Sovereignty ridden by jockey Junior Alvarado crosses the finish line to win the 151st Kentucky Derby at Churchill Downs in Louisville on Sat May 3, 2025 (AP News photo)

By Jessica Kwong

Sovereignty reigned supreme as the winner of the 151st Kentucky Derby on a muddy and chilly day at Churchill Downs in Louisville on Saturday evening.

The three-year-old colt pulled ahead of Journalism, who was the favorite, in the final stretch of the first leg of the Triple Crown and crossed the finish line in 2:02.31. Journalism started off smoothly but soon fell 10 lengths off the lead, and regained the spot at the head of the pack in the last stretch only to be overtaken by Sovereignty.

Sovereignty, who entered with 7-1 odds, left Journalism in second place, followed by Baeza in third, on the running that had unfavorable conditions with showers all day. It was not raining during the race. Sovereignty netted $17.96 for the victory, $7.50 for place and $5.58 for show.

It was the second victory for trainer Bill Mott, who won in 2019 with Country Horse. The colt came in second but was crowned after Maximum Security was disqualified due to interference.

“This one got there the right way,” Mott said of Sovereignty. “He’s done well; he’s a great horse. He comes from a great organization.”

Mott added that the Derby wins “were both exciting” and “we were thrilled with the last one and this one was equally or more special”.

Jockey Junior Alvarado notched his first win and took home $3.1 million. He and Sovereignty received a standing ovation from spectators in the grandstands.

“It’s more than even a dream come true,” he said. “It means the world to me. My family’s here. I thought I had a great chance. I’m pretty sure they’re way over the moon right now.”

Alvarado praised Sovereignty’s loyalty to him, mentioning that the colt stuck with him even though he was injured for five weeks and could not ride. The injury set Alvarado back three weeks.

Controversial trainer Bob Baffert returned to the Derby after a three-year suspension and had Citizen Bull in the running, but his best chance, Rodriguez, scratched.

The crowd numbered 147,406, which was just short of the record that was set in 2015.

A total of $5 million was shared among the winners.

The next leg of the Triple Crown is the Preakness Stakes on May 17 at Pimlico Race Course.

Here are the top five finishers of the Kentucky Derby 2025:

1. Sovereignty (7-1)

2. Journalism (3-1)

3. Baeza (13-1)

4. Final Gambit (17-1)

5. Owen Almighty (40-1)

Jessica Kwong is covering the Triple Crown Horse races for http://www.sportsradioservice.com