No Kentucky Derby winner Sovereignty in Preakness highlights some philosophical horse racing changes
Associated Press
Just a few days after winning the Kentucky Derby, Sovereignty was ruled out of running in the Preakness Stakes.
It is the second time in four years the owner and trainer of the Derby champion opted to skip the Preakness in favor of the Belmont Stakes in June. Rich Strike also bypassed the Preakness in 2022 after winning at Churchill Downs at odds of 80-1.
Country House did not run in 2019 because of illness after getting elevated to Derby winner when Maximum Security was disqualified for interference, the races were run out of order in 2020 and Medina Spirit ran and finished third in the 2021 Preakness after being DQed from his first-place finish in the Derby for a positive drug test.
That means this is the fifth time in seven years that the Preakness gates open at Pimlico Race Course in Baltimore without even a chance at a Triple Crown. That was only the case once in the previous 33 years from to 1986-2018, and that happened because a horse was retired because of injury after taking the Run for the Roses. Why is this happening?
Horse racing has changed from its heyday, when stars of the sport like War Admiral, Secretariat and Seattle Slew were used to running every couple of weeks. Breeding, money and other factors have changed that, and the top 3-year-old horses eligible for the Triple Crown race far less often, with bigger stretches in between.
'Most trainers hate running their horses back in two weeks,' NBC Sports analyst Randy Moss said. 'They feel like it's bad for the horses.'
Beginning in the early 21st century, many of the Derby horses who finish between second and 20th started getting more rest to wait five weeks for the Belmont. It was essentially automatic that the Derby winner would go, though not anymore.
'The trainers of Derby winners that do run back in the Preakness do it out of a sense of tradition — not because they like it,' Moss said.
Sovereignty's Bill Mott made that clear the morning after his horse passed Journalism down the stretch in the mud at Churchill Downs with a record audience watching, casting doubt on the Preakness.
'We want to do what's best for the horse,' Mott told reporters in Louisville, Kentucky, on Sunday. 'Of course, you always think about a Triple Crown, and that's not something we're not going to think about.' Does something need to change?
The debate has been raging for decades about horses not being able to handle the grind of three premier races over a span of five weeks. That was primarily because no one swept the Triple Crown between Affirmed in 1978 and American Pharoah in 2015, a 37-year drought that made industry stakeholders question tradition versus modern-day changes.
Justify doing it in 2018 to give the sport a pair of Triple Crown champions in four years quieted that talk. The recent uncertainty about Derby winners going to the Preakness reignited the chatter.
Prominent owner Mike Repole shared a proposal on social media Tuesday that would move the Belmont up to second in the rotation and shift the Preakness back to provide more spacing. Others have suggested moving the Preakness back to the first Saturday in June and the Belmont to the first Saturday in July. What is the solution?
No one really knows. And does there need to be seismic change like the pitch clock in baseball?
Maybe, maybe not. After all, the previous two Derby winners — Mystik Dan last year and Mage in 2023 — wheeled back after two weeks to finish in the money at the Preakness.
They didn't win, but their trainers wanted to give it a shot. And Bob Baffert-trained American Pharoah and Justify completing the Triple Crown showed it was possible.
'We'll see Triple Crown winners because there will occasionally be horses like American Pharoah and like Justify who are good enough to blow up any of the current thoughts about spacing,' Moss said.
And trainers who aren't worried about it. Baffert and 89-year-old fellow Hall of Famer D. Wayne Lukas have shown a willingness to go for it after winning the Derby — and even when they don't. Lukas intends to run American Promise in the Preakness after a 16th place finish in Kentucky.
Others have chosen to play it more safe, which, if that becomes the trend, puts the future of the Preakness in peril.
