
Connections confirm Sovereignty will not take part in Preakness Stakes
Bill Mott's colt came out on top after a thrilling tussle with hot favourite Journalism at Churchill Downs on Saturday, providing Sheikh Mohammed's Godolphin operation with an elusive first victory in the 'The Run For The Roses'.
However, Mike Rogers, executive VP of 1/ST Racing, which operates the Preakness, said in a statement: 'We received a call today from trainer Bill Mott that Sovereignty will not be competing in the Preakness.
'We extend our congratulations to the connections of Sovereignty and respect their decision.'
Sovereignty's planned absence means the Preakness will take place at Pimlico on Saturday week without a true shot at the Triple Crown for the fifth time since Justify etched his name into racing history by becoming the 13th horse to land the Kentucky Derby, Preakness and Belmont Stakes in 2018.
It is understood Sovereignty could run in the Belmont, which takes place at Saratoga on June 7.
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Daily Mirror
9 hours ago
- Daily Mirror
Leading Derby 2025 hope Ruling Court forced out of £1.5m race by wet weather
The 2,000 Guineas winner was taken out of the race just 90 minutes before the big race over concerns that the ground would be too soft for the colt The Derby field suffered a major blow when leading hope Ruling Court was declared a non-runner 90 minutes before the race. Ruling Court, trained by Charlie Appleby for Godolphin, captured the 2,000 Guineas in May and was hotly fancied to make the leap up to a mile-and-a-half in the £1.5 million Betfred-sponsored contest. But Appleby had been concerned about rain at Epsom and ahead of a forecast heavy downpour he took the decision to scratch the colt. Just 24 hours earlier hot favourite Desert Flower, the 1,000 Guineas winner also trained by Appleby, could finish only third in the Oaks. On Saturday jockey William Buick returned from riding in the first race to report he was 'not happy with the ground' at Epsom. He was then seen in deep conversation with Appleby as they discussed whether to allow Ruling Court take his chance before the final decision was made, reducing the Derby field to 18 runners. 'The horse was in great nick but I said yesterday the ground was obviously a concern,' Appleby told ITV Racing. 'It rode generally good to soft here yesterday. We appreciate it was probably drying out over the course of the day. There was 3mm of rain overnight on open ground. 'We arrived here with an open mind and to let William ride in the first race. He felt it was riding good to soft ground and speaking to a few other jocks they were all on the same page. 'This horse, we know that stamina was an unknown for him. We felt, from what we saw in the Guineas on quick ground, and the way he quickened on the day, this was not going to be the ground for him over a testing mile and a half, bearing in mind we hopefully have a fruitful summer ahead with Royal Ascot and the Eclipse just around the corner. 'Needless to say we are disappointed not be able to run because of the conditions. I would imagine we will take a strong view of the St James's Palace Stakes and the Eclipse thereafter.' Appleby added that 'the combination of the ground and the track' contributed to Desert Flower's defeat. 'We felt from five out our filly was beaten. It wasn't something she was used to,' he said.

Rhyl Journal
a day ago
- Rhyl Journal
Appleby offers note of caution ahead of Ruling Court's Derby bid
Perhaps unsurprisingly given one is run over a straight mile and the second takes place over a turning mile and a half, few horses have landed the first two Classics of the British season, with only three managing to do so since the great Nijinsky completed the Triple Crown 45 years ago. Nashwan claimed Guineas and Derby glory in 1989, but it took a horse as brilliant as Sea The Stars two decades later to repeat the feat before Camelot did the same in 2012, after which he came up narrowly short in his Triple Crown quest in the St Leger. Appleby, who has trained two previous Derby winners in Masar (2018) and Adayar (2021), is hoping Ruling Court can etch his name into the history books, but said at Epsom on Friday: 'We're just on weather watch. There's not as much rain around – we were forecast showers this afternoon and it's been a lovely, drying day. 'We know what this track can do in these conditions, the horse is in great form and I'm looking forward to him running, (but) I will just highlight that if all of a sudden we get a deluge (of rain) and the ground becomes very testing, then conversations will have to be had during the build-up to the race over whether we participate or not. 'So there is a warning out there, but I think we'll be OK. It looks as though the weather has broken up a bit and the forecast tonight doesn't look as though it's going to be quite as severe as it was first forecast to be.' Like Masar, Ruling Court will be ridden by William Buick, who said: 'He's not too dissimilar from Masar. They have completely different pedigrees, but Masar was a good third in the Guineas and again went to Epsom having not run beyond a mile. They are not similar horses but have not too dissimilar profiles. 'Masar winning the Derby was the highlight of my career. I'd ridden in it enough before and been placed before and I thought I'd know how it would feel to win it, but it was an amazing day.' On whether his mount could be a Triple Crown contender, he added: 'I got asked about it before the Guineas and there were still three races to go! 'Ruling Court is heading into the most important race now. I'll answer the question after Saturday as I don't think I can answer it in a sensible way right now.' The biggest threat to Ruling Court appears to be Aidan O'Brien, who has saddled a record 10 Derby winners, including the last two and eight in the last 13 years. His chief hope this weekend appears to be Delacroix, who has impressed in winning the Ballysax Stakes and the Derby Trial at Leopardstown this spring and is the chosen mount of Ryan Moore. 'Everything has gone well with him, he's won his two trials and we always thought of him last year as a potential Derby horse,' said O'Brien. 'We've been very happy with both of his runs. We found out that he gets a strongly-run mile and a quarter and there's every chance that he will get a mile and a half. 'He has form on all types of ground and he's a big, powerful horse. We feel he has gone the right way every week really.' At the start of the year Delacroix's stablemate The Lion In Winter was at the head of ante-post lists for the Derby, but an interrupted spring campaign and defeat in the Dante at York have dented his reputation. 'He'd only the two runs as a two-year-old, winning his maiden at the Curragh and then winning the Acomb at York. The Acomb is over seven furlongs on a quick track and you're never sure, but we always thought that there was a strong possibility that he could (be a Derby horse),' O'Brien added. 'He's a good traveller, that's what he did in the Acomb and the Dante. I think Ryan was very happy with the way he travelled in the Dante, he travelled down the straight well and as he was getting ready to have a go he just got a little bit chopped and with a horse needing the run as badly as he did, that would be a big disadvantage to him. 'Everything has gone well since York and we couldn't have asked any more from him really.' The Ballydoyle handler's trio is completed by Chester Vase winner Lambourn, of whom he said: 'He had a lovely run first time and then he ran a lovely race in Chester. There's no doubt he looks like a horse that will stay further, he's straightforward and obviously he got the trip in Chester well. 'You couldn't be happier with him at Chester as we knew it would be plenty sharp enough for him, but he still coped with it and we're looking forward to seeing him run again.'


