151st Kentucky Derby
1 1/4 miles · Dirt · Purse $5,000,000
Sovereignty
- Jockey
- Junior Alvarado
- Trainer
- Bill Mott
- Owner
- Godolphin
- Sire / Dam
- Into Mischief / Crowned (by Bernardini)
- Final Time
- 2:02.31
- Margin
- 1 1/2 lengths
- $2 Win Payout
- $17.96 (win, $2 ticket)
Top 3 Finishers
- 1stSovereignty— Junior Alvarado · Bill Mott
- 2ndJournalism— Umberto Rispoli · Michael McCarthy
- 3rdBaeza— Flavien Prat · John Shirreffs
Full Field
| Post | Horse | Jockey | Trainer | Final Odds |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Citizen Bull | Martin Garcia | Bob Baffert | 20-1 |
| 2 | Neoequos | Flavien Prat | Saffie Joseph Jr. | SCR |
| 3 | Final Gambit | Luan Machado | Brad Cox | 30-1 |
| 4 | Rodriguez | Mike Smith | Bob Baffert | SCR |
| 5 | American Promise | Nik Juarez | D. Wayne Lukas | 30-1 |
| 6 | Admire Daytona | Christophe Lemaire | Yukihiro Kato | 30-1 |
| 7 | Luxor Cafe | João Moreira | Noriyuki Hori | 15-1 |
| 8 | Journalism | Umberto Rispoli | Michael McCarthy | 3-1 |
| 9 | Burnham Square | Brian Hernandez Jr. | Ian Wilkes | 12-1 |
| 10 | Grande | John Velazquez | Todd Pletcher | 20-1 |
| 11 | Flying Mohawk | Joseph Ramos | D. Whitworth Beckman | 30-1 |
| 12 | East Avenue | Manny Franco | Brendan Walsh | 20-1 |
| 13 | Publisher | Irad Ortiz Jr. | Steve Asmussen | 20-1 |
| 14 | Tiztastic | Joel Rosario | Steve Asmussen | 20-1 |
| 15 | Render Judgment | Julien Leparoux | Ken McPeek | 30-1 |
| 16 | Coal Battle | Juan Vargas | Lonnie Briley | 30-1 |
| 17 | Sandman | Jose Ortiz | Mark Casse | 6-1 |
| 18 | Sovereignty🏆 | Junior Alvarado | Bill Mott | 7-2 |
| 19 | Chunk of Gold | Jareth Loveberry | Ethan West | 30-1 |
| 20 | Owen Almighty | Javier Castellano | Brian Lynch | 30-1 |
| 21 | Baeza | Flavien Prat | John Shirreffs | 12-1 |
How the Race Unfolded
The connections assembled for Godolphin Stable referred to the win as a family affair, with Godolphin racing manager Michael Banahan, trainer Bill Mott and jockey Junior Alvarado celebrating as kin after their triumph. It was the first Derby win from 13 tries for Sheikh Mohammed and his first finish in the top three.
Sovereignty is the fourth generation of horses Mott has trained from a female family that traces back to Alabama Stakes winner Lakeway. All were for different owners until Godolphin acquired Sovereignty's dam Crowned, sired by Godolphin homebred Bernardini.
"My first Derby memory is listening to the 1967 Derby in a pickup truck in Fort Pierce, S.D., never dreaming that I'd come to Kentucky let alone win races then win titles," Mott said. "And now to be sitting up here after winning the Kentucky Derby is like I've been shot into outer space."
Junior Alvarado, who was injured before the Florida Derby and missed riding Sovereignty in that race, knew he was on a rocket when the son of Into Mischief ranged into contention on the far turn while tracking favorite Journalism.
"When we hit the five-eighths pole he was ready to go, but I wanted to be patient," Alvarado said. "I didn't want other riders to know what I had. Then when we hit the three-eighths I was right behind Journalism. Once we turned for home, I put my horse in the clear and felt like we could get there. Then by the eighth pole I knew we had it won because my horse was still running hard."
Both Sovereignty and Journalism saved ground into the first turn, and Alvarado, Rispoli and Mott all noted that was a key to their top two performances. Owen Almighty made a brush to the front through three quarters in 1:10.78, but by the quarter pole the battle was joined to Sovereignty and Journalism.
The win was Mott's second Kentucky Derby victory — his first being 2019, when Country House was placed first via the disqualification of Maximum Security. He became the 19th trainer to win multiple Derbies, and was quick to note that this one felt different.
The win completed a Kentucky Oaks-Derby double for Godolphin, making it the first owner since Calumet in 1952 to sweep those races. Brad Cox trained Good Cheer to victory in the Oaks ahead of Sovereignty's Derby score.