Sovereignty, Baeza work before Mott splits them up for Grade 1s
:quality(75))
SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. – Sovereignty and Baeza, two of trainer Bill Mott’s trio of older dirt stakes male performers put in workouts Friday morning for their upcoming stakes engagements.
Baeza, fourth in the Grade 1 Whitney Stakes on Aug. 8, worked a half-mile in 49.68 seconds by himself over the Oklahoma training track. Mott said that was his first work since the Whitney and first toward a scheduled start in the Grade 1 Goodwood at Santa Anita on Sept. 26.
“It’s a Grade 1,” Mott said. “Should be okay for him.”
Baeza, trained by John Shirreffs before his death in February, hasn’t raced at Santa Anita since he finished second to Journalism in the Grade 1 Santa Anita Derby in April 2025. He won his maiden race at Santa Anita in his start prior to that.
Baeza has been his own worst enemy this year, breaking poorly from the starting gate in all three of his starts – a third in the Grade 2 Alysheba and a second in the Stephen Foster preceding the Whitney.
“We’ve been to the gate again, we’re trying,” Mott said.
Mott said Baeza lost a little bit of weight coming out of the Whitney and had an easy week of jogging before he picked up his training.
Meanwhile, Sovereignty worked a half-mile in 48.67 over the Oklahoma training track, going his opening quarter in 24.78 and getting his final quarter in 23.89. He had his usual workmate Thunder Roll prompting him from a length back at the start and then running right outside of him in the stretch.
“Whatever his company is doing that’s what he’s doing,” Mott said. “He galloped out a couple of steps and when he lost his company that was it.”
Sovereignty is preparing for a start in the Grade 1 Jockey Club Gold Cup on Sept. 18, opening day of the new Belmont Park. The race is expected to attract Forever Young, last year’s Breeders’ Cup Classic winner and champion older dirt male and two-time Grade 2 Suburban winner Phileas Fogg.
One horse who won’t make the Jockey Club is Antiquarian, last year’s Jockey Club Gold Cup winner. His owners, Centennial Farms, announced Thursday that Antiquarian was retired due to an injury to his ankle.
Knightsbridge, dominant winner of the Grade 1 Pacific Classic at Del Mar, has been back to the track for a few days for Mott. Knightsbridge will not run again until the Breeders’ Cup. A decision on whether that race will be the Dirt Mile or the Classic will not come until after Sovereignty runs in the Jockey Club Gold Cup, Mott said.
:: Want to learn more about handicapping and wagering? Check out DRF's Handicapping 101 and Wagering 101 pages.