Preakness: Sovereignty a no-go * The Racing Biz

Preakness: Sovereignty a no-go

The Biz
May 6, 2025

There will be no Triple Crown in 2025. Sovereignty, the winner of the Kentucky Derby May 3, will bypass the Preakness Stakes, the Middle Jewel of the Triple Crown.

Mike Rogers, executive vice president of 1/ST, which manages the Preakness, issued the following statement:

“We received a call today from trainer Bill Mott that Sovereignty will not be competing in the Preakness. Bill informed us they would point toward the Belmont Stakes.
“We extend our congratulations to the connections of Sovereignty and respect their decision. We continue to see the excitement building toward the milestone celebration of the 150^th Preakness Stakes, and we look forward to an incredible weekend of world-class racing and entertainment.”

Sovereignty, a homebred for Godolphin LLC trained by Hall of Famer Bill Mott, rallied from 16th, more than 13 lengths behind, to win the Derby by 1 1/2 lengths under a brilliant ride from jockey Junior Alvarado. It was his third win from six career starts and pushed his earnings to almost $3.7 million.

The Preakness has not typically been kind to that running style. Six of the 29 Kentucky Derby winners prior to this year rallied from 10 or more lengths behind after a half-mile to win and then ran in the Preakness. Those seven were a combined 0-for-6. And horses that closed from 10th or worse to win the Derby have been a combined 0-for-8 in the Middle Jewel during that same period.