DEL MAR — It was late Monday afternoon when Bill Mott’s assistant phoned with the news no trainer wants to hear.

Our horse has a fever.

Not just any horse, but the headline horse of 2025: Sovereignty, winner of the Kentucky Derby, Belmont and Travers, the heavy favorite for Horse of the Year and the 6-5 morning-line pick in Saturday’s $7 million Breeders’ Cup Classic at Del Mar.

“As of right now, there’s a possibility that he won’t make the race on Saturday,” Mott said Tuesday morning.

Mott said the colt had a “slightly elevated temperature” through the night and into early Tuesday. He was given medication around 6 a.m. and by 8, Mott said Sovereignty’s temperature was normal.

Later Tuesday morning, after spending time observing Sovereignty at the barn, Mott added: “It’s really bad ti

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