This week on HorseCenter, Brian Zipse and Matt Shifman turn the dial up on their coverage of the 2025 Breeders’ Cup at Del Mar as they reveal their current top five contenders for all seven main-track races of the world championships.  

As expected, both Matt and Brian list Sovereignty in the top spot for the $7 million Breeders’ Cup Classic, but you might be surprised to see which big name star did not merit a top five ranking from either of them in the big one. The same could be said for the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies, where one of the current favorites for the 1 1/16-mile affair did not make it into their consensus top five.

Big names abound in all of the main track Breeders’ Cup races at Del Mar. Check out where your HorseCenter hosts have them ranked with only 15 more days to go before the first race of the world championships.

Brian: Let’s start with the Friday races, Matt. It’s hard to look past Ted Noffey as the one to beat in the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile, especially with several good ones in the division like Napoleon Solo, Further Ado and Englishmen not pointing for the race. The Spendthrift runner has looked the part of a good one from the get go and with his win in the Breeders’ Futurity, he proved he can win away from Saratoga and handle two-turn distances. 

Of the rest, I believe the Not This Time colt Blackout Time has room for improvement for trainer Kenny McPeek, which could lead to a repeat of the Breeders’ Futurity top two. Out west, I am not completely sold on the $3 million 2-year-old purchase Brant as the second choice, but I do see Baffert’s beautifully bred maiden Plutarch as an upset possibility.

Matt: Ted Noffey is shaping up to be one of the few clear-cut favorites in this year’s Breeders’ Cup. A recent early morning line for the Juvenile from David Aragona in Daily Racing Form has the Breeders’ Futurity winner listed at 6-5.

Brant won both of his starts but after Baffert’s four runners were upset by Intrepido in the recent American Pharoah (G1) it is hard to have a lot of confidence in that expensive son of Gun Runner. Typically, Baffert sends his runners to the Juvenile with a more recent prep but Brant is being trained up to the race following the Del Mar Futurity (G1) on Sept. 7 which had a field of six including three of his other 2-year-olds stablemates.

Brian: While it was surprising to see the two-time Grade 1 winner Tommy Jo not make our consensus top five, I believe she showed a real vulnerability going two-turns in her adjudged win in the Alcibiades. As for who I do like in the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies, watch out for Meaning. She has had only one race to date, but I really liked what I saw in her debut for trainer Michael McCarthy. The Gun Runner filly has also looked great in morning works and I expect her to run big at Del Mar.

Explora, off her easy win in the Oak Leaf, and the filly who beat her in the Del Mar Debutante, Bottle of Rouge, give Baffert a strong 1-2 punch. Both Percy’s Bar, who was unlucky to be taken down in the Alcibiades (G1), and the unbeaten New York-bred Iron Orchard, if she goes, would be easy fillies to root for at Del Mar.

Matt: The top two finishers in the Alcibiades Tommy Jo and Percy’s Bar were doing very little running down the stretch after trying to go two-turns for the first time. That leaves me with little confidence that they will do better in the Breeders’ Cup. The Juvenile Fillies winner is likely to come from another race.

Explora looks like she will be a lukewarm favorite for Baffert with Bottle Rouge not too far behind. Remember last year, Journalism debuted for Michael McCarthy as a 2-year-old towards the end of September.

Brian: The Filly & Mare Sprint would drastically change if Kopion runs against the males instead. If she is in this one, I consider her strictly the one to beat. I believe she is the best female sprinter in the land, and I also see 7-furlongs as her best distance. I would expect Mandella to have her sharp as a tack for the engagement.

Sweet Azteca is a talented mare, who when healthy, can run with anyone. She could give Kopion a run for her money or become the one to beat without her rival in the race. Of the rest, Hope Road looks like a strong third choice. Her win in the Ballerina (G1) was better than anything else in the field, in my opinion. I don’t see the Eastern shippers as a big threat to the top mares from California in this one.

Matt: The Filly & Mare Sprint kicks off the Saturday action at the Breeders’ Cup and the local horses have the upper hand this year. Kopion just seems to be faster than the others. I assume that the connections of Kopion are considering racing against her male counterparts because the purse of $2 million is twice what is offered to the distaff sprinters.

