All articles tagged with #bill mott
Reigning Horse of the Year Sovereignty rallied from mid-pack to edge Nitrogen in the final furlong and capture the GI Whitney Stakes at Saratoga, reinforcing his bid for the Breeders’ Cup Classic as trainer Bill Mott praised the track and jockey Junior Alvarado; next targets include the Jockey Club Gold Cup at Belmont and a possible rematch with Forever Young.
At Saratoga, Sovereignty, the 2025 Horse of the Year, surged from well back under Junior Alvarado to win the Grade 1 Whitney Stakes by 4 3/4 lengths, giving the champion older male a major win and a Breeders’ Cup Classic berth. Nitrogen stumbled at the start but held on for second, Antiquarian was third, and Magnitude faded after setting a fast early pace; Baeza also broke poorly. The victory came in a race that featured a strong field and capped Sovereignty’s dominant form after a winless spell earlier in the season.
Sovereignty, the 2025 Horse of the Year, will skip the Dubai World Cup and instead focus on returning for the Breeders’ Cup Classic as a 4-year-old, according to trainer Bill Mott. The Godolphin-owned Into Mischief colt is based at Payson Park in Florida and, after missing the 2025 Breeders’ Cup due to a fever, his connections are weighing targets such as the Jockey Club Gold Cup and Whitney to balance a strong campaign with stallion-value considerations.
Sovereignty, ridden by Junior Alvarado and trained by Bill Mott, won the 2025 Belmont Stakes, defeating Journalism in a race seen as a potential Triple Crown contender, with the victory raising questions about the decision to skip the Preakness. The win marked Mott's fourth Belmont victory and highlighted Alvarado's rising career, amid discussions about the race's future location.