When trainer Bill Mott decided that Kentucky Derby Winner SOVEREIGNTY would bypass the Preakness Stakes the racing world let out a collective groan as that guaranteed there would not be a potential Triple Crown bid this year.
After Saturday’s Belmont Stakes @ Saratoga there can be no second-guessing the Hall of Fame trainer, as SOVEREIGNTY drew away from Preakness Winner JOURNALISM by three lengths in the final leg of the Triple Crown.
The 157th edition of the Belmont, run before a galvanized and somewhat damp crowd of 46,243 at Saratoga Race Course, left no doubt as to the top 3-year-old in the land.
It is certainly worth noting that JOURNALISM competed in all three of the Triple Crown races. So, perhaps the grueling schedule of three races in five weeks finally took its toll on the game 3-year-old.
The well-rested SOVEREIGNTY, under a patient ride from Junior Alvarado, blew past JOURNALISM and poured it on in the final strides of the 1 ¼-mile Test of the Champion.
BAEZA rounded out the (chalky) Trifecta in the $2 million dollar Belmont, which replicated the same order of finish as the Kentucky Derby.
That feat is not unprecedented; the last time it occurred was in 1977 when it was SEATTLE SLEW, RUN DUSTY RUN, and SANHEDRIN running 1st, 2nd and 3rd in both the Derby and Belmont Stakes.
Ironically, SEATTLE SLEW Won the Triple Crown that year. While this year with SOVEREIGNTY we are left to ponder if he could have ruled the racing world in 2025.
