logo
Sovereignty edges Journalism to win 151st Kentucky Derby at rain-soaked Churchill Downs

Sovereignty edges Journalism to win 151st Kentucky Derby at rain-soaked Churchill Downs

NBC Sports03-05-2025

Sovereignty won the 151st Kentucky Derby Saturday at a sloppy Churchill Downs.
At 9-1, fourth when the betting windows closed, the 3-year-old colt edged pre-race favorite Journalism.
Jockey Junior Alvarado won his first Derby while owner Bill Mott notched his second. However, it's the first time one of Mott's horses has been first to cross the finish line as Country House prevailed in 2019 after Maximum Security was disqualified for an in-race foul.
It also completes the career Triple Crown for owner and Godolphin founder Sheikh Mohammed, the Eclipse Award winner for Outstanding Owner each of the last five years, whose horses previously won the Preakness (2006, Bernardini, Sovereignty's maternal grandfather) and the Belmont (2021, Essential Quality).
Next up is the Preakness Stakes, May 17 at Pimlico Race Course in Baltimore, Maryland, for which the field is still to be determined. Justify, the most recent pre-race favorite to capture the Derby, is also the most recent horse to win each of the sport's three crown jewels in the same year (2018).
This story will be updated.

Orange background

Try Our AI Features

Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:

Comments

No comments yet...

Related Articles

Report: £4million Liverpool Defender Set to Join EFL Championship Side
Report: £4million Liverpool Defender Set to Join EFL Championship Side

Yahoo

time7 hours ago

  • Yahoo

Report: £4million Liverpool Defender Set to Join EFL Championship Side

Liverpool Defender Nat Phillips Attracting Championship Suitors as Exit Looms Liverpool centre-back Nat Phillips is once again at the centre of summer transfer speculation, with The Athletic reporting that the Reds are fielding 'strong interest' in the 28-year-old from Championship clubs. Chief among the interested parties is West Bromwich Albion, with Derby County also making their intentions clear to retain the defender after his successful loan stint. Advertisement Despite some reports mistakenly suggesting Phillips would be a free agent on July 1, his contract actually runs until 2026. However, with no place in Arne Slot's Premier League-winning plans, Liverpool appear ready to sanction a permanent departure. Phillips' stock remains high in the second tier following an impressive season at Pride Park. Derby boss John Eustace summed up the club's stance simply: 'We'd like to keep him for sure.' West Brom and Derby Lead Transfer Chase West Brom's interest is particularly significant. The Midlands club finished ninth last season and have turned to Ryan Mason in a bid to lead a renewed push for promotion. With Semi Ajayi released and defensive reinforcement a priority, Phillips has emerged as a prime candidate. Photo: IMAGO Liverpool's stance on a transfer fee could prove pivotal. Last summer, they rejected a £4 million bid from Trabzonspor, reportedly holding out for a figure closer to £8 million. Whether they remain as firm this time around could determine whether Derby, West Brom or any other suitor can complete a deal. Long-Term Questions Over Contract Strategy Phillips' current contract was awarded after his pivotal role in Liverpool's injury-ravaged 2020-21 season. With all senior centre-backs out, he and Rhys Williams helped the Reds secure Champions League qualification, a feat many thought impossible at the time. Advertisement However, both defenders were given long-term deals that now appear overly optimistic in hindsight. As The Athletic observed, 'the decision to hand the pair new deals… has been criticised as overly loyal.' Loan spells at Bournemouth, Celtic, Cardiff and Derby have brought in modest fees for Liverpool — including £1.75 million from Bournemouth alone — and helped offset wages. But the reality is Phillips has remained a peripheral figure. Opportunity for Stability and Regular Football Now 28, Phillips is at a stage in his career where regular football and stability outweigh the prestige of a Premier League contract. He has never agitated for a move, yet the club's strategy has kept him in limbo far too long. A permanent move this summer would serve all parties best. Advertisement While Liverpool prepare to wave goodbye to seven academy players in June, they are also expected to listen to offers for other fringe talents including Calvin Ramsay, Owen Beck and Kaide Gordon. After years of short-term solutions, Phillips deserves clarity over his future — and clubs like West Brom and Derby are offering him exactly that. Our View – Anfield Index Analysis From a fan's perspective, there's admiration and sympathy in equal measure for Nat Phillips. He's never been the most glamorous name on the team sheet, but his performance during the 2020-21 crisis remains etched in Liverpool folklore. That season, alongside Rhys Williams, he epitomised heart and commitment. 'Against the odds' doesn't even come close. Advertisement The frustration lies in how he's been handled since. Loan after loan, each productive in its own right, yet never leading to a real breakthrough or permanent exit. It's felt like career purgatory. At 28, he deserves better. Financially, Liverpool have eked out value through loan fees and wage coverage. But there's a bigger conversation to be had about how fringe players are managed. Holding out for £8 million last summer may have been too rigid, and could well have deterred suitors. Under Arne Slot's modern, progressive system, there's simply no room for Phillips. His aerial strength and old-school defending have value in the Championship, and both West Brom and Derby would be lucky to have him. The time has come for the club to do right by a loyal servant. Let him go, price reasonably, and wish him well. He's earned it.