___
AP horse racing: https://apnews.com/hub/horse-racing
recommended
in this topic
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
an hour ago
- Yahoo
Lambourn storms to Derby triumph with 11th victory for Aidan O'Brien
'Everything in Ballydoyle is about Epsom,' Aidan O'Brien said on Saturday after the Derby, and perhaps a little superfluously, as Lambourn's 13-2 success in the colts' Classic had just sealed a clean sweep of the three Group One events at the meeting. Lambourn was not the first-string in the trainer's three-strong team – Delacroix, the 2-1 favourite with Ryan Moore in the saddle was only ninth – but like every other horse at the yard, he had been prepared like an Epsom horses from his first days at the yard. Like Minnie Hauk, Friday's Oaks winner, he had also been sent to Chester's May meeting, where the undulations and turns are similar to those at Epsom, to complete his preparation for Saturday's race, and having been sent straight into the lead by Wayne Lordan, his jockey, he gained another length or two on his field with a slick, assured passage down the hill and around Tattenham Corner. Advertisement Related: Lambourn wins the 2025 Derby in dominant fashion: horse racing – live Lazy Griff, who was one-and-a-half lengths behind Lambourn in the Chester Vase, had also been close to the pace from the off and briefly threatened to make inroads into Lambourn's lead from three out, but Lambourn found more when Lordan asked for a final effort and he was nearly four lengths in front of Lazy Griff (50-1) and Christophe Soumillon at the line. Tennessee Stud, another outsider at 28-1, was third for trainer Joseph O'Brien, the winning jockey aboard Australia, Lambourn's sire, in 2014. Lambourn, in fact, is a third-generation Derby winner for O'Brien, as Australia was sired by Galileo, the first of his record total of 11 Derby winners back in 2001. 'He's a lazy horse, and Chester is always great place for putting an edge on a horse,' O'Brien said. 'It makes them quick and wakes them up, there's a great atmosphere there and there on the turn. So we always think Chester really sharpens them up, it gives them quick feet and we always send good horses there. Advertisement 'Lambourn was second to Delacroix [in the Ballysax Stakes] first time out, and we took him to Chester and Ryan loved him at Chester, but he couldn't ride them all. I'd say he's probably an Irish Derby horse [for his next race], but he will get further as well. 'Ryan said he got taken out of his ground over halfway [on Delacroix] so his chance was over. Colin [Keane] said The Lion In Winter wasn't going forward, so it was maybe the track or the ground.' For Lordan, who picked up the ride on Lambourn when Moore opted for Delacroix, this was a first Derby victory and as close to an armchair ride as it gets around Epsom. 'He's a lovely, genuine horse,' Lordan said. 'When I jumped I just wanted to get him into a stride because he's a horse that stays well, and races lazily also. Advertisement 'He was enjoying it in front and his ears were pricked and I was able to go forward good and early. I did feel [going into the race] that he was a bit under-rated, because he's not a flashy horse, he just goes on the bridle and does his own thing. The other horses are good travellers and quicken, mine is just genuine and goes with the flow, but when you look for him, there's loads in there.' Lambourn is already priced up at a shade of odds-on for the Irish Derby later this month, while Charlie Johnston, the trainer of Lazy Griff, may pick between the Irish Derby or the Grand Prix de Paris for the runner-up before a run in the St Leger at Doncaster in September. A big squad of owners from the big Middleham Park Racing syndicate that owns Lazy Griff will be guaranteed wherever he runs. Perth 1.40 Emily Love 2.12 Away She Goes 2.47 Heart Above 3.22 Schmilsson 3.57 Stans The Man 4.32 Can't Beat History 5.07 Donso Star 5.42 True Destiny Advertisement Goodwood 1.50 Fine Interview 2.25 Stellar Sunrise 3.00 Miss Apres 3.35 Tattycoram 4.10 Aggagio (nb) 4.45 Hamish 5.20 Nariko (nap) 'We told as many people as would listen that we couldn't understand why he was such a huge price,' Johnston said. 'Lambourn was 13-2 yet this morning we were 100-1. It's safe to say the Chester form held up well. 'I'm surprised how well he handled the track because that was always my biggest concern, because he's quite a heavy-topped horse and we felt if the ground wasn't as soft as it was, he wouldn't be here.'
