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Sovereignty Wins 2025 Kentucky Derby

The winner of the 151st Kentucky Derby is Sovereignty.
Liam McKeone|
Sovereignty and jockey Junior Alvarado win the 151st Kentucky Derby.
Sovereignty and jockey Junior Alvarado win the 151st Kentucky Derby. | Grace Bradley / Getty Images

It was a rainy day at Churchill Downs on Saturday for the 151st Kentucky Derby. But that merely made the race all the more memorable, as Sovereignty ended up the winner.

Entering the race with 9-to-1 odds, Sovereignty was part of the main pack out of the gates but pulled ahead alongside pre-race favorite Journalism entering the final quarter mile. Jockeyed by Junior Alvarado, the horse put forth a dominant effort in the final stretch to pull ahead for the win. It was an exciting race that successfully matched the energy of last year's epic photo finish featuring Mystic Dan.

Sovereignty will try to become the next horse to win the Triple Crown, with the Preakness Stakes scheduled for May 17. In the meantime, however, the horse's team led by trainer William I. Mott can enjoy a monumental victory as they join the famous list of Kentucky Derby winners.

Another great race in the books at Churchill Downs.

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Liam McKeone
LIAM MCKEONE

Liam McKeone is a senior writer for the Breaking and Trending News team at Sports Illustrated. He has been in the industry as a content creator since 2017, and prior to joining SI in May 2024, McKeone worked for NBC Sports Boston and The Big Lead. In addition to his work as a writer, he has hosted the Press Pass Podcast covering sports media and The Big Stream covering pop culture. A graduate of Fordham University, he is always up for a good debate and enjoys loudly arguing about sports, rap music, books and video games. McKeone has been a member of the National Sports Media Association since 2020.

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