Sovereignty Wins 151st Kentucky Derby, Favorite Journalism Finishes Second

Sovereignty, ridden by Junior Alvarado, won the 151st Kentucky Derby Saturday, May 3, at Churchill Downs in Louisville on a muddy track before a crowd of 147,406.

Down the stretch, Bill Mott-trained Sovereignty passed the favorite, Journalism. The Michael McCarthy-trained Journalism, ridden by Umberto Rispoli, came in second, with late entry  Baeza, trained by John Shirreffs with Flavien Prat aboard, came in third. Sovereignty entered the race with 9-1 odds.

With rain pelting Louisville overnight and during race day, the 19-contestant field of 3-year-old thoroughbreds charged out of a 20-stall gate on a sloppy track.  The gate was made in Australia with narrower stalls than in the past when an auxiliary gate was in use, according to reports.

The race on Saturday sets up Sovereignty to become only the 14th Triple Crown winner.

Triple Crown Facts

Beginning with Sir Barton in 1919, 13 horses have won the Triple Crown.

With victories at the May 17 Preakness Stakes and June 7 Belmont Stakes, Sovereignty would be the first horse to win the Triple Crown since Bob Baffert-trained Justify in 2018, also on a sloppy track.

The Preakness is the second leg of the Triple Crown. The first is the Kentucky Derby. The final leg is the Belmont Stakes, normally held at Belmont Park on Long Island but being run temporarily at Saratoga Race Course in upstate New York while construction is completed at the traditional race course just east of New York City

2025 Triple Crown Schedule

The Kentucky Derby is the first leg of the Triple Crown.

• The Kentucky Derby: Churchill Downs, Louisville, Kentucky, May 3
• The Preakness Stakes: Pimlico, Baltimore, Maryland, May 17
• The Belmont Stakes: Saratoga*, New York, June 7

*Note: This race is being held in Saratoga as work continues on a  $550 million upgrade at Belmont Park in Elmont on Long Island, just east of New York City.

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