Sovereighty

On the day before the win in the GI Forego Stakes by Book 'em Danno (Bucchero), trainer Derek Ryan had already made up his mind about the GI Breeders' Cup Sprint. He had no plans to go. "I'm really not that interested in the Breeders' Cup," Ryan said. "I have no desire to go there. I'm sure I'll be pressured into it, but the Breeders' Cup is not on my radar. I'm not keen to run him on a track that I don't think will suit him. The stretch is...

SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. - For now, it looks like Baeza (McKinzie) is going to stay put in California. Trainer John Shirreffs said Wednesday that a cross-country trip to Saratoga and another shot at Sovereignty (Into Mischief) in the $1.25 million GI DraftKings Travers Stakes is unlikely. "I would say there is not a really good chance of doing that," Shirreffs said by phone from his summer base at Del Mar. Shirreffs said the reason for skipping the Aug. 23 Midsummer Derby has everything to do with getting to Saratoga. Baeza...

SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. - Two years ago, the GI Whitney Stakes was a whiteout. As in White Abarrio (Race Day), who crushed the field by 6 1/4 lengths. Fast forward to now and White Abarrio is back for another run in Saturday's $1 million Whitney, the premier race for older horses at the 40-day meet at Saratoga Race Course. The 6-year-old horse will look to shrug off a disappointing fourth place finish in the GI Met Mile last month and prove to his trainer Saffie Joseph Jr. that he deserves...

SARATOGA SPRINGS--When Neil Poznansky, sitting on the back of GI Kentucky Derby and GI Belmont Stakes champion Sovereignty (Into Mischief), saw jockey Junior Alvarado early Friday morning, he wore a wide smile. "How'd I do?" Poznansky said. Alvarado grinned back. No answer necessary. Sovereignty did what Poznansky, Alvarado and Hall of Fame trainer Bill Mott wanted to see as he had his second work since winning the Belmont last month. Working in company with 4-year-old stablemate Jefferson Street (Street Sense), Sovereignty and Poznansky, Mott's assistant, covered four furlongs in :48.99...

SARATOGA SPRINGS - Next Wednesday, 2024 Horse of the Year & 'TDN Rising Star' Thorpedo Anna (Fast Anna) is expected to be in Saratoga. Trainer Kenny McPeek said she will ship to the Spa from Kentucky along with Mystik Dan (Goldencents), last year's GI Kentucky Derby winner. Thorpedo Anna is coming off a three-length win in the GII, $500,000 Fleur de Lis Stakes at Churchill Downs last Saturday. "She is fine, she is like a rocket ship," McPeek said by phone from Kentucky Thursday. "She loves her work; she loves...

Godolphin star Sovereignty (Into Mischief) has moved up the Longines World's Best Racehorse Rankings (WBRR) to sit in a joint fourth at 125, after the latest round of rankings were released on Thursday. Now the highest rated 3-year-old in the world, the colt achieved the distinction when he wrapped up the GI Belmont Stakes at Saratoga last weekend, which capped an impressive Triple Crown run to go along with his GI Kentucky Derby score. Sovereignty shares the mark with Danon Decile (Jpn) (Epiphaneia {Jpn}), who was last seen taking home...

Jockey Junior Alvarado joined this week's TDN Writers' Room to discuss his win aboard Sovereignty in the GI Belmont Stakes and the long road it took to get back to the winner's circle after an injury earlier this year.

What a ride. What a feeling. What an unbelievable journey to play a part in Florida's racing legacy. I couldn't be more proud of Bridlewood graduates finishing 1-2 in the 2025 Kentucky Derby--and another in the top 10 with East Avenue. Now that I've had a moment to reflect, I can say with certainty: this finish wasn't luck. It was a testament to Florida's standing as a hub for racing excellence. Florida, and particularly Ocala, has long been a cradle for champions. With abundant sunshine, ideal soil, mineral-rich spring water,...

Under what was described as "perfect conditions" by analyst Kaitlin Free, a busy Saturday morning at Churchill Downs ensued as seven GI Kentucky Derby contenders logged published workouts for the "Run for the Roses" and a pair of GI Kentucky Oaks contenders also drilled for their connections, according to a press release from the track on Saturday morning. The tab included top Derby point getter Burnham Square (Liam's Map), who went a half-mile in :49.40 under pilot Brian Hernandez Jr. Trained by Ian Wilkes, the GI Toyota Blue Grass Stakes...

In a style not for the faint of heart, Sovereignty ( c, 2, Into Mischief--Crowned, by Bernardini) went last to first, and claimed 10 points on the Road to the 2025 Kentucky Derby via the GIII Street Sense Stakes at Churchill Downs. Debuting Aug. 24 at Saratoga sprinting on the main track, he managed to close from 10th to fourth against a maiden field which yielded 'TDN Rising Star' GISP Tip Top Thomas (Volatile) as well as Rookie Card (Adios Charlie), who broke his maiden Oct. 26 at the Belmont...