Sovereignty

Jockey Junior Alvarado has been fined $62,000 and suspended two Kentucky racing days after using the whip two more times than is permitted when winning the GI Kentucky Derby aboard Sovereignty, according to a Kentucky stewards' ruling Friday. Under Horseracing Integrity and Safety Act (HISA) rules, jockeys can use the crop no more than six times during a race. The typical penalty for going one to three strikes over the limit is 10% of the jockey's earnings or a $250 fine, whichever is bigger. Alvarado's share of the Derby purse...

Tappan Street (Into Mischief), forced to miss the GI Kentucky Derby after suffering a condylar fracture in his right front leg, will have 60 days off before returning to light training, per co-owner WinStar Farm's Elliott Walden. Dr. Larry Bramlage performed surgery on the GI Curlin Florida Derby winner on Apr. 27, a day after his five-furlong breeze in :59.60 (8/33) at Churchill Downs. The $1-million Fasig-Tipton Saratoga yearling is campaigned in partnership by WinStar Farm, CHC, Inc. and Cold Press Racing. He is trained by Brad Cox. "He is...

Hong Kong's star sprinter Ka Ying Rising (Shamexpress) has moved up the Longines World's Best Racehorse Rankings to sit in a joint second at 126, after the latest round of rankings were released on Thursday. Now a winner of 12-straight after his victory in the G1 Chairman's Sprint Prize, he shares that mark with fellow Hong Kong wunderkind Romantic Warrior (Acclamation). Japan's Forever Young (Real Steel) remains the leader at 127. After the first Classics of the season, G1 2000 Guineas hero Ruling Court (Justify) is among the top 10...

After reading "Enough Already. It's Time to Fix the Triple Crown" by Bill Finley, I must say I find myself not only disappointed by Mr. Finley's attitude, but also shocked by how he misconstrues and ignores the facts. In 2019, Bill Mott was planning to run Country House in the Preakness. Mott actually said, "We're leaning toward the Preakness, since he is the Derby winner and we don't want to pooh-pooh the Triple Crown. We want to support that." But two days later, Country House was coughing, placed on antibiotics,...

After a historic weekend where Godolphin swept the worldwide classics, including a Kentucky Derby win with Sovereignty (Into Mischief), the colt's trainer Bill Mott appeared on the TDN Writers' Room podcast, presented by Keeneland, as the Gainesway Guest of the Week.

After a historic weekend where Godolphin swept the worldwide classics, including a Kentucky Derby win with Sovereignty (Into Mischief), the colt's trainer Bill Mott appeared on the TDN Writers' Room podcast, presented by Keeneland, as the Gainesway Guest of the Week. For Mott, it was his second Kentucky Derby win, following the promotion of Country House in the 2019 Derby after the disqualification of Maximum Security, and he admitted that this one was a big one. "It's pretty special, I've got to tell you," he said. "We really enjoyed Country...

We all found ourselves in the court of one ruler last weekend, but it would be wrong to treat the kind of transatlantic sovereignty charted by four Classic winners inside 48 hours, either side of the water, as an automatic outcome of greater aggregate expenditure than any program in Turf history. Nobody knows that better than Sheikh Mohammed and his Godolphin team. He has been trying to dovetail his wealth and his passion, both obviously off the charts, for nearly half a century. (He had his first winner at Brighton,...

It was hardly a surprise when Hall of Fame trainer Bill Mott announced Tuesday that GI Kentucky Derby winner Sovereignty (Into Mischief) would not be running in the GI Preakness Stakes and would instead point for the GI Belmont Stakes. No matter how prestigious the race is, no matter how special the Triple Crown has historically been, the modern-day trainer cringes at the thought of running their horses back in two weeks. They just don't want to do it. Bill Mott, as meticulous and patient as he is, certainly is...

Godolphin's GI Kentucky Derby winner Sovereignty (Into Mischief) will bypass the May 17 GI Preakness Stakes, according to a release from Pimlico Race Course Tuesday afternoon. "We received a call today from trainer Bill Mott that Sovereignty will not be competing in the Preakness," Mike Rogers, executive vice president of 1/ST which operates Pimlico, said in the statement. "Bill informed us they would point toward the GI Belmont Stakes. We extend our congratulations to the connections of Sovereignty and respect their decision. We continue to see the excitement building toward...

In the wake of this year's Kentucky Derby win by Sovereignty, I think it is important to recognize the quiet but profound legacy of one of racing's great horsewomen and enthusiasts--Betty Moran. Sadly, Mrs. Moran passed away in 2020, but I have to feel that this year's Kentucky Derby winner, whose mother she bred, is testament to years of her racing and breeding at the top end of the thoroughbred world. Mrs. Moran bred and/or raced many outstanding race horses including Belmont and Jockey Club winner Creme Fraiche, champions Unique...

As first reported by Sean Collins of BloodHorse May 3, Junior Alvarado is facing a fine for excessive use of the whip in the GI Kentucky Derby, which he won aboard Sovereignty (Into Mischief). Under HISA rules, jockeys can use the crop no more than six times. The website reports that Alvarado used his whip at least seven times, including once after Sovereignty took a clear lead at the sixteenth pole. According to the report, Alvarado realized he had exceeded the limit after watching the replay of the race. "I...

While his status for the Preakness is still undecided, GI Kentucky Derby hero Sovereignty (Into Mischief) continues to impress his team with how well he has rebounded from his long stretch battle with Journalism (Curlin) last Saturday, but a decision might be around the corner. Since his win in the Spring marquee race, the son of Into Mischief has reportedly done no wrong, and has continued to thrive in his return to routine. Michael Banahan, Godolphin's director of bloodstock, told Steve Byk on his Monday morning satellite radio show that...