Sovereignty crowns in 151st Kentucky Derby 2025, outdueling favorite Journalism in muddy Churchill's race.

— Sovereignty gave trainer Bill Mott a second Kentucky Derby victory. This time there was no doubt about it and no asterisk.

The 3-year-old colt outdueled 3-1 favorite Journalism down the stretch to win the 151st Derby in the slop on Saturday, snapping an 0 for 13 skid by owner Godolphin.

Mott won his first Derby in 2019, also run on a sloppy track, when Country House was elevated to first after Maximum Security crossed the finish line first and was disqualified during a 22-minute delay.

It took a few minutes for Saturday’s results to be made official while the stewards sorted out a photo for second and reviewed a traffic-choked start.

Mott knew all the while who earned the garland of red roses.

“This one got there the right way,” the Hall of Fame trainer said. “I mean, he’s done well, he’s a great horse, he comes from a great organization and I can’t say enough about the horse and the organization that started him out and made this happen.”

Godolphin is the racing stable of Dubai ruler Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum.

It was quite a weekend for the sheikh. His filly, Good Cheer, won the Kentucky Oaks on Friday and earlier Saturday, Ruling Court — a son of 2018 Triple Crown winner Justify — won the 2,000 Guineas in Britain.

Sovereignty, also bred by the sheikh, splashed through 1 1/4 miles in 2:02.31 and paid $17.96 to win at 7-1 odds. He’s the record 20th horse with a name starting with “S” to win. The victory was worth $3.1 million from the $5 million purse.

“It’s great,” Mott said. “I think it will take a little while to sink in.”

Journalism didn’t have the cleanest of trips in the 19-horse field, but rallied to stay in the fight. He found trouble early before jockey Umberto Rispoli swung him outside to get him in the clear. They made a move at the leaders with Sovereignty and jockey Junior Alvarado right behind them.

The two colts hooked up for a sixteenth of a mile for a thrilling battle against the backdrop of 147,406 roaring and rain-soaked fans before Sovereignty surged ahead inside the eighth pole and drew clear.

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