The top five positions in the latest Longines Breeders' Cup Classic Rankings, released Sept. 8, remained unchanged, with Whitney Stakes (G1) winner Sovereignty still leading the way with 383 total votes and 24 first-place votes.
Forever Young stayed in the second spot with 363 total votes, 12 for first place. The 5-year-old is expected to run in the $1 million Jockey Club Gold Cup (G1) opening day Sept. 18 at Belmont Park, while trainer Bill Mott is unsure of Sovereignty making the race because of missed training from a foot abscess.
Meanwhile, Mott's other top runner Knightsbridge (319, three first-place votes), Steve Asmussen's Magnitude (284, two), and Cherie DeVaux's Golden Tempo (230) round out the top five.
The biggest climber came in the form of Travers Stakes (G1) winner Leading Change, who went from unranked to sixth place with 134 total votes.
Baeza (133) and Nitrogen (132) remained in the seventh and eighth spots, respectively, with Napoleon Solo, second in the Travers, jumping from 12th to ninth with 91 votes. Renegade dropped from sixth to 10th with 75 votes.
The Classic rankings are determined by a panel of leading Thoroughbred racing media, horseplayers, and members of the Breeders' Cup Racing Directors/Secretaries Panel. The next rankings will be published Sept. 22, followed by Sept. 29, and concluding Oct. 6.
A list of voting members can be found here.
