Latest news with #JuniorAlvarado
Yahoo
14-06-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Sovereignty wins the 2025 Belmont Stakes
Jockey Junior Alvarado reacts atop Sovereignty as he crosses the finish line to win the 157th running of the Belmont Stakes. - Jessica Hill/AP Sovereignty, the 2025 Kentucky Derby winner, won the 157th running of the Belmont Stakes in Saratoga Springs, New York, on Saturday. The Godolphin-owned 3-year-old – who came into the race as the 5-2 favorite – narrowly beat the other favorite and Preakness Stakes winner, Journalism, by a margin of three lengths. Advertisement The win means Sovereignty has won two legs of horse racing's Triple Crown. The horse's team made the call after the Derby to not enter Sovereignty into the Preakness last month and instead focus on the Belmont. Baeza took third place – the same 1-2-3 as the Kentucky Derby last month. Alvarado celebrates with Sovereignty trainer Bill Mott after the Belmont Stakes. - Jessica Hill/AP Sovereignty jockey Junior Alvarado called his first wins at two of the most prized races 'surreal.' 'There was a point in my career, maybe five or six years ago, I could see everything fading away to be honest. And here I am,' Alvarado told the Fox broadcast. '… My family always my rock, big supporters. Helped me through tough moments in my life.' Advertisement A now two-time Belmont Stakes winner and Sovereignty's trainer, Bill Mott, said the decision to stay out of the Preakness 'turned out good.' 'If we wouldn't have won today, we would have taken a lot of criticism,' Mott said. 'It turned out good. Sometimes you make the right decision and a lot of times you make the wrong ones. But today, it really worked out well.' The Triple Crown hasn't been won since 2018, when Bob Baffert's Justify won the 105th Belmont Stakes to achieve the vaunted feat. It was the second consecutive year Saratoga Race Course hosted the Belmont Stakes due to renovations being done to Belmont Park. The race is expected back in Elmont, New York in 2027. This story has been updated with additional reporting. For more CNN news and newsletters create an account at
Khaleej Times
08-06-2025
- Sport
- Khaleej Times
Sovereignty triumphs in Belmont; Ruling Court misses Epsom Derby
It was a weekend of soaring highs and unexpected disappointment for the Dubai-owned racing powerhouse, Godolphin — a transatlantic rollercoaster that showcased both their equine riches and the unpredictability of the sport. In the United States, their star three-year-old Sovereignty confirmed his dominance with an emphatic victory in the G1 Belmont Stakes at Saratoga while just hours earlier and across the Atlantic, Ruling Court was dramatically withdrawn from the Epsom Derby due to deteriorating ground conditions. Unfazed by the contrasting fortunes, Sovereignty rose to the occasion in Saratoga. Ridden by Junior Alvarado, he delivered another masterclass to stamp his authority as North America's top colt, defeating Journalism — his familiar rival from the Kentucky Derby — with a commanding three-length victory. A length and a half had separated the duo at Churchill Downs last month in which Sovereignty unleashed a powerful stretch run on a wet track to provide Godolphin with a landmark first success in the Run for the Roses. On a faster surface this time, Sovereignty was sharp from the gates, travelling sweetly in third early before engaging in a tactical duel with Journalism, who loomed large around the final turn. But once again, it was Godolphin's blue silks that flashed clear inside the final furlong. Bill Mott, Sovereignty's trainer, summed it up best saying: 'We had a repeat of the Derby – the first three finishers finished 1-2-3 here – and the form is holding up. They are three really good horses and I'm glad that Sovereignty was able to come back and put in a race like he did in the Derby. 'If we hadn't won today, we would have taken a lot of criticism for missing the Preakness, but it turned out good. Sometimes, you make the right decision and a lot of times you make the wrong ones. Today, it really worked out well.' Michael Banahan, Director of Bloodstock, Godolphin USA, hailed the victory as part of a bigger, long-term vision. 'It's the most fantastic feeling in the world,' he said. 'Sovereignty was trained to the minute by Bill and his team to come here off a five-week rest. 'We decided to head here a few days after the Derby and I feel it was justified with the spectacular performance we saw today. 'We are looking at trying to have the horse for the whole year, and have a whole career with him as well. There are races down the road that we would really like to win – the Travers is very special,' Mott, winner of the inaugural Dubai World Cup in 1996 with Cigar, added. 'It would be great, if the horse is healthy and well, to try and get to Del Mar for the Breeders' Cup Classic.' Jockey Junior Alvarado commented: 'This is what racing is about, two great horses matching each other. Journalism ran amazing again today after coming back from the Preakness. He fought very hard and didn't make it any easier for my horse. Sovereignty was great today.' But while celebrations rang out at Saratoga, the atmosphere at Epsom Downs was more subdued. Godolphin's other star colt, Ruling Court, a brilliant winner of the 2000 Guineas, was withdrawn just hours before the Epsom Derby (G1) after persistent rain softened the turf, making conditions unsuitable for the son of high-class Kentucky stallion Justify. Trainer Charlie Appleby made the difficult decision in consultation with Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, placing the horse's wellbeing above all else. The Derby's loss reflected Godolphin's careful strategy to protect their brightest European hopes. The decision, while disappointing, was understood by all in the camp, including jockey William Buick, who was left without a ride. 