Sovereignty wins Belmont Stakes at Saratoga

SARATOGA SPRINGS – There were no what-ifs or regrets. Hall of Fame trainer Bill Mott, jockey Junior Alvarado of Garden City and Sovereignty’s connections will not spend the rest of their careers thinking they could have won the Triple Crown had they not skipped the Preakness.

In a near replay of the Kentucky Derby, Sovereignty overtook Journalism coming out of the final turn and outraced the Preakness winner down the stretch to win Saturday’s 157th running of the 11/4-mile Belmont Stakes at Saratoga Race Course by three lengths in 2:00.69. It was a fast track for the eight-horse field despite the heavy rain in the morning.

“If you leave the races out of it, it was what was the right thing to do for the horse?” said Michael Banahan, the director of bloodstock for Godolphin, which owns Sovereignty. “He ran a hard race in the Kentucky Derby (on May 3). We felt another five weeks between the Kentucky Derby and the Belmont was the right way to go for the horse. There’s races down the road we’d really like to win.”

“Fortunately, it worked out very well,” Mott said. “I’m sure we would have taken some criticism if he got beat today and we hadn’t run in the Preakness.”

Sovereignty, who broke from the second post with 5-2 odds, won the Kentucky Derby over Journalism by one and a half lengths. Journalism, the only horse to run all three legs of thoroughbred horse racing’s Triple Crown, then won the Preakness on May 17 by a half-length over Gosger.

“He’s a fantastic horse,” Journalism trainer Michael McCarthy said. “He’s done what very few horses can do, three races in five weeks. Triple Crown races: Second, first, second. Take nothing away from him. He’s very, very good.”

The Sovereignty-Journalism rivalry may continue at The Travers at Saratoga Race Course in August and November’s Breeders’ Cup Classic in Del Mar, California.

Journalism, who broke from post No. 7 as the 2-1 favorite, was in the main pack with Sovereignty until jockey Umberto Rispoli urged him to the lead coming through the final turn. Sovereignty didn’t allow his rival’s lead to last long.

“He broke very well today again like he’s been doing lately,” Alvarado said. “He put himself in a good spot. I was a little shocked how close. But how easily at the same time. He was doing everything. As a jockey, I was just very happy where I was. I was able to see where everybody was. I saw Journalism on the outside. I got to see Rodriguez right in front. I had eyes everywhere. I didn’t have too much ground (to make up) since I was close to the pace.

“Right when we were turning to home, I put him in the clear and gave him the cue to go. He was sensational today. Journalism ran a great race again. A horse that runs the Kentucky Derby and the Preakness and come back today, you give him a lot of credit for doing that. But today was Sovereignty’s day again.”

Rodriguez, a 7-1 shot breaking from the third post and 18-1 Uncaged, out of post No. 4, took the early lead then finished fourth and seventh, respectively.

Baeza, who went off at 7-2 from the sixth post, finished third.

But Sovereignty left no doubt he was the best horse this day.

“He came into the race in such great shape, similar to what he did coming into the Derby,” Banahan said. “He showed a lot more speed today and got Junior up into a good position.”

The decision by Sovereignty’s connections to skip the Preakness ensured a seventh straight year without a Triple Crown winner since Justify in 2018 became the 13th horse to win all three races. American Pharoah (2015) is the only other Triple Crown winner since 1978.

This marked the second straight year the Belmont Stakes has been run at Saratoga Race Course with Belmont Park undergoing a reconstruction. The Elmont racetrack is expected to re-open in September, 2026 so it’s considered a near-certainty next year’s Belmont Stakes will also be run at Saratoga.

The New York Racing Association is expected to soon formally announce plans for the 2026 Belmont Stakes.

By Andrew Gross

andrew.gross@newsday.comAGrossNewsday

Andrew Gross joined Newsday in 2018 to cover the Islanders. He began reporting on the NHL in 2003 and has previously covered the Rangers and Devils. Other assignments have included the Jets, St. John’s and MLB.