Kentucky Derby 2025: Sovereignty edges out favorite Journalism in muddy race

Published 1 month ago• 3 minute read

It was a win for Sovereignty over Journalism at the 151st Kentucky Derby.

The Bill Mott-trained horse won a rainy first leg of the Triple Crown with a time of 2:02.31 after closing at 7-1 odds, with race favorite Journalism placing and late entry Baeza showing.

Both Sovereignty and Journalism opened a fast-paced race deep in the pack, with the Bob Baffert-trained Citizen Bull leading for the first half of the race alongside longshots Neoequos and Owen Almighty. They came up big in the second half of the race, though, surging from the outside and making it a two-horse thriller for the final stretch.

The 2025 Kentucky Derby featured a purse of $5 million, same as last year, and will be split among the race’s top-five finishers, with $3.1 million going to Sovereignty.

As for the public's winnings, a $2 bet on Sovereignty to win would have paid out $17.96, with payouts of $48.32 for an exacta, $231.12 for a trifecta and $1,682.27 for a superfecta on a $1 bet.

The win is the first at the Kentucky Derby for both owner Godolphin, the organization owned by Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, and jockey Junior Alvarado. It is the second for Mott, and the first in which his horse actually crossed the finish line before the other horses.

Mott's Country House was named the winner of the controversial 2019 Derby after race favorite Maximum Security was disqualified after the race stewards ruled it unfairly impeded at least three other horses. This win probably felt a bit sweeter.

“He made up a lot of ground in a hurry,” Mott said afterward, according to the Los Angeles Times. “This one got here the right way. I mean, he’s done well, he’s a great horse. He comes to us from a great organization. [Godolphin] and I can’t say enough about the horse and the organization that started him out and did everything to make this happen.”

All 19 horses were running through muddy conditions after a full day of rain at Churchill Downs. Two horses were also scratched in the days leading up to the race, with the Baffert-trained Rodriguez and longshot Grande both out due to foot bruises. Baeza was inserted into the field as the replacement for Rodriguez and quickly rose up to 14-1 odds.

Journalism entered Saturday as the 3-1 favorite and went off at 7-2.

The race also saw the return of Baffert, the legendary trainer who served a three-year suspension from Churchill Downs after his horse Medina Spirit tested positive for banned substance betamethasone and was stripped of its win at the 2021 Kentucky Derby. While Rodriguez was scratched, Citizen Bull entered the race at 13-1.

1. Sovereignty
2. Journalism
3. Baeza
4. Final Gambit
5. Owen Almighty
6. Burnham Square
7. Sandman
8. East Avenue
9. Chunk of Gold
10. Tiztastic
11. Coal Battle
12. Luxor Cafe
13. Neoequos
14. Publisher
15. Citizen Bull
16. American Promise
17. Render Judgement
18. Flying Mohawk
19. Admire Daytona