Sovereignty won in a rainy 151st edition of the Kentucky Derby, coming around the outside to edge out the race favorite. Journalism, the 3-1 favorite, held on for second in the slop on Saturday.
Sovereignty had 7-1 odds entering the race. The 3-year-old colt splashed through 1.25 miles in 2:02.31 to earn the garland of roses. Baeza — who got into the race on Friday after another horse was scratched — took third.
Final Gambit was fourth and Owen Almighty finished fifth.
On Saturday afternoon, it was 58 degrees and cloudy, and a downpour of rain made for murky conditions at Churchill Downs. There were two scratches, but the remaining jockeys contested for a $3.1 million prize.
Journalism didn’t have the cleanest of trips in the 19-horse field, but still battled. He found trouble in the first turn and jockey Umberto Rispoli swung him to the outside to get him in the clear. Sovereignty and jockey Junior Alvarado followed them. The two colts hooked up at the eighth pole for a thrilling battle before Sovereignty pulled away.
Trainer Bill Mott won his first Derby in 2019, also run on a sloppy track, when Country House was elevated to first after Maximum Security crossed the finish line first and was disqualified after a 22-minute delay.
[MORE: Kentucky Derby winners: Complete list by year since 1875]
This time, he knew right away.
“This one got there the right way,” Mott said. “I mean, he’s done well, he’s a great horse, he comes from a great organization and I can’t say enough about the horse and the organization that started him out and made this happen.”
A race favorite hasn’t won the Derby since 2018, when Justify took the crown. Last year’s victor, Mystik Dan, held 18-1 odds heading into the race. In 2023, a 15-1 longshot, Mage, came out on top.
Here are some notable sports figures who attended this year’s event:
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
Want great stories delivered right to your inbox? Create or log in to your FOX Sports account, follow leagues, teams and players to receive a personalized newsletter daily!
Horse Racing
