Sovereignty wins Kentucky Derby on sloppy track

LOUISVILLE, Ky. -- Sovereignty took the 151st running of the Kentucky Derby at Churchill Downs on Saturday, winning the 1-1/4 mile race in 2:02.31 and beating the favorite Journalism down the stretch by 1-1/2 lengths.

The colt trained by Bill Mott broke from the 16th gate. Both he and Journalism, who broke at 3-1, stayed back early in the race as Citizen Bull led a brisk pace on the muddy track. The Bob Baffert-trained colt led the first half-mile in :46.23.

Ridden by Junior Alvarado, Sovereignty broke wide coming out of the final turn and was neck and neck with Journalism as they breezed past Owen Almighty coming into the stretch. Journalism, ridden by Umberto Rispoli, took the lead for a moment before Sovereignty, the 7-1 third choice, pulled away to win before a crowd of 147,046.

It was not the smoothest of starts for the Derby winner. Alvarado said Chunk of Gold, who broke to Sovereignty's right, cut in front and caused them to clip heels. While he feared his horse might have lost a shoe on an off track, he said he got Sovereignty to stay back. They were also able to get close to the rail, though they were well behind the leaders in the first turn.

Mott said that did not cause him any alarm and praised Alvarado for working quickly to get to the rail, adding that it's hard to win races like the Derby when you take both turns wide.

"Fortunately, there was a lot of speed in the race," Mott said. "I mean, it set up well for us because they had an honest pace. When you have a good pace, the field strings out a little bit more, and it offers you an opportunity to drop in once they line up a little bit. It gives the outside horses a chance, and that's what happened."

Rispoli said he was also saving ground for his horse, who broke from the seventh gate and had won his last four starts.

None of those, though, took place on the mud.

"I know most people are disappointed," Rispoli said. "On a fair track, I think I have the better horse."

The win is the first for Alvarado and owner Godolphin LLC in the classic race. It's the second for Mott, who won in 2019 with Country House after Maximum Security was bumped down for interference.

It also capped a big weekend for Godolphin at Churchill as the stable founded by Dubai ruler Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum also claimed Friday's Kentucky Oaks with Good Cheer.

Coming off a second-place finish in the Florida Derby at Gulfstream Park, Sovereignty paid $17.96, $7.50 and $5.58. Journalism paid $4.94 and $3.70. Baeza, who was not officially in the race until Thursday after Rodriguez was scratched, paid $8.38 to show.

Unlike Friday, when severe weather briefly came through the area around Churchill Downs and delayed races, including the running of the Oaks, there were no such issues on Saturday. However, steady rains on the cool spring day in Louisville did lead to a sloppy track.

--Steve Bittenbender, Field Level Media