 |
|
| Staff Writer |
 |
Sovereignty, winner of the 151st Gr.1 Kentucky Derby, will not be competing in the Gr.1 Preakness Stakes at Pimlico Racecourse on May 17, with connections instead targeting the Gr.1 Belmont Stakes at Saratoga Racecourse on June 7.
The decision was confirmed yesterday by Bill Mott, trainer of the Into Mischief colt, who informed Pimlico officials that his Derby winner would be bypassing the middle leg of the American Triple Crown.
"We received a call today from trainer Bill Mott that Sovereignty will not be competing in the Preakness. Bill informed us they would point toward the Belmont Stakes," said Mike Rogers, executive vice president of 1/ST Racing, which operates Pimlico.
"We extend our congratulations to the connections of Sovereignty and respect their decision. We continue to see the excitement building toward the milestone celebration of the 150th Preakness Stakes, and we look forward to an incredible weekend of world-class racing and entertainment."
Mott explained that whilst Sovereignty had emerged from his Derby triumph without any significant issues, the decision to bypass the Preakness is part of a long-term strategy for the Godolphin homebred.
"I don't know of anyone in the camp that was interested in running him back in two weeks. We definitely discussed it, but we opted to point to the Belmont. He wasn't any more tired than you would expect after the Derby. He came back in pretty good order. But he's had three hard races this year and the race in the mud (the Kentucky Derby), it was a tough one," Mott said.
The veteran trainer added: "It's not the fact that you run in the Derby and then you run back in two weeks. It's not that horses can't do that. We opted to look at the long term and his whole career. As a trainer, one thing on my bucket list is winning the Gr.1 Travers. I'd love to win it and that's one of the races under consideration."
Michael Banahan, Godolphin director of bloodstock, confirmed via text message: "It was a team decision and we both feel it is the right direction for the horse going forward."
The connections of Journalism, the son of Curlin who finished second in the Kentucky Derby, have yet to decide whether they will run in the Preakness or not, with Aron Wellman of Eclipse Thoroughbred Partners stating that Sovereignty's absence will not influence their decision.
"As always, Michael McCarthy and our ownership group will make our decision based on what we believe is in the best interests of our horse, Journalism," Wellman said. "Sovereignty's status has no bearing on our decision, although fair play to Bill Mott and Godolphin for showing their hand early and not stringing the media and the connections of other possible Preakness starters along. Journalism will return to the track at Churchill Downs tomorrow, and we'll monitor him day by day as we consider his status for the Preakness."
The decision to bypass the Preakness marks the third time in seven years that a Kentucky Derby winner has missed the second leg of the Triple Crown. In 2019, Country House, also trained by Mott, missed the race due to illness, while in 2022, Rich Strike bypassed the Preakness to run in the Belmont Stakes.
When questioned about whether the Triple Crown schedule should be altered, Mott described the five-week series as "a very challenging ordeal" but preferred not to engage directly with the debate.
"I would be able to go for the Triple Crown if I wanted to, but it's a very challenging ordeal," he said. "To run in all three races is quite taxing, but kudos to the horses that won the Triple Crown or ran in all the races. If you can do it, it is great. I guess it's just a question of where your priorities are."