Sovarienti, one of Japan’s top horses, will not run in the $7 million Breeders’ Cup Classic this week after developing a fever. The winner of the , Belmont Stakes and Travers Stakes will recover, but it is unclear whether he will race again.
The trainer made the announcement Wednesday morning, informing Breeders’ Cup officials of the injury.
“I actually started thinking, ‘Maybe we’ll be OK,’ but then within hours my optimism was dashed,” Mott said. “He had a really mild fever, so when we gave him medication right away, he was acting normal. I might actually be looking at it through rose-colored glasses.”
On Wednesday morning, Sovereignty was sitting upright in his stall eating hay and showed no apparent signs of discomfort.
“We’ve had a successful year with this horse,” Mott said.
He was diagnosed with a fever on Monday and was treated with an NSAID similar to Tylenol. Antibiotics could not be given at the time because it would likely cause the patient to fail a drug test. On Tuesday, Mott said he had a 50-50 chance of running.
“If we don’t think he’s 100 percent, he won’t run in the Breeders’ Cup Classic,” Mott said Tuesday.
After the first treatment, the temperature returned to normal, but it rose again overnight.
Sovereignty was the biggest star of the 42nd Breeders’ Cup and was named the 6-5 favorite to win the Classic.
Mr. Mott and his owner, Mr. Godolphin, were very cautious about this sovereignty. After he won the Kentucky Derby, his connections elected not to run him in the Preakness since it was only two weeks after the Derby. Horse racing is a fading brand in the sport, and a potential Triple Crown winner could give the sport the shot it desperately needs.
It has not yet been determined whether the stallion will return to racing next year or retire as a stud.