Brian: I believe Book’em Danno would be a single for me in the Breeders’ Cup Sprint if his trainer decided to ship him to Del Mar. Without the powerhouse New Jersey-bred gelding, the top two from last year’s edition could be tough. Bentornato looked great when I saw him in his return race at Churchill Downs, and I would expect Straight No Chaser to improve off his recent return race.

The horse that ran right by Straight No Chaser in the Santa Anita Sprint Championship, however, is the one I am leaning to as a top pick here. Imagination was also starting from a layoff and the performance was eye-opening. He showed flashes of talent earlier in his career but looks to have found a home sprinting. Another run like the last one would be tough to beat. I have my doubts that the filly will run here, but if Mandella does decide on this spot for Kopion, she could take the whole thing.

Matt: It was certainly disappointing to hear that Book’em Danno would not run in the Breeders’ Cup and left the race without the best American sprinter. Bentornato will be a worthy favorite, but it is a concern that he has run only once this year. Straight No Chaser will have to find the form that he had when he won 5 out of 6 races around his Breeders’ Cup victory last year. The Sprint has the feeling of a race that might produce a longshot winner.

Brian: I see many potential winners of the Dirt Mile, and I won’t mind one bit if Nysos is a heavy favorite. He could win certainly, but I think he will be far from unbeatable considering his scattered work and race pattern. The defending champion Full Serrano is also one to respect. He should be ready for a strong outing in his third start of the year.

This is a race that I will look for some odds, however. While Mystik Dan, White Abarrio and Citizen Bull are three more big names to consider, all have shown plenty of vulnerability throughout their careers. I will watch the odds and see who looks good on race day, but one longshot I am considering is Bracket Buster. A late foal, he seems to be getting better with each start.

Matt: Even with the Classic drawing an outstanding field there are plenty of distinguished dirt horses left to put together an excellent group of runners for the Dirt Mile. There are Grade 1 winners and three past Breeders’ Cup champions in Citizen Bull, White Abarrio and last year’s winner Full Serrano along with 2024 Kentucky Derby winner Mystik Dan. Nysos will take plenty of action as a Baffert favorite but has never been a horse that I prefer and will produce more attractive odds for the others.

Brian: The Distaff sure has taken a hit in the last few weeks. Without Thorpedo Anna and Cavalieri, it has gone from one of my most anticipated races to somewhere much lower. Having said that, I still am going to try to cash some tickets. Seismic Beauty deserves to be in the top spot, but as a heavy favorite, I will take a shot to beat her at the distance. 

Dorth Vader is currently second on the list. After an excellent run in the Personal Ensign (G1) she has been given time between races and should be sitting on another strong race at Del Mar. Sarawak Rim will be a longshot here, but she has run some excellent races in her native Argentina. South American imports have done very well in this race over the years. I don’t love that this will be her U.S. debut, but she is intriguing regardless.

Matt: The field for the Distaff is likely to be a contentious group even without the two that were expected to be the top choices. Nitrogen impressed when she battled to the wire in her first start against older fillies and mares in the Spinster. Brendan Walsh may have two in the race and he has been victorious in so many big races the past few months including the Cotillion (G1) with Clicquot, the winner of her last four races.

Brian: Unlike the Breeders’ Cup, we are going to finish with the Classic, as it should be. Sovereignty is the horse to beat. His dominant performances at 10 furlongs this year have him ready to take on a salty cast of older horses for the first time. I don’t expect it to be easy for the Bill Mott-trained star, but he has earned top billing and continues to look great at Saratoga. A win here would cap a really big year.

Both Fierceness and Forever Young were close to a very fast pace in last year’s Breeders’ Cup Classic and stayed on well. Now mature 4-year-olds, I would not be surprised to see them run even better this year. After the defending champ Sierra Leone, I chose to round out my top five for the big one with Baeza. At home in Southern California, I believe the son of McKinzie and Puca still has plenty of room for improvement. If so, watch out.

Matt: Yes, again this year there will be three Breeders’ Cup races run after the Classic. Sovereignty deserves to be the favorite in the big race based on his 1 ¼-mile victories in the Belmont Stakes and the Travers (G1). In the Travers he earned a 115, the highest Beyer Speed Figure as published in the Daily Racing Form for any horse this year. He will have to handle the toughest field assembled in 2025 but that is true of Sierra Leone, Fierceness and Forever Young.