Sovereignty, White Abarrio headline $2 million Stephen Foster nominations
A doubled purse turned the Stephen Foster into a star magnet, drawing Sovereignty, White Abarrio, Magnitude and Baeza for Churchill Downs' June 27 showdown.
A $2 million purse changed the Stephen Foster almost overnight. Churchill Downs’ 45th running on June 27 drew 17 nominations, and the list now looks less like a solid Grade 1 and more like a midseason summit for the older male division, with Sovereignty, White Abarrio, Magnitude and Baeza at the top of the page.
That quartet is the story. Sovereignty, the Kentucky Derby winner and reigning Horse of the Year, gives the race its most recognizable name. White Abarrio arrives with a Pegasus World Cup victory on his resume, Magnitude brings the cachet of a Dubai World Cup win, and Baeza adds another major stakes horse to the mix after taking the Pennsylvania Derby. The Stephen Foster is a Breeders’ Cup Challenge Series qualifier for the Breeders’ Cup Classic, so the money is only part of the draw. The race now functions as a direct launch point into the championship lane.
The purse jump, announced May 20, doubled the race from $1 million to $2 million, and the effect showed up immediately in the nomination list. Churchill Downs president Mike Anderson said the boost helps solidify closing weekend as a “must-see premier racing event,” and that is exactly what the Foster has become for horsemen trying to place their best older dirt horses. Magnitude’s recent five-furlong move in :59.20 at Churchill Downs kept him in the local conversation, while White Abarrio turned in a :46.80 drill at Gulfstream Park to stay on target. Sovereignty and Baeza, meanwhile, are both with Bill Mott at Saratoga Springs, New York, giving the race an Eastern-flavored edge even though the target is Louisville.
The June 27 card stretches well beyond the Foster itself. Stephen Foster Day includes seven stakes races worth $1.975 million in purses, with the $300,000 Blame Stakes serving as the local prep race. That preview day was inaugurated in 2020 to give horses a nearby stepping-stone into the blockbuster program, and it has now become part of the race’s identity. Churchill Downs also said Stephen Foster Day will host Gallop for Good, an online day of giving supporting Thoroughbred aftercare. The message is clear: the Foster is no longer just a rich summer race, it is one of the places where the older male division sorts itself out.
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