Sovereignty defeated a field of 18 rivals to win the 151st Kentucky Derby Saturday evening at Churchill Downs, despite damp circumstances.
Sovereignty started the race with 5-1 odds. Journalism, the big favorite heading into Saturday, finished second.
Sovereignty’s squad, which includes owner Godolphin, jockey Junior Alvarado, and trainer William Mott, will share $3.1 million in earnings, according to CBS Sports. The entire purse is approximately $5 million, which will be shared among the first five finishers.
Journalism encountered problems in the first turn, and jockey Umberto Rispoli shifted him to the outside. He and Sovereignty connected at the eighth pole before Sovereignty and jockey Junior Alvarado broke away.
The winner completed 1 1/4 miles in 2:02.31.
Baeza placed third, Final Gambit fourth, and Owen Almighty fifth.
Citizen Bull, the only entry for six-time Derby winner Bob Baffert, set the pace. Baffert returned for the first time after serving a three-year suspension from Churchill Downs after Medina Spirit finished first in 2021 and failed a postrace drug test.
Sovereignty entered as a strong contender, having finished second in March’s Florida Derby and winning the Fountain of Youth Stakes earlier that month, as well as the Street Sense Stakes in October.
Mott won his first Derby in 2019, which was also run on a soggy track. Country House was promoted to first when Maximum Security crossed the finish line first but was disqualified after a 22-minute delay.
This time, Mott was confident that his 3-year-old colt had earned the rose garland.
“This one got there the right way,” Mott remarked. “I mean, he is done well, he is a great horse, he comes from a great organization and I can not say enough about the horse and the organization that started him out and made this happen.”
Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, the ruler of Dubai, owns Godolphin Racing.
The sheikh had a very eventful weekend. On Friday, his filly Good Cheer won the Kentucky Oaks, and early Saturday, Ruling Court, a son of 2018 Triple Crown champion Justify, won the 2,000 Guineas in Britain.
Rain drizzled intermittently throughout the day, and the 60-degree temperature made it feel cold for both horses and humans. That did not deter fans from gambling, drinking, eating, smoking, and shopping for souvenirs.