'Of course, it's gutting to miss a ride like this,' Buick admitted. 'But when it comes to the horse's safety, you have to be clear-headed. The ground just wasn't right for him.' Instead of risking Ruling Court on testing ground, connections now eye the St James's Palace Stakes (G1) at Royal Ascot as his next likely target. With the Ruling Court absent, the Derby unfolded without its anticipated headliner and produced a new one in Lambourn, who made every yard of the running under a sublime ride from Wayne Lordan to hand Aidan O'Brien his record-extending 11th Derby triumph. 'This is the race every jockey dreams of,' said an emotional Lordan. 'To win it like that, from the front, it's unbelievable. I've waited a long time for this.' Among Godolphin's remaining hopes, Tornado Alert, trained by renowned Emirati handler Saeed bin Suroor, produced a brave effort to finish sixth. 'I was very pleased with the way Tornado Alert ran,' said Bin Suroor, who won the Derby in 1995 with Lammtarra. 'He showed real heart and handled the ground better than we thought he might. It was a very tough race, and he gave everything out there. I'm proud of him.' In a sport often defined by decisions and the forces of nature, Godolphin lived both sides of the coin this weekend. The withdrawal of Ruling Court on welfare grounds may have stung but it underscored a long-term philosophy that was vindicated just hours later, as Sovereignty's storming Belmont success reaffirmed the stable's exceptional depth and judgement.
Associated Press
08-06-2025
- Sport
- Associated Press
Sovereignty beats Journalism to win the Belmont Stakes at Saratoga
SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. (AP) — Sovereignty outran Journalism on Saturday in a Kentucky Derby rematch in the 157th Belmont Stakes at Saratoga Race Course, the race once again showcasing the best in horse racing. Like last year, it featured the Kentucky Derby and Preakness Stakes winners. However, unlike last year and for the first time since 2018, one of those two won to secure two of the three legs of the Triple Crown. 'I think they are three really good horses,' Sovereignty trainer Bill Mott said. 'I'm glad (Sovereignty) was able to come back and have a race like he did in the Derby.' It was the second Belmont win for Mott. He spends most of his summer tending to his horses at Saratoga, so winning the Belmont at Saratoga was extra special. 'This is home,' Mott said. 'It's the race we were pointing for after the Derby, and fortunately it worked out very well… The horse was good. Junior rode him well.' It was the second Belmont at Saratoga, with renovations being made to its usual home at Belmont Park on Long Island. Rodriguez, who made his Triple Crown debut, burst out and led the field of eight in the 1 1/4- mile race until the top of the stretch when Journalism made a surge. Followed closely behind was Sovereignty, with jockey Junior Alvarado aboard. He caught Journalism almost instantly and ran away with it. The 5-2 second favorite finished in 2:00.69, beating Preakness winner Journalism by three lengths. 'He broke very well again today like he's been doing,' Alvarado said. 'He put himself in a good spot. I was a little shocked how close, but at the same time, I'm happy with how easily he was doing everything. As a jockey, I was very happy where he was.' Journalism ended up in second again, and Baeza was third — the same 1-2-3 as the Kentucky Derby. Journalism, the only horse to run in all three legs, entered the gate at the Belmont as the 2-1 favorite, with Baeza the third favorite at 7-2. Sovereignty paid $7 to win, $3.20 to place and $2.30 to show. Journalism returned $3.20 and $2.30, and Baeza paid $2.60. Sovereignty led off the first leg of the Triple Crown by winning the Derby in early May. The colt also edged Journalism in that race. After the Derby win, the Godolphin-owned 3-year-old opted out of the Preakness to focus on the Belmont, forfeiting a shot at history to win the Triple Crown. The Triple Crown hasn't been won since 2018, when Bob Baffert's Justify won the 105th Belmont Stakes to secure the third jewel. Despite winning both legs of the Triple Crown that Sovereignty entered, Mott and Godolphin's Michael Banahan didn't regret not running him in the Preakness Stakes. 'I think if you leave the races out of it, it's what was the right thing to do for the horse,' Banahan said. 'That's what we talked about — what was the right thing for the horse to do going forward?' One of the reasons Mott and Godolphin skipped the Preakness was that they didn't want to exhaust the horse and wanted a long future for the three-year-old. There are a couple of stakes races later in the summer for three-year-olds, but the main one is at the end of the year, the Travers Stakes. The Travers, at the end of the Saratoga meet, could be another loaded field and potentially another rematch between Journalism and Sovereignty. 'I'd love to come back and take a crack at the Travers in August,' Mott said. 'It's a race I've never won, but I think it's a very important race for a three-year-old like Sovereignty. I think if he's healthy, everybody would probably be in agreement that's the race we would point to.'
