DEL MAR — When Sovereignty was declared out of the Breeders’ Cup Classic a few days ago because of a fever, people said it was too bad the best thoroughbred in America this year would miss the richest race of the season.

Now we’ll see what the horses say about that.

The $7 million Classic, main event of the two-day, 14-race Breeders’ Cup at Del Mar, gives a solid handful of other horses a chance to join Sovereignty in laying claim to the 2025 North American Horse of the Year title that will be decided by a vote of reporters and racing officials in January.

California-based Journalism, second to Sovereignty among 3-year-olds so far, and 4-year-olds Fierceness, Sierra Leone and Mindframe have a chance to make a case to grab Horse of the Year away from Sovereignty by winning.

Fierceness,

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