American Flag, who won the 1925 Belmont Stakes, is from one of the most successful sirelines in that classic’s history. But it was through his daughters, not his sons, that American Flag left his legacy to the breed.

A century after his Belmont victory, he is linked to this year’s Kentucky Derby winner, Sovereignty, as well as a number of other prospects for the 2025 Belmont Stakes.

The late Uncle Mo recorded an exacta of sorts in Saturday’s Preakness Stakes, which serves to underline his continuing legacy. The victorious Journalism is out of Uncle Mo’s daughter Mopotism, the late stallion’s latest accomplishment as a broodmare sire. Runner-up Gosger is by Uncle Mo’s champion son and leading heir, Nyquist.

Journalism’s hard-charging victory in the Preakness Stakes, the second leg of the Triple Crown, added another jewel to the crown of sire Curlin, who is firmly ensconced among the reigning kings of the American classics.

“He has the physical likeness to Curlin,” trainer Michael McCarthy said of the strongly-built bay colt.

Baeza, who finished a closing third in the Kentucky Derby, is among those awaiting the Belmont Stakes a little more than three weeks off. Historic Runnymede Farm, which raised the colt and consigned him to sale for his breeder, does, however, have another rooting interest in Saturday’s Preakness Stakes in Goal Oriented. The farm co-bred, raised, and sold the lightly raced and unbeaten colt, who is from the immediate family of Eclipse Award champion Lady Eli.

The late Harvey Clarke found glory as a classic breeder when I’ll Have Another won the 2012 Kentucky Derby and then put on a courageous performance to win the Preakness Stakes. Clarke won’t be here to see it, but his family stable’s homebred Gosger, from the same family as I’ll Have Another, is set to seek another Preakness for his program when he goes in this Saturday’s 150th edition of the classic.

The University of Kentucky’s Maxwell H. Gluck Equine Research Center has announced that entomologists at the University have received reports of “greater than average” counts of Eastern Tent Caterpillars in some areas of the state and have urged awareness by breeders.

Puca, honored as Broodmare of the Year last month, has kept herself in the news this week, with a new foal, a son placing in the Kentucky Derby, and an opportunity for fans to become involved in the career of her next son in the pipeline.

The late champion Bernardini was Sheikh Mohammed’s first winner of an American Triple Crown race, taking the 2006 Preakness Stakes under the Darley banner. The international outfit, which races as Godolphin while continuing to stand its stallions under the Darley brand name, has since completed a personal Triple Crown, winning the 2021 Belmont Stakes with Essential Quality and, now, a long-sought Kentucky Derby with Sovereignty.

Kentucky Derby winner Sovereignty officially got on the work tab about a year ago and made his first start last August, but Hall of Fame trainer Bill Mott’s association with the family goes back more than a quarter-century. He put the tack on great-granddam Sluice for her career debut in July 2000 and has since handled a few generations of this family.

“It’s really kind of a neat thing to be able to train those families and those generations of horses,” Mott said. “It might be telling my age a little bit, but it really makes it pretty special.”