So far, Sovereignty, Journalism, and Baeza have proved that they are in a league of their own. So much so that trainer Mark Casse decided to shift Sandman to the grass. “I think Jim Dandy just showed, right now, that those horses are better than us,” the Hall of Fame trainer explained. But while Casse might club these horses together, Sovereignty continues to prove that there is a league within the league, and there, only he reigns supreme.

After all, the Bill Mott trainee has made 2025 his personal playground, amassing an eye-popping $5,004,520 this year alone, thanks to wins in the Kentucky Derby, Belmont Stakes, and Jim Dandy Stakes. Next up: the $1.25 million Travers Stakes at Saratoga, which he’ll be entering as the 2-5 favorite. But then again, quite unsurprisingly, that’s hardly the only upcoming race that he’ll be entering as the horse to beat.

 That’s because, per Breeders’ Cup.com, “Godolphin’s homebred Sovereignty stayed atop the Longines Breeders’ Cup Classic Rankings for a third consecutive week.” The Longines Breeders’ Cup Classic Rankings offer a weekly snapshot of the top 10 horses vying for the $7 million Longines Breeders’ Cup Classic (G1). This marquee race is set for Nov. 1 at Del Mar Thoroughbred Club in Del Mar, California, as part of the 42nd Breeders’ Cup World Championships.

Sovereignty received a total of 329 votes. With his many votes, the Jim Dandy Stakes winner comfortably led Sierra Leone by 27 votes. Sierra Leone, the defending Longines Breeders’ Cup Classic champion and recent victor of the August 2 Whitney Stakes (G1) at Saratoga, finished with 302 votes. As for Journalism, he is there, too, still playing catch-up with his rival.

The Haskell Stakes winner finished the week placed fourth in the rankings. And while there is still time to close the gap, a successful run at Travers could tip the scales further in Sovereignty’s favor. In the meantime, Journalism’s team must decide where the colt will run next.

Where is Sovereignty’s rival headed next?

The Haskell Stakes winner 2025 is pulling up hard in the practice sessions at the Saratoga Race Course. On August 16, he went about his 2nd workout since the July 19 Haskell win, covering four furlongs in 48:00 compared to the 48.40 on August 9. That clearly shows how ready Journalism is. But still, the trainer, Michael McCarthy, and co-owner Aron Wellman are yet to lift the lid on which field he’ll be taking next. That being said, the possibilities can be boiled down to two choices.

While the three-year-old’s win in the Haskell Stakes earned him an all-expenses-paid berth in the Breeders’ Cup, the more immediate options are the Pennsylvania Derby or the Pacific Classic. And it seems like Wellman and team might be leaning a bit towards the latter.

Wellman described it as “possible” when asked if Journalism’s next start would be the $1 million Pacific Classic (G1) on August 30. Still, he cautioned that nothing has been finalized. “Yeah, absolutely. But as we’ve tried to maintain throughout his campaign, we want to make sure that we’re being responsible to the horse, first and foremost, to our partners,” he explained. He then stressed the importance of the team protecting its credibility in the industry, noting that they want to avoid making a statement they might later have to retract. With time still on their side, he added, “We’ve got the luxury of taking this extra week to decide whether the Pacific Classic will be his next stop or not.” For now, it’s wait and watch.