Sovereignty Checks In at Saratoga: Four Furlongs, :49.40

Sovereignty, the reigning Horse of the Year, was back over Saratoga's training track Friday morning, breezing four furlongs in :49.40. The son of Into Mischief worked under the eye of trainer Bill Mott, who said afterward that the Breeders' Cup Classic remains the plan. It marked the champion's return to the work tab, the clearest sign yet that his fall campaign is moving forward on schedule. The breeze came over the training oval rather than Saratoga's main track, the customary way a horse's works build back toward raceday sharpness. For a colt carrying Horse of the Year honors into autumn, the number on the clock said as much as Mott's word: preparations for the Classic are underway.

With reporting from Thoroughbred Daily News.