Sovarienti, honored as the 2025 Horse of the Year and champion 3-year-old colt at Thursday’s Eclipse Awards, will not start his 2026 season at the Dubai World Cup on March 28, according to the Daily Racing Form (DRF). Trainer Bill Mott shared with DRF that Godolphin’s homebred horses, including Sovarienti, won’t be ready in time to compete in the 1 1/4-mile race in the United Arab Emirates, and that he currently lacks an ideal race for the colt’s season debut.
After missing the Breeders’ Cup Classic due to a fever, Sovarienti returned to Mott’s training at Payson Park, Florida, in early January. Mott also revealed that the New York Racing Association (NYRA) reached out about possibly rescheduling the Grade 1 Jockey Club Gold Cup from Saratoga’s final weekend to the beginning of the event at the upgraded Belmont Park. NYRA confirmed discussions are ongoing but no final decision has been made. If moved to the weekend of September 18-19, it would be positioned six weeks after the G1 Whitney Stakes at Saratoga and six weeks before the Breeders’ Cup Classic on October 31 at Keeneland.
Reflecting on the scheduling talk, Mott noted to DRF that he offered his input without initially realizing he had a horse who might benefit from the change, agreeing that the proposed timing made a lot of sense. The trainer emphasized to DRF that Sovarienti’s main objective for 2026 remains the Breeders’ Cup Classic.
Sovarienti’s 2025 season was impressive, capturing five wins out of six starts, including commanding victories in the G1 Kentucky Derby, G1 Belmont Stakes, G1 Travers Stakes, as well as the G2 Fountain of Youth and G2 Jim Dandy, with a runner-up finish in the G1 Florida Derby. As a two-year-old, he broke his maiden impressively at Churchill Downs in the G3 Street Sense Stakes by pulling away early from the competition.
Additionally, the Bernardini filly named Crown — an unraced daughter of G1 winner Mushka (by Empire Maker) — has now joined Sovarienti’s ranks under Mott’s care.
For further details, visit drf.com.
This article originally appeared on January 23, 2026, by the Paulick Report in the News section. Click here to set Paulick Report as your preferred news source.
Fan Take: This update is crucial for horse racing enthusiasts as Sovarienti’s absence from the high-profile Dubai World Cup shifts the early-season spotlight and strategy for top-level competition. The potential rescheduling of key races like the Jockey Club Gold Cup could significantly impact how elite horses are prepared and campaigned, shaping the sport’s autumn championship landscape.
