Sovereignty

A day after nominations were released for the much-anticipated GI Stephen Foster Stakes, to be held June 27 at Churchill Downs, prime contender and reigning Horse of the Year Sovereignty (Into Mischief) worked at Saratoga Sunday, breezing five furlongs in 1:02.61 in company under regular work rider Neil Poznansky. After splits of :25.25 for the first quarter and :37.24 for the three-eighths, Sovereignty galloped out six furlongs in 1:17.38. The Godolphin homebred and Bill Mott trainee is scheduled to work one more time before the $2-million highlight of early summer....

Reigning Horse of the Year Sovereignty (Into Mischief), G1 Dubai World Cup hero Magnitude (Not This Time), GI Pegasus World Cup victor White Abarrio (Race Day), and GI Pennsylvania Stakes winner Baeza (McKinzie) headline 17 nominations to what is shaping up to be a blockbuster summer event Saturday, June 27 in the GI Stephen Foster Stakes at Churchill Downs. One of seven stakes races set for that card, nominations for the 'Win and You're In' contest for the GI Breeders' Cup Classic also include the likes of Nysos (Nyquist), last...

SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. - Trainer Michael McCarthy would like nothing more than to have the wildly popular Journalism (Curlin) return to Saratoga Race Course this summer. "It would be awfully nice if he could," McCarthy said just outside Journalism's stall at the Oklahoma Training Track Thursday morning. "Saratoga, as I keep on saying, is a magical place for horses and people alike. We would be more than happy to bring him back here if the opportunity presented itself." First things first. Journalism, owned by Eclipse Thoroughbred Partners, Bridlewood Farm, Don...

The trio of 'TDN Rising Star, presented by Hagyard', Emerging Market (Candy Ride {Arg}), Ottinho (Quality Road)and Growth Equity (Nyquist) trained by five-time Eclipse Award-winner Chad Brown and the 'TDN Rising Star, presented by Hagyard', Chief Wallabee (Constitution) for Hall of Fame trainer Bill Mott worked Saturday across Saratoga Race Course and Belmont Park in preparation for the GI Belmont Stakes at the Spa June 6, the NYRA press office said in a Saturday release. The pair of Ottinho and Growth Equity worked in company over the Belmont Park dirt...

No fewer than 116 horses recorded workouts over the Oklahoma training track at Saratoga Saturday morning, including the heaviest hitters from the barn of trainer Bill Mott. Reigning Horse of the Year Sovereignty (Into Mischief) returned to the tab for the first time since his runner-up effort to White Abarrio (Race Day) when making his seasonal debut in the GII Oaklawn Handicap on Apr. 18. The Godolphin homebred was partnered in his work by his regular exercise rider Jimmy Quispe and went an easy half-mile in :50.05 (67/88). "He went...

In a statement posted Tuesday afternoon on X, trainer Cherie DeVaux announced that the GI Kentucky Derby winner Golden Tempo (Curlin) will not be running in the GI Preakness Stakes. It's another blow to the race that has clearly become the weak link in the Triple Crown. The only horse who ran in the Kentucky Derby to commit to the Preakness at this point is the maiden, Ocelli (Connect), who was a surprising third. "After much thoughtful discussion as a team, we have decided that Golden Tempo will bypass the...

LOUISVILLE, Ky. - A 7:22 a.m. announcement over the PA system on the Churchill Downs backstretch welcomed Kentucky Oaks/Derby runners as well as Kentucky Derby winners to the track for a special 15-minute training window on a humid and overcast Tuesday morning. With the surface in terrific condition and officially listed as fast despite torrential, late-night thunderstorms, last year's Kentucky Derby winner and physically imposing Horse of the Year Sovereignty (Into Mischief) showed this year's class how it's done with a powerful gallop to get things started. His Bill Mott-trained...

Has the time finally come to change the dates of the Triple Crown? In an article posted Apr. 13 on the Sports Business Journal website, it was reported that the GI Preakness Stakes would be pushed back a week to be held three weeks after the GI Kentucky Derby in 2027. Maryland Jockey Club President and General Manager Bill Knauf, however, quickly shot down the report and denied that any decision had been made regarding the date of next year's Preakness. Last year's Kentucky Derby winner Sovereignty (Into Mischief) famously...

White Abarrio (Race Day) and Sovereignty (Into Mischief) both exited their one-two finish in the GII Oaklawn Handicap Saturday in fine shape and connections were considering next steps Sunday morning. White Abarrio, the 2023 GI Breeders' Cup Classic winner, beat reigning Horse of the Year Sovereignty by two lengths, with Journalism (Curlin), the 2025 GI Preakness Stakes winner, finishing 1 1/4 lengths farther back in third. "It's rare you get to see something like that," White Abarrio's co-owner Mark Cornett said as the 7-year-old veteran was munching hay in his...

We knew it was going to be a battle of the big three, and so it was late with White Abarrio (Race Day) pulling rank to claim the GII Oaklawn Handicap over Horse of the Year Sovereignty (Into Mischief). Understandably and unsurprisingly, the seasonal debuts of both MGISW Sovereignty and MGISW Journalism (Curlin) dominated the front pages in the days leading up to this contest. For many in the editorial community, as it went for the betting public, the best horse in 2025 was the horse to beat here and...

Edited Press Release Reigning Horse of the Year Sovereignty (Into Mischief) got his first feel of the Oaklawn racing surface Wednesday morning, galloping a mile in advance of his 2026 debut in Saturday's $1.2-million GII Oaklawn Handicap. Escorted to the track by his Hall of Fame trainer, Bill Mott, Sovereignty visited the indoor paddock and galloped after the first surface renovation break. "Easy day," Mott said. "He was ready to do something. He was happy that he was able to do something." The Oaklawn Handicap will mark the 4-year-old debut...

Last year's Eclipse-winning 3-year-old male Sovereignty (Into Mischief) led the Kentucky-bred merits for 2025 along with his owner/breeder, Godolphin who were honored as KTOB Breeder of the Year. The full list of awards is: Broodmare of the Year: Crowned (Bernardini) (Owner: Godolphin) Horse of the Year, 3-Year-Old Male: Sovereignty (Godolphin) 2-Year-Old Male: Ted Noffey (Into Mischief) (Aaron & Marie Jones LLC) 2-Year-Old Filly: Super Corredora (Gun Runner) (Woodford Thoroughbreds, LLC) 3-Year-Old Female: Nitrogen (Medaglia d'Oro) (D. J. Stable) Older Dirt Male: Sierra Leone (Gun Runner) (Debby Oxley) Older Dirt Female:...