Sovereignty beats Journalism again in Belmont Stakes

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.

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 Alverado 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.

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 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.

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.


(AP Photo Seth Wenig)