By Steve Sherack
SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. – There's absolutely no doubt who the ruler of the 3-year-old division is now.
Just like he did in the GI Kentucky Derby, Godolphin homebred Sovereignty (Into Mischief) collared Journalism (Curlin) in the stretch, and powered on by to capture the 157th running of the GI Belmont Stakes with authority.
It was the same first three finishers across the line on the first Saturday in May with the blue-blooded Baeza (McKinzie) up for third once again.
The Belmont Stakes Racing Festival was held at Saratoga Race Course for the second straight year while construction of the new Belmont Park continues downstate.
“It was pretty much like the Derby,” winning rider Junior Alvarado said. “He was very exceptional today. I couldn't believe how much horse I had the whole way around today.”
Off as the 5-2 second-choice after his much-discussed bypassing of the GI Preakness Stakes–won in dramatic fashion by Journalism–Sovereignty was away in good order from his inside draw and found himself sitting much closer to the front than usual, racing in a joint second as 'TDN Rising Star' Rodriguez (Authentic) clicked off an opening quarter in :23.42.
Sovereignty cruised along beautifully in an inside fourth with Journalism, favored in all three legs of Triple Crown and off at 2-1 this time, racing to his outside as the half-mile went up in :47.60.
Journalism made the first move on the top two of Rodriguez and Crudo (Justify) and rolled up three deep beneath Umberto Rispoli approaching the quarter pole.
Rispoli tried to win the race right there and Journalism kicked for home as the one to catch.
Sovereignty was steered out by Alvarado, beginning to make a flashy move of his own at this point, and the rematch that everyone was waiting to see between the Kentucky Derby winner and Preakness winner–the roar of the 46,243 in attendance on a steamy day at the Spa said at all–was set.
The drama, however, was short lived.
Sovereignty lengthened that massive stride of his down the center of the course and was well on his way to another brilliant performance. The winning margin was three lengths, with another 3 1/2 lengths back to the aforementioned third-place finisher.
The final time over a track that began the day as a sea of slop following heavy morning and early afternoon rain, but ended up harrowed and good, was 2:00.69.
Due to the configuration of Saratoga's main track, the Belmont Stakes was once again contested at 1 1/4 miles rather than the traditional distance of 1 1/2 miles.
“This is home,” winning Hall of Fame trainer Bill Mott said. “It's the race we were pointing for after the Derby and fortunately it worked out very well. I'm sure we would have taken some criticism had he gotten beat today and he hadn't run in the Preakness, but it worked out. The horse was good. Junior rode him well. He had a lot of confidence in him and when he cut him loose the horse responded and got the job done.”
Mott continued, “I feel we beat a good field of horses. Journalism is a really good horse. I've watched him here this last week and I've looked at him–he's in good form, he looks great, his hair is good and his weight is good. I think he was ready to run today and he ran a good race, you know. Sovereignty was good enough to run him down and get the job done.”
The Belmont was Sovereignty's fourth race this season.
A jaw-dropping, last-to-first maiden winner in the GIII Street Sense S. at third asking last fall, he was an impossible winner in his belated sophomore return (due to a fever) in the GII Coolmore Fountain of Youth S. Mar. 1 over a Gulfstream Park surface very well-known for not playing kindly to his come-from-behind running style.
Sovereignty lost little in defeat there four weeks later, completing the exacta in the GI Curlin Florida Derby prior to his heroics in Louisville.
His 2-year-old form also included a debut fourth in the always-loaded Travers day maiden at Saratoga, which was highlighted in these same pages in our 'Second Chances' series.
Pedigree Notes:
Have a day, Into Mischief and Spendthrift Farm. With three Grade I races contested at the Spa Saturday, Into Mischief sired the winners of two, while his son, Maximus Mischief, who stands alongside the six-time leading stallion, sired the winner of the other. Does it get better than that?
Into Mischief tallied his 25th career Grade I winner in Saratoga's GI Woody Stephens Stakes Saturday afternoon with 'TDN Rising Star' Patch Adams, then barely took a deep breath before adding his first Belmont winner with Sovereignty, who also gave him his third Kentucky Derby win in six years just five weeks ago. Into Mischief, who started the hard way and is now seeing his better books come to fruition, has 85 graded winners and 175 black-type winners.
The Spendthrift stalwart may be the undisputed king of sires these days, but it's also hard to beat the late Bernardini as a broodmare sire. Currently ranked third by earnings among U.S.-based broodmare sires of 2025, Bernardini has 113 stakes winners out of his daughters, including last year's 2-year-old filly champion Immersive (Nyquist)–who, like Sovereignty, races as a Godolphin homebred–and three graded winners by Into Mischief. Bernardini, the champion 3-year-old colt of 2006 and winner of that year's GI Preakness Stakes, also was a homebred for the operation and stood his entire career at Darley.
John Ferguson purchased Crowned, the dam of Sovereignty, for $1.2 million on behalf of Godolphin at the 2014 Keeneland September yearling sale. Unraced, the mare produced four foals with a year off between each: the winning mare Jane Grey (Into Mischief), who has 2024 and 2025 Medaglia d'Oro fillies; the placed 5-year-old mare Misintention (into Mischief); Sovereignty; and a yearling colt by Nyquist. Crowned passed away in 2024. –Jill Williams
It's Sovereignty!!
The Kentucky Derby winner takes the Belmont Stakes! pic.twitter.com/IvvQ3Lhl2F
— FOX Sports (@FOXSports) June 7, 2025
Saturday, Saratoga
BELMONT S. PRESENTED BY NYRA BETS-GI, $2,000,000, Saratoga, 6-7, 3yo, 1 1/4m, 2:00.69, gd.
1–SOVEREIGNTY, 126, 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. $1,200,000. Lifetime Record: 7-4-2-0, $4,872,800. Werk Nick Rating: A+. Click for the eNicks report & 5-cross pedigree or free Equineline.com catalogue-style pedigree.
2–Journalism, 126, c, 3, Curlin–Mopotism, by Uncle Mo. ($825,000 Ylg '23 FTSAUG). O-Eclipse Thoroughbred Partners, Bridlewood Farm, Don Alberto Stable, Robert V. LaPenta, Elayne Stables Five, Mrs. John Magnier, Michael B. Tabor and Derrick Smith; B-Don Alberto Corporation (KY); T-Michael W. McCarthy. $360,000.
3–Baeza, 126, c, 3, McKinzie–Puca, by Big Brown. ($1,200,000 Ylg '23 KEESEP). 'TDN Rising Star'. O-C R K Stable LLC and Grandview Equine; B-Grandview Equine (KY); T-John Shirreffs. $200,000.
Margins: 3, 3HF, 1 3/4. Odds: 2.50, 2.05, 3.50.
Also Ran: Rodriguez, Hill Road, Heart of Honor (GB), Uncaged, Crudo.
Click for the Equibase.com chart or the TJCIS.com PPs. VIDEO, sponsored by FanDuel TV.
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