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Sovereignty won the Kentucky Derby on Saturday, marking the second roses win for trainer Bill Mott. But Mott will not give his horse a chance to make horse racing history. Sovereignty will not run in the Preakness Stakes, crushing any chance at a Triple Crown in 2025. The Preakness, which will be run on May 27, announced the scratch on Tuesday.
“Kentucky Derby winner Sovereignty will skip the Preakness Stakes and target the Belmont Stakes,” Jody Demling of Cardinal Authority reported on social media, crediting the race.
This is far from the first time that the Kentucky Derby winner has skipped the Preakness Stakes. The Triple Crown is a cherished sports accomplishment, but the turnaround is frequently cited as the reason for skipping the Maryland race. The most recent Derby winner to skip the Preakness was Rich Strike in 2022. Despite the changing landscape of horse racing, the Triple Crown has been won twice recently, in 2015 and 2018.
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Sovereignty was 7-to-1 to win the Kentucky Derby, just behind Journalism, who closed as the 3-to-1 favorite. Now, bookmakers will have to find the favorite in the field before the race on May 17. Journalism is likely to open as the favorite, as he nearly closed out the Run for the Roses before getting caught.
In the statement about Sovereignty's scratch from the Preakness, race officials did note that he suffered a scrape on his right front pastern. But that was not listed as his reason for missing the race, according to the New York Post. The horse is expected to run in the Belmont Stakes in June, the third leg of the Triple Crown. That will not be at its traditional location, however, due to construction. The race will be in Upstate New York at Saratoga Race Course for the second straight year.
