SOVEREIGNTY came out of his hard fought, come-from-behind Victory in the Kentucky Derby in good condition, aside from what his trainer Bill Mott believes to be a superficial scrape to the colt’s right foreleg.

Speaking outside his barn at Churchill Downs, Mott speculated the four-inch scrape occurred when SOVEREIGNTY and CHUNK OF GOLD seemed to briefly clip heels in the opening strides of the Derby.

The trainer also indicated that SOVEREIGNTY jogged well by the barn Sunday morning, and his knees and ankles looked good.

The Hall of Fame trainer (speaking for himself as well as the ownership group) was noncommittal about whether SOVEREIGNTY would race in the second leg of the Triple Crown– The Preakness Stakes, on May 17th at Pimlico Race Course. 

“We’ve got to come to a conclusion probably in the next few days, but it’s not going to be this morning,” Mott said.

The 1 3/16-mile Preakness has historically been two weeks after the 1 1/4-mile Derby, with the final jewel in the crown being the Belmont Stakes, three weeks after that.

The Belmont Stakes, customarily at 1.5 miles at Belmont Park, will be run at 1 1 1/4 miles (again) this year at Saratoga Race Course, as it was in 2024, due to ongoing reconstruction at Belmont Park.

“Over the years, I think people realized that spacing these horses out a little bit gives you the opportunity to make them last a little longer. … You want the career to last more than five weeks,” Mott said.

Mott indicated that his horses typically return to racetrack training a few days after a race, a timetable that would put SOVEREIGNTY on schedule to resume training early this week.

Jogs and gallops once on track should give Mott a better read on the horse’s readiness for a potential quick return.

Mott acknowledged the allure of the Triple Crown and understands the historical significance of the horses who accomplish the feat.

“We certainly respect the Triple Crown and what it means, but we’re not dead set on it,” he said.

Very circumspect indeed. Stay tuned.