Kentucky Derby Winner Sovereignty to Skip Preakness, Chance at Triple Crown

Horse racing fans will have to wait another year to see a potential Triple Crown winner.

Jockey Junior Alvarado celebrated after riding Sovereignty to victory in the 151st Kentucky Derby. / Jeff Faughender/Courier Journal / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

This year’s quest for a Triple Crown ended on Tuesday—not with a horse race, but with a press statement.

Trainer Bill Mott informed the powers that be on Tuesday that Kentucky Derby winner Sovereignty would not be competing in the Preakness, thus closing this year’s bid for a Triple Crown. Sovereignty will look ahead to possibly race in the Belmont Stakes in June.

#KyDerby winner Sovereignty skipping the #Preakness, pointing to the #BelmontStakes pic.twitter.com/6U3PY6ElI9

— Nicole Russo (@DRFRusso) May 6, 2025

While the news is disappointing to horse racing fans, Mott had telegraphed that Sovereignty was not a sure thing to run in the Preakness even in the immediate aftermath of his victory at Churchill Downs over the weekend.

Mott stressed that the longterm health of Sovereignty would come first in any racing decision.

Trainer Bill Mott and the Godolphin camp are weighing all their options, when it comes to running Kentucky Derby winner Sovereignty in the Preakness.

The made it clear that the health and future of the horse are coming first, even if it's at the expense of the Triple Crown. pic.twitter.com/qSTHIFZ16x

— Sarandon Raboin (@sarandon_raboin) May 5, 2025

Only 13 horses in history have ever won the Triple Crown, with the most recent coming in Justify’s dominant run of races in 2018.

The world will have to wait until at least 2026 to see a 14th horse join the elite club.

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