Horse Racing

WATCH: Sovereignty Winning The 2025 Kentucky Derby To Give Godolphin a Day To

Andy Newton Sports Editor

Published04 May 2025

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Fresh off their 2000 Guineas win at Newmarket in the UK, the ‘Boys in Blue’ of Godolphin had a day to on Saturday 3rd May – as they also grabbed their first success in the Kentucky Derby when Sovereignty stayed on up the muddy Churchill Downs straight the best – seeing off the hot favourite Journalism.

Sovereignty Wins 2025 Kentucky Derby at Mud-Splattered Churchill Downs

In the 24 hours leading up to the 151st Kentucky Derby, the Florida Derby runner-up Sovereignty had three different gates – 18, 17 and finally 16 – due to two scratchings.

The bad news at one stage was that the promising 3 year-old had landed on the dreaded 17 stall – where there’s never been a winner of the race EVER.

However, a late non-runner in Grande meant the gates were shifted again and Sovereignty managed to get away from the graveyard 17 stall – with 16 his final race berth.

This was great news as in the last 31 runnings of the Kentucky Derby a massive FIVE winners hailed from the 16 gate.

Sovereignty became the sixth after staying on the best at a wet Churchill Downs to give trainer Bill Mott his second win in the Kentucky Derby – having won the prize in 2019 with Country House.

This win also provided Venezuelan jockey Junior Alvarado his first success in the first leg of the US Triple Crown. (watch below)

The 2025 Kentucky Derby result also extended the run of no winning favourite in the race since Justify as horse racing fans saw the hot favourite Journalism come second.

2025 Kentucky Derby Result

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🥇SOVEREIGNTY (8/1)
🥈Journalism (17/5 fav)
🥉Baeza (139/10)
Winning Trainer/Jockey: William Mott / Junior Alvarado
Winning Distance: 1 1/2 lengths

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2025 Kentucky Derby Result Gives Godolphin A Day To After Winning 2000 Guineas Earlier In The Day

Saturday 3rd May 2025 will be a day the Godolphin team won’t forget in a hurry – not only did they land the 2025 Kentucky Derby, they’d also earlier won the 2000 Guineas at Newmarket with Ruling Court.

The win was giving trainer Charlie Appleby his third win in the English Classic and is also gave jockey William Buick back-to-back wins in the race – having won in 2024 with Notable Speech.

In fact, the ‘boys in blue’ of Godolphin also had the second in the 2000 Guineas with Shadow Of Light and the fourth too – Tornado Alert. They won a massive £438,742 in the process.

What’s Next For Sovereignty?

The traditional route for the Kentucky Derby winner is the Preakness Stakes, which comes in only two weeks on 17th May.

This second leg of the US Triple Crown is run at Pimlico – then if Sovereignty can win this all roads will lead to the Belmont Stakes, which is the final leg of the Triple Crown.

The last horse to win the Triple Crown was Justify in 2018 and in total there have only been 13 horses to win all three races.

Note: The 2025 Belmont Stakes will be run at Saratoga, due to work at Belmont Park continuing.

Preakness Stakes and Belmont Stakes Dates

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Preakness Stakes – Saturday 17th May 2025
Belmont Stakes – Saturday 7th June 2025 (Saratoga)

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WATCH: Sovereignty Winning The 2025 Kentucky Derby

Kentucky Derby Winners (Last 10)

2025 – SOVEREIGNTY (8/1)
2024 – MYSTIK DAN (186/10)
2023 – MAGE (152/10)
2022 – RICH STRIKE (81/1)
2021 – MANDALOUN (269/10)
2020 – AUTHENTIC (84/10)
2019 – COUNTRY HOUSE (65/1)
2018 – JUSTIFY (29/10 fav)
2017 – ALWAYS DREAMING (47/10 fav)
2016 – NYQUIST (23/10 fav)