Kentucky Derby winner Sovereignty will not run in Preakness Stakes, voiding chance of Triple Crown
Sovereignty, the winner of the 2025 Kentucky Derby, will not race in the Preakness Stakes in Baltimore next week, meaning there will not be a Triple Crown winner for the seventh year in a row.
Mike Rogers, the Executive VP of 1/ST Racing, made the announcement Tuesday, saying, "We received a call today from trainer Bill Mott that Sovereignty will not be competing in the Preakness. We extend our congratulations to the connections of Sovereignty and respect their decision."
Sovereignty skipping Preakness
Mott told Preakness officials that he plans to enter Sovereignty in the Belmont Stakes on June 7 at the Saratoga Race Course in New York. The Belmont is the final race of the Triple Crown.
The Preakness is held two weeks after the Kentucky Derby, a turnaround that has sparked debates.
"We want to do what's best for the horse," Mott told reporters in Kentucky. "Of course, you always think about a Triple Crown, and that's not something we're not going to think about."
The Triple Crown is awarded to horses that win the Kentucky Derby, Preakness Stakes and Belmont Stakes. The last winner of all three races was Justify in 2018, and before that, American Pharaoh in 2015.
Sovereignty's Kentucky Derby win
Sovereignty beat 18 other challengers last weekend to win the Kentucky Derby, despite wet conditions on the track.
The win comes with a $3.1 million prize that will be split among Sovereignty's team, which includes trainer Mott, jockey Junior Alvarado and owner Godolphin, CBS News reported.
"I mean, he's done well, he's a great horse, he comes from a great organization, and I can't say enough about the horse and the organization that started him out and made this happen," Mott said after the Kentucky Derby win.