New York Times
08-06-2025
- Sport
- New York Times
Horses, jockeys in the 2025 Belmont Stakes
Sovereignty wins two legs of this year's Triple Crown after winning the Kentucky Derby Associated Press Sovereignty has won today's 157th running of the Belmont Stakes, the third race in this year's Triple Crown. Sovereignty won two legs of this year's Triple Crown after winning the Kentucky Derby in May. Sovereignty beat Journalism, which won the Preakness Stakes, to the line for the win. The winning margin was three lengths. Baeza finished third. The race took place at Saratoga Race Course in Saratoga Springs, N.Y., for the second straight year as Belmont Park in Elmont, N.Y., is undergoing construction. GO FURTHER Sovereignty surges down the stretch to win the Belmont Stakes Connections: Sports Edition Spot the pattern. Connect the terms Find the hidden link between sports terms Here are the horses, jockeys and trainers for tonight's Belmont Stakes. The following list is in order by post position: Hill Road - Jockey: Irad Ortiz Jr. - Trainer: Chad Brown Sovereignty - Jockey: Junior Alvarado - Trainer: Bill Mott Rodriguez - Jockey: Mike Smith - Trainer: Bob Baffert Uncaged - Jockey: Luis Saez - Trainer: Todd Pletcher Crudo - Jockey: John Velazquez - Trainer: Todd Pletcher Baeza - Jockey: Flavien Prat - Trainer: John Shirreffs Journalism - Jockey: Umberto Rispoli - Trainer: Michael McCarthy Heart of Honor - Jockey: Saffie Osborne - Trainer: Jamie Osborne The Grade 1, $500,000 Jaipur will be run Sunday as the 12th race, and the Grade 1, $1 million Manhattan will be the 13th. The Sunday card was originally scheduled to have 11 races. As a result of these changes, the New York Racing Association has refunded all wagers involving those races and canceled all the horizontal wagering (pick 4, pick 5, pick 6) after the sixth race today, a loss of millions of dollars. Imagn Images Journalism, which won the Preakness Stakes and finished second in the Kentucky Derby, was listed as the early favorite to win the Belmont Stakes after the post-position draw was held Monday evening. Journalism, which tops the field with 8-5 Morning Line odds to win the race, drew the No. 7 slot in the eight-horse field. Kentucky Derby-winner Sovereignty is just behind Journalism with 2-1 odds and will start from the No. 2 position. Check out the official odds below. GO FURTHER Preakness winner Journalism is early favorite to win Belmont Stakes Imagn Images It's the third and final leg of horse racing's Triple Crown. This year's 'Run for the Carnations' has a $2 million purse. The race was held at Belmont Park for most of the last century. But Saratoga Race Course is hosting this year's installment — the 157th — after its first try in 2024. There is a rejuvenated energy at this new venue, with last year's attendance capped at 50,000. Sovereignty, the Kentucky Derby winner, skipped the Preakness but is back for the Belmont. The horse is slated at 2-1 odds. Journalism, the Preakness champ, is the clubhouse favorite at 8-5. Teresa Genaro The rain has also dampened the traditional "run for the tables" to snag a picnic table in Saratoga's capacious and ordinarily beautiful backyard. People line up for hours outside the gates before they open and then dash to their favorite spots to claim a table. On most big days, all the tables are gone within a few minutes of the gates opening. This morning, an hour after the gates opened at 9 a.m. ET, there were still tables available. So when turf races are moved to the dirt (they are seldom canceled entirely), you have horses that run only or primarily or best on grass, and their trainers have to desire to run them on a sloppy dirt course. Often, the distance of the race is also changed, because of the different circumferences of the various courses. Those scratches then lead to very small fields, which makes for terrible betting and low prices. As of now, Race 9, the Grade 1, $500,000 Jaipur is still on the turf, as is Race 12, the Grade 1, $1 million Manhattan. Race 6, the Grade 2, $300,000 Wonder Again and race 10, the Grade 3, $300,000 Pennine Ridge are off the turf. The rain has been torrential since early this morning, and its effect on today's racing card is already profound. Four races, including two stakes have already been taken off the turf, and as of 11 a.m. ET, 38 horses have been scratched. Why does this matter? What's a little rain, anyway? Rain softens the grass courses, which can prove dangerous for horses and which can also destroy the courses when the loose soil is kicked up by the horses' hooves. Some horses also just don't like running on soft ground. The weather is definitely