Fox Sports
an hour ago
- Fox Sports
Coco Gauff defeats top-ranked Aryna Sabalenka in 3 sets to win her first French Open title
Associated Press PARIS (AP) — Coco Gauff has won the French Open for the first time by defeating top-ranked Aryna Sabalenka 6-7 (5), 6-2, 6-4 in Saturday's final. The second-ranked Gauff came out on top of a contest that was full of tension and momentum swings to claim her second major trophy after the 2023 U.S Open, where she also came from a set down to beat Sabalenka in the final. It was the first No. 1 vs. No. 2 final in Paris since 2013, when Serena Williams defeated Maria Sharapova, and just the second in the last 30 years. After Sabalenka sent a backhand wide on Gauff's second match point, the 21-year-old American fell onto her back, covering her face with both hands before resting her forehand on the clay. After greeting Sabalenka at the net, she hugged film director Spike Lee and celebrated with her entourage, three years after she lost in her first final at Roland-Garros. Sabalenka started the deciding set strongly, sticking to her high-risk approach to hold her first service game. Gauff responded by raising her level, winning a superb rally in the third game that drew loud cheers and applause from the crowd. After an intense exchange of drop shots, Gauff hit a lob that Sabalenka chased down before attempting a shot between her legs — only for Gauff to intercept it at the net and finish with a winner. Gauff was consistent from the baseline and earned a break point which she converted when Sabalenka double-faulted, giving her a 2-1 lead. Sabalenka turned toward her box and shouted in frustration but then regained her composure, breaking back to level the match at 3-3. She was broken again at love, however, and Gauff then held serve twice to claimed the title after a match that lasted 2 hours, 38 minutes. ___ AP tennis: in this topic
Fox Sports
an hour ago
- Fox Sports
When was the last time there was a Triple Crown winner?
Winning the Triple Crown is one of the hardest achievements in all of American sports. It's earned by racehorses who win the Kentucky Derby, the Preakness and the Belmont Stakes all in the same year. Only 13 horses have accomplished such a feat in 150 years of racing. There won't be a 14th name added to that list this year, as Sovereignty won the Kentucky Derby and Journalism took home the Preakness. That means Justify will continue his seven-year run as the most recent Triple Crown winner. Jockeyed by Mike Smith and trained by Bob Baffert, Justify beat Gronkowski to win the 150th running of the Belmont Stakes and the Triple Crown in 2018. Justify began his racing career on Feb. 18, a scant 77 days before the Derby. He won his first three races by a combined 19 lengths, making Baffert a believer. The big chestnut colt with the appetite to match burst onto the national scene with a 2½-length victory on a sloppy track in the Derby. Two weeks later, he survived a challenge in the fog-shrouded Preakness, winning by a half-length, again in the slop to set up a Triple Crown try. On a cloudy 80-degree day at Belmont Park, Justify proved a cool customer. He didn't flinch when greeted by 90,327 roaring fans as he walked onto the track. He stood so quietly in the starting gate that Smith wondered if he'd respond when it sprang open. Did he ever? Justify led all the way in achieving one of the sports world's toughest feats 45 years to the day that Secretariat won the Belmont by a record 31 lengths. Baffert called Justify one of the all-time greats. For the 2025 Belmont Stakes, Baffert trained a horse named Rodriguez. Rodriguez is 6-to-1 odds to win the race. Journalism, winner of the Preakness, is an 8-5 favorite, while Sovereignty, winner of the Derby, has 2-1 odds to win. The Associated Press contributed to this report. Want great stories delivered right to your inbox? Create or log in to your FOX Sports account and follow leagues, teams and players to receive a personalized newsletter daily! recommended Get more from Horse Racing Follow your favorites to get information about games, news and more in this topic
