Sovereignty Continues To Rule In The Jim Dandy

Ninety-five years ago, a horse named Jim Dandy upset Triple Crown winner Gallant Fox at odds of 100-1 in the GI Travers Stakes at Saratoga. Saturday, with the traditional Travers prep race now named in honor of that monumental beating, the team behind GI Kentucky Derby and GI Belmont Stakes winner Sovereignty (Into Mischief) reminded everyone why their colt is the top of the class, avoiding any drama to take the GII Jim Dandy Stakes.

Not that there was ever any doubt. With GI Preakness Stakes winner Journalism (Curlin) 3,000 miles away in California, Sovereignty was left to deal with four rivals he'd already soundly beaten before. There was Baeza (McKinzie), who ran second to Journalism in the GI Santa Antia Derby before settling for third in both the Derby and the Belmont. Mark Casse runner Sandman (Tapit), who debuted with blinkers Saturday, could do no better than seventh in the Derby and third in the Preakness. And 'TDN Rising Star' Hill Road (Quality Road), who won the traditional Belmont prep in the GIII Peter Pan Stakes, wound up fifth in the final leg of the Triple Crown. The only new shooter on the scene was New York-bred Mo Plex (Complexity) who projected to be the speed of the race off a nice win in the GIII Ohio Derby at Thistledown last month.

Drawn widest of the quintet, the Godolphin homebred, guided by regular pilot Junior Alvarado, had more to say about the pace than perhaps was expected, breaking nicely to the front only to be outrun in the opening furlong by Mo Plex with Baeza taking up position along the rail. The field remained rather compact around the clubhouse turn with Sandman also racing closer than usual and Hill Road, the longest shot on the board at 18-1, whipping-in the field through an opening quarter that went in a moderate :24.54. Jeremiah Englehart's Mo Plex continued to dictate terms up the backstretch with Baeza inching closer to grab second from Sovereignty who remained out widest of the bunch.

As the half went in :48.49, Hill Road made a short-lived move up the inside along a rail which the pacesetter left vacant but quickly fell out contention as the real running started between the top three at the quarter pole. Despite being fanned out to nearly the center of the course, Sovereignty was left with just a gusty run from Baeza who was glued to his side at the quarter pole and while the two appeared briefly on even terms, the Derby champ, under mostly a vigorous hand ride from Alvarado, quickly pulled away to leave little doubt who the best 3-year-old in the country is. The well-related Baeza, whose jockey Hector Berrios was making his Saratoga debut Saturday, scooped up another Grade I placing while Hill Road finished well to round out the minor awards.

“I'd say it was good, it was a winning trip, a winning ride, a winning run,” said winning conditioner Bill Mott. “We hope he comes back good and hopefully he trains as well for the Travers as he did for this. It is interesting [running closer to the pace]. Junior [Alvarado] said by the time he got to the first turn he was already starting to relax with him. I guess in some races it is good to be able to have a little early position, rather than come from as far back as he did in the Derby and some of his other races.”

Of his star's next expected start, Mott said, “We are trying to get ready for the Travers and that is the main objective for everybody, I think. It is a race I've never won, and I'd really like to win it before I check out [laughs]. We'll give it our best go.”

“I was 100 percent confident of what I had underneath of me,” Alvarado added. “[Sovereignty] got to get out and I stayed with my horse and by a little bit before the three-eighths pole when I asked him, he started picking it up a little bit. He just jumped right away and went after them. Then I didn't want to kind of pass by those horses right away. I didn't want him to be on the lead too early turning for home so I kind of nursed him out a little bit with those horses. When I asked him, right after we turned for home, he took off and then after that once again just doing enough to keep him in the lead without really asking him for his best. I got to about 75 percent, 80 percent out of him. We thought this was a prep. We don't need to get everything out of him today. That was the idea and sometimes those are the races you have to run and I thought we were kind of taking it easy coming into the stretch and just hoping for his best and that's what he did. Now, for the next couple races coming up, we are going to do what we did in the Derby and the Belmont.”

Pedigree Note:

Sovereignty is yet another Grade I-winning son of super-sire Into Mischief who also counts Derby winner Authentic to his credit. It's also a feather in the cap for leading broodmare sire Bernardini whose daughters have 118 stakes winners including champion 2-year-old filly Immersive (Nyquist). Godolphin made a splash into the family by picking up first dam Crowned for $1,200,000 as a yearling at Keeneland September in 2014. Crowned, who passed in 2024, was a daughter of GI Juddmonte Spinster winner Mushka who sold for seven figures twice in her own career before lastly bringing $650,000 at KEENOV 2016 for SF Bloodstock and Newgate Farm. While clearly the class of his siblings, Sovereignty has two full-sisters, one of whom was a winner. Crowned's last foal was a yet-unnamed Nyquist colt born last year.

Saturday, Saratoga Race Course
JIM DANDY S. PRESENTED BY MOHEGAN SUN-GII, $485,000, Saratoga, 7-26, 3yo, 1 1/8m, 1:49.52, ft.
1–SOVEREIGNTY, 124, c, 3, by Into Mischief
1st Dam: Crowned, by Bernardini
2nd Dam: Mushka, by Empire Maker
3rd Dam: Sluice, by Seeking the Gold
O/B-Godolphin (KY); T-William I Mott; J-Junior Alvarado. $275,000. Lifetime Record: MGISW, 8-5-2-0, $5,147,800. Werk Nick Rating: A+. Click for the eNicks report & 5-cross pedigree or free Equineline.com catalogue-style pedigree.
2–Baeza, 120, c, 3, McKinzie–Puca, by Big Brown.
($1,200,000 Ylg '23 KEESEP). O-C R K Stable LLC & Grandview Equine; B-Grandview Equine (KY); T-John A Shirreffs. $100,000.
3–Hill Road, 122, c, 3, Quality Road–Exotic Notion, by Lemon Drop Kid. 'TDN Rising Star' ($350,000 Ylg '23 KEESEP). O-Amo Racing USA LLC; B-Lynch Bages Ltd & Camas Park Stud (KY); T-Chad C Brown. $60,000.
Margins: 1, 9 1/4, NO. Odds: 0.50, 3.10, 18.30.
Also Ran: Mo Plex, Sandman. Click for the Equibase.com chart or the TJCIS.com PPs. VIDEO, sponsored by FanDuel TV.

SOVEREIGNTY rules again! 👑

The Belmont Stakes champ proves he's still on top with a big win in the Grade 2 Jim Dandy pres. by @MoheganSun under @JuniorandKellyA for trainer Bill Mott! pic.twitter.com/ALCT6ZVxOS

— NYRA (🎪) (@TheNYRA) July 26, 2025