Sovereignty Won’t Become the Third Triple Crown Winner of the 21st Century – Who are the Other Two?

The 2025 Kentucky Derby promised excitement, as it does every year. And once more, it didn’t disappoint. Sovereignty was the one who reigned supreme on a dramatic day at Churchill Downs, charging to glory on a rain-soaked track ahead of 3/1 favorite Journalism to claim the crown. 

However, anyone dreaming of a first Triple Crown winner since 2018 and just the third since 1978 would have to think again. In recent days, the champion of Kentucky’s trainer, Bill Mott, confirmed that his prized colt would skip the Preakness Stakes, the second leg of the Triple Crown. This decision leaves the horse racing world pondering whether the pinnacle of American thoroughbred racing is all it’s cracked up to be, especially because the only viable winner has been unceremoniously pulled without a second thought. 

Sovereignty’s Kentucky Derby Victory

Heading into the 2025 Derby, many betting sites pegged Journalism as the favourite. With Umberto Rispoli on board, Bovada’s betting site earmarked him as the 3/1 frontrunner, with Sovereignty narrowly behind at 6/1. However, jockey Junior Alvarado judged the race to perfection, timing the eventual winner’s charge with precision, passing the pre-race favorite and other late-race leaders with a mid-race surge to then dominate down the final stretch and claim the win.

The race itself was layered with uncertainty, not least because of the weather. A steady rain turned the iconic track at Churchill Downs into a muddy gauntlet, leveling the playing field for the 19 contenders. Early on, Bob Baffert’s Citizen Bull set a blistering pace, but as the horses entered the final turn, Neoequos surged ahead before Journalism appeared poised to pull away. But Sovereignty, an 8-1 shot at certain points throughout the day, found another gear, weaving through horses and unleashing a thunderous kick down the homestretch. He crossed the line 1 ½ lengths ahead of Journalism, with Baeza rounding out the top three.

For Alvarado, the victory was a career highlight after overcoming a scare earlier in the week when he was unseated during a prep race. “I can’t even describe what this moment means,” he said in the post-race interview, fighting back tears while acknowledging his family and the team behind Sovereignty.

Why Sovereignty Won’t Chase the Triple Crown

The jubilation following Sovereignty’s win quickly shifted to speculation about his path forward. Historically, the Kentucky Derby winner moves on to the Preakness Stakes just two weeks later, keeping alive the daunting challenge of becoming a Triple Crown champion. Yet on May 6, Bill Mott announced Sovereignty would not compete in the Preakness.

“We want to do what’s best for the horse,” Mott explained. “The idea of chasing the Triple Crown is something every trainer dreams about, but in this case, we decided to give Sovereignty more time to recover before his next race.” Mott referenced a minor scrape to Sovereignty’s pastern, likely caused by bumping with another horse at the Derby gate.

Sovereignty will now be aimed at the Belmont Stakes, the final Triple Crown race, set for June 7 at Saratoga. Skipping the Preakness follows a growing trend of trainers prioritizing health and career longevity over the condensed Triple Crown schedule, a challenge made even harder by back-to-back high-stakes events.

Who Are the New Favorites for the Preakness Stakes?

With Sovereignty out, attention shifts to the evolving field of contenders at Pimlico Race Course for the Preakness on May 17. Among the dozen or so horses expected to line up, Derby runner-up Journalism immediately emerges as a favorite, with popular sites pricing him as short as 5/2 to bounce back from his recent disappointment with a win. His strong performance in Louisville positions him as a contender well-suited for the slightly shorter 1 3/16-mile track at Pimlico, where the shorter distance won’t allow a late Sovereignty-like surge to transpire. 

Sovereignty’s exit from the Triple Crown hunt is certainly a disappointing one, and the wait for the 14th champion goes on. Since 2000, only two horses have managed this historic feat, cementing themselves as icons in the sport.

American Pharoah

Before 2015, the Triple Crown quest felt like a myth, unachieved since Affirmed in 1978. That was until American Pharoah electrified the world. Trained by Bob Baffert and ridden by Victor Espinoza, the three-year-old had become known for his fluid stride and remarkable speed, and they led him to dominant performances in all three races. 

After a decisive victory in the Derby, he powered through the Preakness on a rainy day before dazzling at the Belmont with a wire-to-wire triumph, ending the 37-year wait for a new champion to rise. Unsatisfied with that, the Pharaoh would later add the Breeders’ Cup Classic to his already stacked resume, completing a “Grand Slam” never before achieved.

Justify

Just three years after that triumph, the racing world witnessed another marvel as Justify blazed his way into the history books. But what made his achievement even more remarkable was his late start to racing; the colt didn’t compete as a two-year-old and entered the 2018 Kentucky Derby with just three career races under his belt. Yet under veteran jockey “Big Money” Mike Smith, Justify overcame every obstacle.

After a soggy Derby win much like Sovereignty’s, the relative rookie continued his dominance. He won at the Preakness despite a foggy, surreal atmosphere that nearly obscured his battle to the wire. By the time the Belmont Stakes rolled around, he was ready to rubber-stamp his name as an all-time great, picking up a commanding victory and becoming just the second horse ever to win the Triple Crown undefeated.