Dubai ruler’s colt Sovereignty wins 2025 Kentucky Der, ending drought for Godolphin | Trending

Sovereignty won the 151st Kentucky Der on Saturday, giving trainer Bill Mott a clear and celebrated second victory. The 3-year-old colt pulled away from favourite Journalism in the final stretch to win in rainy conditions. Ridden jockey Junior Alvarado, Sovereignty completed the 1 1/4-mile race in 2:02.31 and paid $17.96 to win at 7-1 odds, reported AP. Junior Alvarado atop Sovereignty wins the Kentucky Der followed Umberto Rispoli atop Journalism and Flavien Prat atop Baeza during the Kentucky Der 2025 race at Churchill Downs in Louisville, Ky., on Saturday, May 3, 2025. Mandatory Credit: Albert Cesare/USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images(IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect) Godolphin gets its first Der winSovereignty is owned and was bred Godolphin, the global racing operation led Dubai ruler Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum. The win ends a 0-for-13 streak in the Der for Godolphin. It was part of a major weekend for the stable. On Friday, their filly Good Cheer won the Kentucky Oaks, and earlier on Saturday, Ruling Court — another Godolphin horse — won the 2,000 Guineas in Britain. It was quite a weekend for the sheikh. His filly, Good Cheer, won the Kentucky Oaks on Friday and earlier Saturday, Ruling Court — a son of 2018 Triple Crown winner Justify — won the 2,000 Guineas in Britain. Sovereignty, also bred the sheikh, splashed through 1 1/4 miles in 2:02.31 and paid $17.96 to win at 7-1 odds. He’s the record 20th horse with a name starting with `S’ to win. “A great horse”Mott previously won the Kentucky Der in 2019 with Country House, who was declared the winner after Maximum Security was disqualified following a 22-minute review. This time, there were no disputes. “This one got there the right way,” Mott was quoted as saying USA Today. “He’s a great horse, and I can’t say enough about the organisation that made this happen.” All about SovereigntySovereignty is a son of Into Mischief, a graded-stakes winner, and Crowned, an unraced mare. He was foaled on February 22, 2022, and has never been sold at public auction. Before the Der, Sovereignty had won the Fountain of Youth Stakes and Street Sense Stakes, and finished second in the Florida Der. His pedigree includes major champions like Secretariat, Seattle Slew, Affirmed, Bernardini, A.P. Indy, and Unbridled. Other top finishersFavourite Journalism, trained Michael McCarthy and ridden Umberto Rispoli, finished second after a wide trip from the first turn at the 2025 Kentucky Der. The full top five: 2nd: Journalism 3rd: Baeza 4th: Final Gambit 5th: Owen Almighty