Today in Sports - Chicago Bulls win their first NBA championship, Michael Jordan named series MVP
Today in Sports - Chicago Bulls win their first NBA championship, Michael Jordan named series MVP

San Francisco Chronicle​

time9 hours ago

  • San Francisco Chronicle​

Today in Sports - Chicago Bulls win their first NBA championship, Michael Jordan named series MVP

June 12 1920 — Man o' War wins the Belmont Stakes, which was run at 1 3/8-miles, in 2:14 1/5. He shatters the world record by 3 1/5 seconds and sets the American dirt-course record for that distance. 1930 — Max Schmeling beats Jack Sharkey on a fourth-round foul for the vacant heavyweight title in New York. Schmeling becomes the first German — and European — heavyweight world champion. 1939 — Byron Nelson wins the U.S. Open in a three-way playoff with Craig Wood and Denny Shute. 1948 — Citation, ridden by Eddie Arcaro, wins the Belmont Stakes and the Triple Crown with an eight-length victory over Better Self. It's Arcaro's second Triple Crown. He rode Whirlaway in 1941. 1948 — Ben Hogan wins the U.S. Open with a record 276, five fewer than Ralph Guldahl's 1937 record. 1954 — Milwaukee Braves spot starting pitcher Jim Wilson throws first no-hitter in history of County Stadium when he blanks Philadelphia Phillies, 2-0. 1979 — Bobby Orr becomes the youngest player in NHL history to be selected for the Hockey Hall of Fame. The 31-year-old is inducted months after officially ending his NHL career as the Hall waives its usual three-year waiting period. 1981 — Larry Holmes stops Leon Spinks in the third round for the WBC heavyweight title in Detroit. 1983 — Patty Sheehan wins the LPGA championship by two strokes over Sandra Haynie. 1984 — 38th NBA Championship: Boston Celtics beat LA Lakers, 4 games to 3, to win the championship title. 1990 — Egypt, a 500-1 shot, stuns the Netherlands when Magdi Abdel-Ghani makes a penalty kick with eight minutes remaining to tie the World Cup favorites 1-1. 1991 — The Chicago Bulls win the first NBA championship in the team's 25-year history with a 108-101 victory in Game 5 over the Los Angeles Lakers. MVP Michael Jordan scores 30 points, Scottie Pippen has 32 and John Paxson 20. 2002 — NBA Finals: Los Angeles Lakers beat New Jersey Nets, 113-107 for a 4-0 sweep and 3rd straight title; MVP: Shaquille O'Neal for 3rd consecutive Finals series. 2005 — Annika Sorenstam closes with a 1-over 73 for a three-shot victory over Michelle Wie in the LPGA Championship. The 15-year-old Wie shoots a 69 to finish second. It's the highest finish by an amateur in a major since 20-year-old Jenny Chuasiriporn lost a playoff to Se Ri Pak in the 1998 U.S. Women's Open. 2008 — The Boston Celtics overcome a 24-point deficit and beat the Los Angeles Lakers 97-91 to take a commanding 3-1 lead in the NBA finals. No team has ever overcome more than a 15-point deficit after the first quarter, and the Celtics post the biggest comeback in the finals since 1971. 2009 — Pittsburgh's Max Talbot scores two second-period goals as the Penguins beat the defending champion Detroit Red Wings 2-1 in Game 7 and win the Stanley Cup at Detroit's Joe Louis Arena. 2011 — The Dallas Mavericks win their first NBA title by winning Game 6 of the finals in Miami, 105-95. Jason Terry scores 27 points and Dirk Nowitzki adds 21 as the Mavericks win four of the series' last five games. 2013 — Andrew Shaw scores on a deflection in triple overtime to lift the Chicago Blackhawks to a 4-3 victory over the Boston Bruins in a riveting Game 1 of the Stanley Cup finals. The Blackhawks gets third-period goals from Dave Bolland and Oduya to erase a 3-1 deficit. 2016 — Sidney Crosby sets up Kris Letang's go-ahead goal midway through the second period and the Pittsburgh Penguins win the fourth Stanley Cup in franchise history by beating the San Jose Sharks 3-1 in Game 6 of the Stanley Cup final. 2017 — Kevin Durant caps his spectacular first season with the Warriors by bringing home an NBA championship. Durant, who joined Golden State last July, scores 39 points in a finals-clinching 129-120 victory over LeBron James and the Cleveland Cavaliers. 2019 — Stanley Cup Final, TD Garden, Boston, MA: St. Louis Blues beat Boston Bruins, 4-1 for a 4-3 series victory; first title in franchise history. 2021 — Danish soccer midfielder Christian Eriksen suffers an on-field cardiac arrest during a Euro 2020 match with Finland in Copenhagen. Eriksen is revived with a defibrillator and the game controversially continues with a 1-0 Finland win. _____

