Kentucky Derby 2025: Sovereignty wins Run for the Roses

Sovereignty took home the Kentucky Derby Saturday in Louisville.

There was a bumpy start on the inside, with Bob Baffert’s Citizen Bull in the lead early, and Journalism, the morningline favorite, not near the top.

Journalism found trouble on the first turn, and jockey Umberto Rispoli moved him to the outside. He and Sovereignty met at the eighth pole before Sovereignty and jockey Junior Alvarado pulled away.

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Sovereignty (18), ridden by jockey Junior Alvarado, crosses the finish line to win the 151st running of the Kentucky Derby at Churchill Downs May 3, 2025, in Louisville, Ky. (Alex Slitz/Getty Images)

Sovereignty actually trailed the majority of the race and didn’t make a big move until near the final turn.

Into the final stretch, Neoequos, at 42-1, was at the top, but Sovereignty and Journalism both advanced to the front.

After running neck and neck, Sovereignty edged out the favorite. Journalism opened at 3-1 and closed at 7-2.

Sovereignty crossed the finish line at 2:02.31. Baeza was third, Final Gambit was fourth and Owen Almighty finished fifth.

It was trainer Bill Mott’s second Kentucky Derby win. He also has a win from 2019 with Country House after Maximum Security was disqualified for swerving into the path of other horses.

Jockey Junior Alvarado celebrates after riding Sovereignty to victory in the 151st Kentucky Derby at Churchill Downs Saturday, May 3, 2025, in Louisville, Ky. (AP Photo/Abbie Parr)

It was a wet day at Churchill Downs, and fans filled the stands wearing ponchos in the rain.

Saturday marked the return of Baffert to the Run of the Roses after missing each of the previous three races due to a suspension from 2021 Derby winner Medina Spirit’s failed a drug test. The horse died that December.

According to The Courier-Journal in Louisville, Kentucky, every horse who ran the race is a descendant of famed racehorse Secretariat.

Sovereignty, ridden by Junior Alvarado, crosses the finish line to win the 151st Kentucky Derby at Churchill Downs Saturday, May 3, 2025, in Louisville, Ky.  (AP Photo/Jeff Roberson)

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Secretariat sired more than 660 registered foals during his life. He won the Derby with a time of 1:59.40, a record that still stands.

Fox News’ Jackson Thompson contributed to this report.

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