Sovereignty, trained by Mobridge, South Dakota native Bill Mott, followed up his Kentucky Derby win with an impressive claim to victory in the Belmont Stakes on Saturday, June 7, 2025. Under jockey Junior Alvarado, Sovereignty pulled ahead of Preakness Stakes winner Journalism, to win the Belmont by three lengths.
In a rare turn of events, the same three horses placed first, second and third in the Kentucky Derby and the Belmont Stakes: Sovereignty, Journalism and Baeza are only the second trio of horses to place in the same order in the two races.
“I think they are three really good horses,” Sovereignty trainer Bill Mott told the Associated Press. “I’m glad (Sovereignty) was able to come back and have a race like he did in the Derby.”
Thirteen Thoroughbreds have won the American Triple Crown: the Kentucky Derby, Preakness Stakes and Belmont Stakes. Justify was the most recent horse to claim the honor in 2018. Sovereignty is the 11th horse to win both the Kentucky Derby and the Belmont Stakes. He joins a list of great racehorses, including the legend, Man O’War, who have won two Triple Crown races. Man O’War and Triple Crown winner Secretariat are both in Sovereignty’s lineage.
Godolphin and Mott, owners and trainer of Sovereignty, chose not to run him in the Preakness Stakes, believing it was in the horse’s long term best interest. Journalism, who crossed the wire second in the Derby and the Belmont, won the Preakness in a strong finish after being boxed in and jostled by another horse during that race.
Mott told the New York Racing Association he was grateful but not surprised that Sovereignty won the Belmont.
“I’ve been doing this for over 50 years. I’ve had more than one disappointment over that time,” Mott said. “If you have any experience at all, you ready yourself for anything that could happen. You never know. The horse could stumble out of the gate. He could get carried wide. I’ve seen enough 1-5 or 3-5 shots get beat. There’s no such thing as a sure thing. That’s why they run the race.”
According to the New York Racing Association, Alvarado credits Mott’s training and patience in Sovereignty’s win.
“It’s the way he works,” Alvarado said. “The way he trains his horses is the same way I like to ride my horses. I like to let them run the race however they want to and I want them to feel comfortable, to do it the right way. That’s what Bill does. We’re not rushing any horses early on in the races and we don’t want to push them to make them do something they’re not ready to do. We’ll take our time. If it takes three, four, five, six, seven, eight, ten races, we’ll take it race by race.”
Bill Mott has been training race horses since he was 14 years old. Sovereignty is the second horse in Mott’s barn to win the Belmont Stakes, following on the heels of Drosselmeyer, who won the Belmont in 2010. Mott said Sovereignty is “an imposing individual, a big, strong, well balanced horse with plenty of substance. He has an agreeable personality, he likes his job, he enjoys training and enjoys what we do with him.”
According to a Race News release shared by Godolphin, “Sovereignty’s long-term aim this season will be the G1 Breeders’ Cup Classic at Del Mar, while next year’s G1 Dubai World Cup remains a tantalising prospect. In the meantime, he looks set to remain at Saratoga for the G1 Travers Stakes in August, with a potential prep run in the G2 Jim Dandy Stakes at the end of next month.”