, storming past multiple Group 1 winners with an effortless elegance that left veteran campaigners reeling.
Models show his closing speed outstrips most international rivals; visually, he carries himself with a swagger befitting a colt on the brink of greatness.
His runner-up finish in the Juddmonte International at York, against the meanest yardsticks the UK could assemble, only enhanced his reputation, a result underpinned by a blistering sectional that left handicappers, and even the usually circumspect racing scribes, purring.
Del Mar is a new test: turns are tighter, the tactical puzzle is more pronounced.
But Calandagan’s signature finishing burst makes him a candidate to travel, stalk, and strike, a European star ready to claim American turf. He’s a 9/2 second favourite to win the Breeders’ Cup Turf.
Cinderella’s Dream
Horse racing is a sport built on the hope of redemption, and nowhere is that theme more poignantly embodied than in Cinderella’s Dream. Last year, cruel luck deprived her of victory at the Breeders’ Cup, but 2025 has seen an emphatic rewrite of her story.
From her springtime tour de force in the Dahlia Stakes, crushing opposition with a final 600m that trended faster than any British filly since Laurens, to her July assertion in the Falmouth Stakes, where she decimated a deep field with a blend of patience and panache, Cinderella’s Dream has peaked when others have faltered.
The numbers catch the eye: a three-furlong split of 33.4 seconds at Newmarket puts her in the company of all-time greats; her Timeform rating crested 120 for the first time after the Falmouth.
She conquered continental obstacles too, rebounding effortlessly from a narrow defeat in Meydan’s Balanchine. At each turn, trainer Charlie Appleby has calibrated her campaign for one moment: redemption at Del Mar, under the California sun.
On firm ground, and given a touch of racing luck, she might just complete her improbable arc, with the bookies considering her a 5/1 second favourite in the Filly & Mares Turf.
