The third race of horse racing’s triple crown took place on Saturday. What we saw this past weekend was excellence once again from Sovereignty. In a near repeat result from the Kentucky Derby, Sovereignty beat Journalism to the finish line to win the Belmont Stakes.
How much did Sovereignty win by?
Sovereignty won at the Saratoga Race Course in Saratoga Springs, New York by three lengths. This was twice the amount that Sovereignty won last month. Sovereignty beat Journalism by one and a half lengths at the Kentucky Derby. Sovereignty’s trainer was William I. Mott of Mobridge, South Dakota, and Sovereignty’s jockey was Junior Alvarado of Maracaibo, Venezuela.
It was a strong start for Rodriguez who was the leader of the Belmont for a good portion of the race. This horse had a very recognizable trainer in Bob Baffert of Nogales, Arizona, who has won 17 triple crown races, and jockey Mike Smith of Dexter, New Mexico, who has won seven triple crown races. However down the final stretch, Rodriguez lacked the energy and strength to challenge Sovereignty and Journalism, and had to settle for fourth place.
Sovereignty makes history
According to Chelsea Hackbarth of Paulick Report, Sovereignty became the first horse to win the Kentucky Derby, intentionally skip the Preakness, and win the Belmont Stakes. When Sovereignty skipped the Preakness, many people questioned the decision and wondered if winning all three Triple Crown races had lost its lustre.
Did Journalism still have a better year than Sovereignty?
Sovereignty was recognized as the best three-year-old horse when he was the first horse to reach the Belmont finish line. However, one could still give Journalism high praise for competing in all three Triple Crown races (winning one race and finishing second in the other two). The question is do three top two finishes have more meaning in horse racing than two first place finishes. The answer is probably not, but it is worth to put that question out there.