North Wales Chronicle
a day ago
- North Wales Chronicle
Appleby offers note of caution ahead of Ruling Court's Derby bid
Perhaps unsurprisingly given one is run over a straight mile and the second takes place over a turning mile and a half, few horses have landed the first two Classics of the British season, with only three managing to do so since the great Nijinsky completed the Triple Crown 45 years ago. Nashwan claimed Guineas and Derby glory in 1989, but it took a horse as brilliant as Sea The Stars two decades later to repeat the feat before Camelot did the same in 2012, after which he came up narrowly short in his Triple Crown quest in the St Leger. Appleby, who has trained two previous Derby winners in Masar (2018) and Adayar (2021), is hoping Ruling Court can etch his name into the history books, but said at Epsom on Friday: 'We're just on weather watch. There's not as much rain around – we were forecast showers this afternoon and it's been a lovely, drying day. 'We know what this track can do in these conditions, the horse is in great form and I'm looking forward to him running, (but) I will just highlight that if all of a sudden we get a deluge (of rain) and the ground becomes very testing, then conversations will have to be had during the build-up to the race over whether we participate or not. 'So there is a warning out there, but I think we'll be OK. It looks as though the weather has broken up a bit and the forecast tonight doesn't look as though it's going to be quite as severe as it was first forecast to be.' Like Masar, Ruling Court will be ridden by William Buick, who said: 'He's not too dissimilar from Masar. They have completely different pedigrees, but Masar was a good third in the Guineas and again went to Epsom having not run beyond a mile. They are not similar horses but have not too dissimilar profiles. 'Masar winning the Derby was the highlight of my career. I'd ridden in it enough before and been placed before and I thought I'd know how it would feel to win it, but it was an amazing day.' On whether his mount could be a Triple Crown contender, he added: 'I got asked about it before the Guineas and there were still three races to go! 'Ruling Court is heading into the most important race now. I'll answer the question after Saturday as I don't think I can answer it in a sensible way right now.' The biggest threat to Ruling Court appears to be Aidan O'Brien, who has saddled a record 10 Derby winners, including the last two and eight in the last 13 years. His chief hope this weekend appears to be Delacroix, who has impressed in winning the Ballysax Stakes and the Derby Trial at Leopardstown this spring and is the chosen mount of Ryan Moore. 'Everything has gone well with him, he's won his two trials and we always thought of him last year as a potential Derby horse,' said O'Brien. 'We've been very happy with both of his runs. We found out that he gets a strongly-run mile and a quarter and there's every chance that he will get a mile and a half. 'He has form on all types of ground and he's a big, powerful horse. We feel he has gone the right way every week really.' At the start of the year Delacroix's stablemate The Lion In Winter was at the head of ante-post lists for the Derby, but an interrupted spring campaign and defeat in the Dante at York have dented his reputation. 'He'd only the two runs as a two-year-old, winning his maiden at the Curragh and then winning the Acomb at York. The Acomb is over seven furlongs on a quick track and you're never sure, but we always thought that there was a strong possibility that he could (be a Derby horse),' O'Brien added. 'He's a good traveller, that's what he did in the Acomb and the Dante. I think Ryan was very happy with the way he travelled in the Dante, he travelled down the straight well and as he was getting ready to have a go he just got a little bit chopped and with a horse needing the run as badly as he did, that would be a big disadvantage to him. 'Everything has gone well since York and we couldn't have asked any more from him really.' The Ballydoyle handler's trio is completed by Chester Vase winner Lambourn, of whom he said: 'He had a lovely run first time and then he ran a lovely race in Chester. There's no doubt he looks like a horse that will stay further, he's straightforward and obviously he got the trip in Chester well. 'You couldn't be happier with him at Chester as we knew it would be plenty sharp enough for him, but he still coped with it and we're looking forward to seeing him run again.'