LOUISVILLE, Ky. — Sovereignty’s Kentucky Derby victory in the muck at Churchill Downs sparked curiosity about whether the 3-year-old colt can build on his signature win while racing on a possibly drier, faster surface on the Triple Crown trail.
The question now is whether that test will come sooner or later, and there was no clear answer Sunday, the day after jockey Junior Alvarado rode Sovereignty to victory in the 151st edition of the “Run for the Roses” on a track made sloppy by a rainy weekend in Louisville.
Bill Mott, the U.S. Racing Hall of Fame trainer who handles Sovereignty for ownership group Godolphin LLC, didn’t sound like someone preparing Sovereignty for a trip to Baltimore to run in the 150th Preakness Stakes on May 17 at Pimlico Race course. Mott offered a cautious approach instead, mentioning a small scrape on Sovereignty’s right front pastern — likely the result of clipping heels with another horse coming out of the gate — although he said it wasn’t serious.
“The great thing about the Triple Crown is that not many horses are able to do it,” Mott said. “I believe that he’s a big, strong horse, and if you’re ever going to look at one and say, OK, if that’s your goal and the goal of the owner, it’s still in the best interest of the horse. But we’re going to look long term.”
Only 13 horses have won the Triple Crown by finishing first in the Kentucky Derby, Preakness Stakes and Belmont Stakes dating to 1919, when Sir Barton became the first. Justify in 2018 was the most recent Triple Crown champion, and there have been some major gaps. Citation became the eighth in 1948, but it was 1973 when Secretariat became No. 9. That was soon followed by Seattle Slew in 1977 and Affirmed in 1978 — the first time back-to-back years yielded Triple Crown winners — but then three-plus decades passed before American Pharoah joined the club in 2015.
The immediate futures for horses who finished just behind Sovereignty or skipped Saturday’s Kentucky Derby altogether remained muddy as well.
Bob Baffert, who trained both American Pharoah and Justify and shares the record for most Kentucky Derby wins with six, returned to Churchill Downs this year after a suspension by the track led to him missing the past three Triple Crown openers. He came to Louisville with two entries but on Thursday scratched Wood Memorial winner Rodriguez, pointing him toward the Preakness Stakes rather than Citizen Bull, who finished 15th on Saturday. Todd Pletcher, a fellow Hall of Fame trainer, scratched his lone Kentucky Derby entrant, Grande, on Friday.
There’s also a large group of hopefuls who earned points during qualifying for the Kentucky Derby and could take part in one or both of the other races on the Triple Crown trail.
The Preakness Stakes is the shortest race of the three at 1 3/16 miles, but its quick two-week turnaround from the 1 1/4-mile Kentucky Derby often gives pause for trainers and ownership groups. With the Belmont Stakes set for June 7, that race is viewed by many as a preferred option.
That final jewel of the Triple Crown is taking place at Saratoga Race Course in upstate New York for a second consecutive year as renovations continue downstate at Elmont’s Belmont Park. It will be the same distance as the Kentucky Derby because of the shape of the track instead of its traditional 1 1/2-miles.
Redemption might be in order for Kentucky Derby runner-up Journalism, who fell short as the 3-1 favorite. Trainer Michael McCarthy said in a news release that “we’ve got no complaints” and praised his colt’s effort to rally into the lead briefly before Sovereignty, the 7-1 third choice, overtook him in the stretch and won by 1 1/2 lengths.
“With a field this size in a race like this, it’s all about the trip,” McCarthy said. “It didn’t quite work out the way we hoped, but he ran a good race against a good horse.”
Baeza, who gained entry to the field after Rodriguez was scratched, finished third, but trainer John Shirreffs pointed to the Belmont Stakes for his California-based horse. Final Gambit charged from last to finish fourth among 19 horses, and trainer Brad Cox said that “gives us confidence to try a fast dirt surface in the future.”
Mott and Godolphin representative Michael Banahan expressed the same faith in Sovereignty for his next step.
The newest Kentucky Derby champion emerged briefly on the shed row for media and onlookers Sunday, and his handlers felt good about the horse’s initial condition. They plan to watch him the next few days before making a decision about the immediate part of his bright future.
While the Triple Crown draws in even casual horse racing fans, the annual calendar for thoroughbreds goes deep into the year, with the Breeders’ Cup not until the fall.
“We’re just doing the right thing for the horse, what he needs to do,” Banahan said. “He has a big year, hopefully to continue down the road here. There’s an awful lot of nice races that you’d like to put on his resumé as well. So we’re just doing the right thing for him.”