Sovereignty's Two Wins Presents A Golfers What If
Sovereignty's Two Wins Presents A Golfers What If

Forbes

timea day ago

  • Forbes

Sovereignty's Two Wins Presents A Golfers What If

The 2025 Triple Crown series is now in the history books and Sovereignty has left some feeling as if they just completed a round of golf. What in the world is that supposed to mean?… Let us expound. Sovereignty enjoyed a royal run in Kentucky Derby 151 With two extremely powerful runs, Sovereignty has captured both the Kentucky Derby and the Belmont Stakes. Unleashed like a locomotive at the top of the stretch at Churchill Downs and Saratoga Race Course, this hard-closing colt ran past the front runners with relative ease. That means he was victorious in the bookend jewels. But what about the middle gemstone, the Preakness? Well, he didn't run in that one thusly forgoing the opportunity to become the fourteenth Thoroughbred to win all three. Impressive efforts on both the the first Saturday in May and at New York's signature event has left horse racing fans and sports fans in general uttering that same two-word phrase lots of golfers (especially myself) use on a regular basis…What If… What if I hadn't sliced that ball into the woods…What if I hadn't hit the ball right into the water…twice…What if I had made that three-foot putt…And what if I only took one stroke to get out of the sand trap… Back to the more important what if and Sovereignty. His two performances against some of the best three-year-old males in the world in a five-week span speaks to his quality. There is no doubt he has the talent to be a Triple Crown champion, but what if you throw another mile and three sixteenths race into that five-week period? What if he ran back in two weeks, win or lose would it have affected his Belmont run? What if he had won the Preakness, would that have changed his Belmont opposition?… Just days after his scintillating Kentucky Derby score, the decision was made to skip the Preakness and instead ready for a run at Belmont glory. The powers that be with ownership group Godolphin and hall of fame trainer Bill Mott deliberated and decided it was about what was best for Sovereignty. Refusing to allow the pressures of the general public to persuade them, the decision was made and they stuck with the plan. On June 7, another huge effort from a runner that had rested for five weeks solidified Sovereignty as the real royalty of the three-year-old male division. At the same time, however, the big 'what ifs' began flying like lightning bugs on a hot summer night. So, how do we summarize? The Sovereignty situation should be treated much like a hacker's golf round. Far be it for anyone with my golfing abilities to question another's game. It's better to simply enjoy the good shot or two you have and maintain a 'next swing' mentality. The what ifs only drive you crazy and will not change the number you write on the scorecard (unless your pencil has an eraser). Sovereignty didn't run in the Preakness and time does not rewind itself. Obviously, his team understands the game as his Belmont performance speaks volumes. Godolphin is one of the winningest stables in the game and Bill Mott has won over 5,000 races. Let's revel in those two wonderful wins and think about that next swing when he toes the track again.

DOWNLOAD THE APP

Get Started Now: Download the App

Ready to dive into the world of global news and events? Download our app today from your preferred app store and start exploring.
app-storeplay-store