The first Triple Crown race of 2025 took place on Saturday with Sovereignty winning the Kentucky Derby. Sovereignty came through in very muddy conditions at Churchill Downs and won as a 5-1 underdog.
After the first quarter mile, Sovereignty was not even in the top six, as Citizen Bull was in the lead. But down the stretch, it became a two horse as the two favourites were in control. It was Sovereignty that had more left in the tank as he beat Journalism, which was the 3-1 favourite, by one and a half lengths.
It was actually a tough start for Sovereignty as it appeared he clipped heals with Chunk of Gold coming out of the gate according to Jody Demling of WLXY. The contact seemed to get him off to slow start, but still in striking distance of the contenders.
Who were the trainer and jockey for Sovereignty?
Sovereignty’s trainer was 71-year-old William I. Mott of Mobridge, South Dakota. This was Mott’s third American Classic victory. He previously won the 2010 Belmont Stakes with Drosselmeyer as the horse and the 2019 Kentucky Derby with Country House as the horse. Interestingly, Country Horse was the last horse to win on a sloppy track at the Kentucky Derby seven years ago. Meanwhile, this was the first American Classic victory for jockey Junior Alvarado of Maracaibo, Venezuela.
Solid crowd despite bad weather
There were 147,406 spectators in attendance. That was an impressive crowd number when you consider the fact the weather was poor.
Third notable victory in his career
Sovereignty has come through with two victories before. The horse won the Street Sense Stakes handily by five lengths at Churchill Downs on October 27, 2024, and then the 2025 Florida Derby. Alvarado was the jockey when Sovereignty won the Street Sense Stakes, and Manuel Franco of Carolina, Puerto Rico was the jockey when the horse won the Florida Derby.
