Sovereignty scratched from Breeders Cup Classic after fever

DEL MAR, Calif. — Sovereignty, the Kentucky Derby and Belmont Stakes winner who entered the Breeders Cup Classic as the race-day favorite, was scratched Wednesday after developing a fever, trainer Bill Mott announced, removing the early favorite from Saturday’s 7 million Classic at Del Mar and reshaping the race’s championship picture.

Mott said Sovereignty spiked a temperature after shipping west and that the colt was otherwise bright but would not run unless he was “100 percent.” “We’re going to scratch,” Mott said Wednesday. The decision ends a four-race winning streak that included the Kentucky Derby, Belmont Stakes, the Jim Dandy and the Travers, and removes the leading Horse of the Year candidate from the centerpiece event of Breeders Cup weekend.

Sovereignty had worked at Del Mar on Monday, going four furlongs in 49.8 seconds after returning to the track following earlier breezes at Saratoga. Mott and his staff had monitored the colt closely; assistant trainer Neil Poznansky said the work felt like an open gallop and that the team was pleased with how Sovereignty had been moving before the fever developed. Mott added that no final decision had been made on whether...