the story. It's been pouring, everything is muddy, the grass races are off the turf. The Athletic The NBA Finals are underway, as is Stanley Cup Final, all while the MLB season is gradually rolling along. There's no better place to follow all the action than The Athletic , with our award-winning journalism covering all of the above and more. You can subscribe to The Athletic on an exclusive offer here. Imagn Images While this race is historically held at Belmont Park in Elmont, N.Y., for the second consecutive year due to construction, the race is being held at Saratoga Race Course in Saratoga Springs, N.Y. The event will return to Belmont Park in 2026. As a result, the race will not feature the typical 12-furlong or 1 1/2-mile length. Instead, the race will be 10 furlongs or 1 1/4 miles. Imagn Images Early coverage of the Belmont Stakes will be broadcast on FS1 from 10:30 a.m. ET until 2:30 p.m. ET. The remainder of the coverage can be found on Fox. You can also stream coverage on the Fox Sports App or Fubo. Imagn Images The post time for the Belmont Stakes is set for 7:04 p.m. ET. That is 4:04 p.m. PT and 6:04 p.m. CT. Welcome to The Athletic's live coverage of the 2025 Belmont Stakes! While this race is historically held at Belmont Park in Elmont, N.Y., for the second consecutive year due to construction, the race is being held at Saratoga Race Course in Saratoga Springs, N.Y. The event will return to Belmont Park in 2026. Regardless, it should be an engaging day of racing on the track and of course, the winner of the Stakes will take home a purse of $2 million. Follow along throughout the day for the latest odds, analysis and reaction.
Forbes
08-06-2025
- Sport
- Forbes
Belmont 2025: Sovereignty Wins, Journalism Places, Baeza Shows
SARATOGA SPRINGS, NEW YORK - JUNE 07: Sovereignty with Junior Alvarado up wins the 157th running of the Belmont Stakes at Saratoga Race Course on June 07, 2025 in Saratoga Springs, New York. (Photo by) Laying fourth coming out of the clubhouse turn, Junior Alvarado skillfully pulled Sovereignty wide at the top of the stretch and, seeing his path, the horse brought a mighty run that saw him blaze by Journalism and keep going through the wire. When he hit the wire he had put three lengths between himself and the place horse, with Baeza toiling in show two lengths back. It was as exacting a replay of the 2025 Kentucky Derby as could have been staged — stretch run, order of finish, all of it save the June rain at Saratoga, which had paused earlier in the afternoon to let the track dry out slightly more than Churchill's had, thus reducing the mud. But as in Kentucky, there had been rain. As in the Derby, Sovereignty went off at Saratoga as a slight second-favorite at 5-2, behind Journalism, the (nominal) Belmont favorite who had gone off at 2-1. Sovereignty paid $7.20 on a $2 bet, Journalism paid $3.20 in place, and Baeza, who went off at 7-2, paid $2.60. The win puts Sovereignty in the history books as the only horse not to have competed in the Preakness who won the first and last legs of the Triple Crown series. Sovereignty takes home the victor's $1.2-million cut of the $2 million purse. Breaking cleanly from the second stall in the gate, jockey Junior Alvarado kept Sovereignty steady on the inside but up in contention, as Bob Baffert's Rodriguez, under Mike Smith, assumed the lead. At the top of the back stretch, Umberto Rispoli worked Journalism past Sovereignty just before the horses entered the far turn, putting Alvarado and Sovereignty in fourth. In the far turn it was possible to see Alvarado holding, then steadily collecting Sovereignty under him to prepare the horse to move wide as soon as he, Alvarado, could see a bit of daylight as they worked free of the home turn. That move wide out was natural and deft, taken at rather an oblique angle to the stretch, as if Sovereignty just went a little straighter for a couple of strides out of the turn rather than turning into the lane. He was moving well and so within himself that it didn't even seem like it cost him much ground to cross the three lanes, and there he was, poised in the stretch with a clear shot at the line. He took that shot with bracing elan, passing Journalism handily and moving within the last furlong to a rock-solid three-length lead at the wire. He won going away, galloping out strongly, without a care in the world. If the 157th Belmont had been run at its old length of a mile-and-a-half, Sovereignty would have only added a few more lengths to his winning margin. He is a stallion built for distance, and we can only hope to see him mount these sorts of runs again. ereignty that much ground.
