2025 Pegasus World Cup (G1) winner White Abarrio, 2026 Dubai World Cup (G1) winner Magnitude, and 2025 Kentucky Derby Third-Place Finisher Baeza Also Part of a Blockbuster 7-Horse Field
STAMFORD, Conn. – June 24, 2026 – Sovereignty, reigning Horse of the Year and the 2025 Kentucky Derby winner, headlines NBC Sports’ live coverage of the star-studded Stephen Foster Stakes, a Breeders’ Cup Challenge Series race this Saturday, June 27, at 4:30 p.m. ET live on Peacock and NBCSN from Churchill Downs in Louisville, Ky. The winner of the $2 million race earns an automatic berth into this year’s $7 million Breeders’ Cup Classic.
Churchill Downs increased the Stephen Foster purse this year from $1 million to $2 million.
Saturday’s live coverage on Peacock and NBCSN, in conjunction with FanDuel TV, will also include the $275,000 American Derby (LS), $275,000 Bango (G3), and the $500,000 Wise Dan (G2).
Trained by Hall of Famer Bill Mott, Sovereignty returns to Churchill Downs for the first time since his 2025 Kentucky Derby victory. Also trained by Mott is Baeza, who was third behind Sovereignty in both the Kentucky Derby and Belmont Stakes last year. Other horses entered in the the 1 1/8-mile Stephen Foster are 2025 Pegasus World Cup (GI) and 2023 Breeders’ Cup Classic winner White Abarrio, who defeated Sovereignty in the Oaklawn Handicap (G2) this April, and Magnitude, winner of the Dubai World Cup (G1), who will be jockeyed by 2026 Kentucky Derby winner Jose Ortiz.
Coverage airing will also stream live Saturday at 4:30 p.m. ET on NBC Sports NOW, a free FAST channel on NBCSports.com and the NBC Sports app.
ABOUT BREEDERS’ CUP
Breeders’ Cup Limited administers the Breeders’ Cup World Championships, Thoroughbred racing’s year-end Championships, as well as the Breeders’ Cup Challenge Series: Win and You’re In, which provides automatic starting positions into the Championships races through partnerships with host countries around the globe, and the U.S.-based Dirt Dozen Bonus Series.
The 2026 Breeders’ Cup World Championships, featuring 14 Grade 1 Championship races run during a two-day festival worth more than $34 million in purses and awards, will be held Oct. 30-31 at Keeneland Race Course in Lexington, Ky., and the 2027 World Championships will be held Oct. 29-30 at Belmont Park in Elmont, N.Y. The Championships will be televised live by NBC Sports and FanDuel TV. Press releases appear on the Breeders’ Cup website, BreedersCup.com. You can also follow the Breeders’ Cup on social media.
NBC SPORTS AND HORSE RACING
NBC Sports is the exclusive home to the most important and prestigious events in horse racing, including the Kentucky Derby, Preakness Stakes, the Breeders’ Cup World Championships, Royal Ascot, and Pegasus World Cup Championship Invitational Series.
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