It’s on to the Preakness Stakes (G1), the second leg of the Triple Crown in less than two weeks at Pimlico Race Course in Baltimore.
The field began taking shape on Sunday morning, but it’s too early to determine whether Kentucky Derby (G1) winner Sovereignty will be there.
Sovereignty delivered a masterful closing act in defeating Journalism in the 151st Derby on Saturday at Churchill Downs, but came out of the race with a “small scrape, about four inches’’ on his right front pastern.
Hall of Fame trainer Bill Mott said the scrape likely occurred when Sovereignty clipped heels with a rival right out of the gate. Mott said he didn’t believe the scrape was serious, but anything to do with a horse’s legs is always a concern.
Mott said Sovereignty would get a few days off, and then discuss what’s next with Michael Banahan, the director of bloodstock for winning owners Godolphin Racing.
“We’ve got to consider all options with him,” said Mott, who finally experienced the joy of winning the Derby when his horse crossed the finish line first in front of 147,406 racing fans. [He won with Country House in 2019 after first-place finisher Maximum Security was disqualified – it took 22 minutes to reach the decision.]
“We certainly respect the Triple Crown and what it means, but we’re not dead set on it. We’ll have to let the horse tell us how he’s doing in the next little while, and then we’ll go from there.”
As of early Sunday, contenders for the 1 3/16-mile Preakness include Rodriguez, trainer Bob Baffert’s Wood Memorial (G2) winner who was a late scratch from the Kentucky Derby; Pay Billy [automatic berth after win in Federico Tesio Stakes]; Gosger and Bracket Buster, the 1-2 finishers in the Lexington Stakes (G3) at Keeneland on April 12; Hot Springs Stakes winner on March 30; and Heart of Honor, runner-up in the UAE Derby on April 5.
Journalism, beaten 1 ½ lengths by Sovereignty, is possible for the Preakness, said trainer Michael McCarthy. Third-place finisher Baeza was headed back to California, with a next start possibly in the Belmont Stakes (G1) on June 7.
The most recent Derby winner to skip the Preakness was Rich Strike in 2022.
Mott, who trained the great Cigar and has won more than 5,500 races, is grateful for the chance to relish the moment Sovereignty crossed the finish line first.
“You know,” said Mott, “I’ve been in this game a long time and I’ve dreamed about having my horse go across the finish line first in the Kentucky Derby. And now it’s finally happened, and it feels very good.”
