SARATOGA SPRINGS, NY – Class prevailed on Saturday as Sovereignty, Godolphin’s dual Classic-winning homebred, delivered a determined score in the $500,000 Jim Dandy Stakes (G2) presented by Mohegan Sun at Saratoga Race Course.
Trained by Hall of Famer Bill Mott, Sovereignty used the Jim Dandy as a stepping stone toward the $1.25 million Travers Stakes (G1) on August 23—a race Mott admits is high on his career bucket list.
“We are trying to get ready for the Travers and that is the main objective for everybody, I think. The Mid-Summer Derby, I think the Travers is important to me. It is a race I’ve never won, and I’d really like to win it before I check out,” Mott added, with a laugh. “We’ll give it our best go.”
Fresh off victories in both the Kentucky Derby and the Belmont Stakes, Sovereignty was sent off as the heavy favorite in a compact field of five. Under regular rider Junior Alvarado, the son of Into Mischief stayed within striking range early before mounting a late surge to hold off familiar rival Baeza, who had also finished behind him in the Derby and Belmont.
Mo Plex, the anticipated pacesetter, set an opening quarter in 24.54 seconds, with Sovereignty pressing just outside. Baeza, ridden by Hector Berrios, tucked in along the rail in third. As the field moved into the turn, Baeza advanced, and both Hill Road and Sandman loomed from the back, briefly leaving Sovereignty last.
But Alvarado stayed cool.
“I had 100 percent confidence. I knew what I had underneath me, so I’m not going to say I was playing with them, but I was just doing what I needed to do to win the race.”
Once angled out, Sovereignty responded willingly. He surged past Mo Plex and then dueled with a game Baeza before edging clear inside the final furlong to win by a length in a final time of 1:49.52 for 1 1/8 miles over a fast main track.
“When he came out of the turn, it looked like things were going our way. I thought he put a little more distance on Baeza approaching the eighth pole. It looked like Baeza came back at him a little bit. I think 70 yards before the wire, we were pulling away again.”
Baeza finished 9 1/4 lengths ahead of third-place Hill Road, followed by Mo Plex and Sandman.
For Alvarado, it was another moment with the colt that gave him his first Classic victories earlier this year.
“It’s been amazing. This is what dreams are made of,” Alvarado said. “You wake up every morning and you come to work hoping one day one of those horses comes across you and you get to ride it and for me this is a dream horse.”
The win marked Sovereignty’s fifth career victory from eight starts and brought his earnings past the $3 million mark. He returned $3.00 as the 1-2 favorite.
According to Alvarado, the effort was exactly what they hoped for heading into the Travers.
“I got to about 75 percent, 80 percent out of him. We thought this was a prep. We don’t need to get everything out of him today,” Alvarado said. “That was the idea and sometimes those are the races you have to run and I thought we were kind of taking it easy coming into the stretch and just hoping for his best and that’s what he did. Now, for the next couple races coming up, we are going to do what we did in the Derby and the Belmont.”
Baeza’s jockey, Berrios, tipped his cap to the winner but was proud of his colt’s gritty performance.
“I had a good try. I rode my horse how he was comfortable,” Berrios said. “I stayed with Sovereignty and in the turn, I tried to put the horse – change the lane – and my horse wanted to feel the other horse and he came back and at the finish he tried well.”
Sovereignty now takes aim at the Travers—the historic “Mid-Summer Derby”—with eyes on championship honors and a possible trip to the Breeders’ Cup Classic later this year.
