Sovereignty Has Done It!
I think I have probably the top 3-year-old this year. – Sovereignty’s jockey Junior Alvarado
The Kentucky Derby winner, Sovereignty, put all those horse racing rumors to bed and left no question as to who the best three-year-old thoroughbred in the world is after he took control in the home stretch and won the Belmont Stakes going away.
Simply the Best
I was never a big Tina Turner fan, but every time I say that in public, I get a confused, almost compassionate look from people who don’t understand why someone doesn’t agree with what I’m beginning to believe is a universal truth. TT fans don’t play y’all.
I bring this up because, as I watched Sovereignty assert his dominance down the home stretch and overtake the favorite, Journalism, Tina’s 1989 smash hit immediately leapt to mind, and all I could hear was her raspy voice singing “Simply the Best.” Yes, that’s right, he’s better than all the rest, including his Preakness placeholder, Journalism.
It’s Sovereignty!!
The Kentucky Derby winner takes the Belmont Stakes! pic.twitter.com/IvvQ3Lhl2F
— FOX Sports (@FOXSports) June 7, 2025
And that begs the question, couldn’t Sovereignty have run the middle leg of the Triple Crown and still have won the Belmont? We could be looking at one of the rarest species on earth, a Triple Crown winner; instead, we’re looking at a horse whose name we’ll forget five minutes from now.
However, let’s give Sovereignty his due and poo-poo all those alleged experts who believed Journalism was the favorite for a reason. If you didn’t get a chance to watch the famous bay colt gallop down the stretch, it was almost as though jockey Junior Alvarado was taking his steed out for a leisurely stroll until he realized the finish line was within spitting distance.
That’s when Sovereignty poured it on and left no doubt as to who was the best in the world, regardless of distance. The win, place, and show horses in the Belmont were identical to the Kentucky Derby, with Sovereignty claiming the top spot, followed by Journalism and Baeza. Sovereignty continues to prove why he is the gold standard of thoroughbred horse racing.
This is what sportsmanship looks like.
After finishing 1-2 in the Belmont Stakes pres. by @NYRABets, @JuniorandKellyA and @umbyrispoli hug and share a moment of respect with each other, and their horses, Sovereignty and Journalism.
🎙️ @MaggieWolfndale pic.twitter.com/tuitWqJWQW
— Belmont Stakes (@BelmontStakes) June 9, 2025
Junior Speaks
When considering Sovereignty’s stats, we find that he has won four of his seven races, placing second in two, and out of money in the very first race he ran, which was also the shortest race (6 furlongs) he had ever run. But the common denominator is that jockey Junior Alvarado was in the saddle for all but one race, a second-place finish in the Florida Derby, the prelude to the Kentucky Derby.
Sovereignty gets his blanket of white carnations after becoming the first @KentuckyDerby winner to skip the @PreaknessStakes and win the @BelmontStakes!! pic.twitter.com/gvc9XKtB21
— Equibase (@Equibase) June 7, 2025
He was the man of the hour at the Kentucky Derby and made horse racing news when he returned to the winner’s circle at the Belmont, so we thought it might be interesting to hear what the 39-year-old Venezuelan had to say about his latest trip around the oval and cruising by Journalism on his way to victory.
“I knew I had him,” Alvarado told CBS Sports reporter Sam Israel in an exclusive interview after the race. “I was right behind him, and then when I let my horse loose and asked him to go, I knew I was picking it up little by little. Journalism ran a hell of a race today — but I think I have probably the top 3-year-old this year.”
We catch up with Junior Alvarado, jockey of Sovereignty, after winning the Belmont Stakes! pic.twitter.com/BrBVVq4XhY
— FOX Sports (@FOXSports) June 7, 2025
Probably? I don’t think there’s any probably about that, particularly when he beat the Preakness winner for the second time in just over a month and by three lengths at the Belmont on Sunday. No, Junior, you had the pleasure of riding the best three-year-old in the world, and you did it flawlessly.
