LOUISVILLE, Ky. – Trainer Bill Mott didn’t have to wait 22 minutes for this Kentucky Derby victory. And the decades-long quest for Kentucky Derby success is over for Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid al Maktoum. Sovereignty, who under Junior Alvarado raced 16th early in a 19-horse field after clipping heels a few strides out of the gate, hooked up with race favorite Journalism inside the three-sixteenths pole and outdueled that one to the wire to win the 151st Kentucky Derby by 1 1/2 lengths before an announced crowd of 147,406 at soggy Churchill Downs. Journalism held second by a neck over the late-running Baeza. The last time the Kentucky Derby was run over a sloppy track was in 2019. That day, the Mott-trained Country House rallied to finish second behind Maximum Security. But, after a 22-minute stewards’ review, Maximum Security was disqualified for interfering with other horses, and Country House, a 65-1 shot kept out of trouble, was elevated to first. “This is better,” Mott said. “I said afterwards I want to cross the line first.” Sovereignty is owned by Sheikh Mohammed’s Godolphin Racing. Sheikh Mohammed owned part of 1992 Kentucky Derby favorite Arazi, who finished eighth. In the 33 years since, Godolphin had run 12 horses in the Kentucky Derby, their best finish being with Essential Quality, who crossed the wire fourth in 2021 but was elevated to third with the disqualification of Medina Spirit from first. Godolphin has won five consecutive Eclipse Awards as outstanding owner and four straight as outstanding breeder. A Kentucky Derby victory was one of the few blank spaces on its resume. Sovereignty is a homebred son of Into Mischief out of the unraced dam Crowned. “It’s been a long time in the coming,” said Michael Banahan, director of bloodstock for Godolphin. “We’ve had a few good chances in the past. We had Essential Quality, it just wasn’t his day on the day.” The victory in the $5 million Derby came one day after Godolphin won the Kentucky Oaks with Good Cheer, that undefeated filly trained by Brad Cox. According to the Kentucky Derby media guide, the last owner to pull the Oaks-Derby Double in the same year was Sol Kumin’s Head of Plains Partners, which did it in partnership in 2018 with Monomoy Girl and Justify. “To be able to win the Oaks yesterday and back it up with the Derby today . . . for our boss, the founder of Godolphin Sheikh Mohammed, is so, so special,” Banahan said. For good measure, on Saturday Godolphin won the 2000 Guineas at Newmarket with Ruling Court. :: Access the most trusted data and information in horse racing! DRF Past Performances and Picks are available now. The Derby victory was the first Alvarado, who had been winless in five previous tries. Alvarado had ridden Sovereignty in his first four starts but missed the Florida Derby due to an injured shoulder blade that sidelined him several weeks. Alvarado made it back to the saddle in early April. The Kentucky Derby did not start off good for Sovereignty as Chunk of Gold, to his outside, came over on him and a few strides out of the gate Sovereignty bobbled. “I clipped heels a little bit, so I’m thinking ‘Oh boy, I hope he didn’t lose a shoe on a track like this,’ ” Alvarado said. He didn’t. Undeterred, Sovereignty kept moving forward, and Alvarado did an excellent job to get him over to the inside underneath the wire the first time and into and around the first turn. A half-mile into the race, Sovereignty was 13 1/4 lengths off the pace established by Citizen Bull, who was being pursued by Neoequos and American Promise. Meanwhile, Journalism, under Umberto Rispoli, was racing in 10th along the rail. Leaving the half-mile pole, Journalism launched an outside bid, but Alvarado was following closely behind with Sovereignty. At the quarter pole, Owen Almighty had taken the lead from Neoequos, but by the three-sixteenths pole it was obvious the race was going to come down to Sovereignty and Journalism. The two ran together until inside the sixteenth pole, when Sovereignty pulled away. “When we hit the three-eighths pole I’m right behind Journalism and I knew I probably would be able to move next to him and I’m just like waiting, I knew I got him,” Alvarado said. “Right when we turned for home, I put him in the clear and I just tried to get there little by little. . . . We hit the eighth pole I said there’s no way somebody’s going to be coming and beat me. He was still running pretty hard at that point.” Sovereignty, who became the third son of Into Mischief to win the Kentucky Derby – Authentic (2020) and Mandaloun (2021) were the other two – covered the 1 1/4-miles in the slop in 2:02.31 and returned $17.96 to win as the third choice (104 Beyer Speed Figure). Rispoli said when he came to the head of the stretch, he knew he had the horses that were in front of him, but was going to have to hold off Sovereignty. “I knew Junior was behind me. I knew he was tracking me. I tried to go left-handed, he fought hard,” Rispoli said. “Junior’s horse handled the slop better today. . . . The best horse won today, no doubt.” Michael McCarthy, trainer of Journalism, said his horse got a little further off the pace than he would have liked early on – he was 8 1/4 lengths back after the opening half-mile – but credited Rispoli with getting in the clear down the backside. “He made a nice middle move, then on the turn for home he opened up, but I saw the blue [Godolphin] silks coming at us and I knew that was the one we were going to have to be concerned about,” McCarthy said. “He ran on the best he could and he ran a very good race. But the winner ran a better race.” Baeza, under Flavien Prat, raced behind Journalism and in front of Sovereignty down the backside. Sovereignty got the jump on Baeza going into the turn, and Prat moved his horse to the inside around the far turn. He shifted out for the stretch drive and came with a solid late kick, just missing second while galloping out ahead of everybody past the wire. “From that draw, I thought it was going to set up differently,” Prat said. “So I was okay going into the first turn and I got myself into a better spot going down the backside. And then I couldn’t sustain the acceleration that Journalism and Sovereignty did. So I dropped to the inside, saved some ground, kind of cut the corner, and he made a nice rally.” Baeza finished 2 1/2 lengths clear of Final Gambit, who rallied from last to be fourth. He was followed by Owen Almighty, Burnham Square, Sandman, East Avenue – also owned by Godolphin – Chunk of Gold, Tiztastic, Coal Battle, who needed a shoe repair in the paddock, Luxor Cafe, Neoequos, Publisher, Citizen Bull, American Promise, Render Judgment, Flying Mohawk, and Admire Daytona. – additional reporting by Nicole Russo :: Want to learn more about handicapping and wagering? 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