Sovereignty beats Journalism in 151st Kentucky Derby during final stretch
Sovereignty beats Journalism in 151st Kentucky Derby during final stretch originally appeared on NBC Sports Philadelphia
Sovereignty has defeated Journalism…in horse racing.
The 151st Kentucky Derby has been won by Sovereignty, pulling away from Journalism right at the death.
Baeza claimed third in a race where Citizen Bull, a Bob Baffert horse, and Neoequos led for most of the early stages until the final turn.
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In front of a Derby-audience record 147,406, Journalism made a significant push to lap the field upon the final turn, but Sovereignty matched the output before extending the lead at the finish line.
Journalism had been the betting favorite for most of the build up to the Derby, including the day of. Sandman entered with the second best odds and was deemed 'America's Pick,' while Luxor Cafe of Japan rounded out the top three.
Junior Alvarado of Venezuela, Sovereignty's trainer, was full of joy after winning his first Derby.
'It means the world to me. My family's here. I thought I had a great chance,' Alvarado told NBC Sports after the race. Alvarado also thanked his parents and told them he loves them in Spanish.
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William Mott, the 71-year-old trainer of Sovereignty, earned his third win in the triple crown races. He first won the 2010 Belmont Stakes with Drosselmeyer, then earned his first Derby win in 2019 with Country House.
Final Gambit and Owen Almighty rounded out the top five on the leaderboard, while Sandman settled for seventh.
The race featured a $5 million purse for the second year running, with the winner, Sovereignty, collecting $3.1 million. Second-place Journalism still secured a $1 million prize.
Soggy weather ended up affecting the typical pristine conditions for the 1 1/4 mile race. Thirteen horses in the Derby, including Journalism, hadn't competed on a wet track. Coal Battle previously went 2-for-2 in such races, while Luxor Cafe had a 3-for-4 mark.
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Neoequos and American Promise also had at least one win on a wet track. The last wet track at Churchill Downs was 2019, marking deja vu for Mott.
Bob Baffert, who returned to the venue after a three-year suspension, had one horse, Rodriguez, scratched a few days before the race. But he still had Citizen Bull, a near-top-5 betting favorite, as another representative in the field.
Last year's 150th Derby came down to a thrilling photo finish, where Mystik Dan narrowly outpaced Sierra Leone and Forever Young.
Sovereignty will now look forward to the Preakness Stakes on May 17 in the bid for the triple crown, where his team will assess after the race whether he will compete.
The last horse to win all three races of the triple crown, which includes the Belmont Stakes, was Justify in 2018.
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