Kentucky Derby alumni star in Belmont Racing Festival

Jun 03, 2025 Sara Dacus/TwinSpires.com

Kentucky Derby alumni loom large in the 2025 Belmont Stakes Racing Festival. For the second year, it will be held at Saratoga while the new Belmont Park is under construction.

The Belmont S. (G1), the third jewel of the Triple Crown, presents one of the year’s most anticipated rematches: Kentucky Derby winner Sovereignty squares off against Preakness S. (G1) victor and Derby runner-up Journalism.

Sovereignty outdueled Journalism in the stretch to win the Derby by 1 1/2 lengths. His connections opted to bypass the Preakness and instead prepare for the Belmont. Since wearing the blanket of roses, Sovereignty has been training at Saratoga. Trainer Bill Mott says Sovereignty is stronger than he was before the Derby.

Journalism is the only contender to compete in all three legs of the Triple Crown. Trainer Michael McCarthy confirmed the colt’s Belmont entry after a Sunday workout.

“I thought he was a horse that could handle all three of these races, and from what I’m seeing here today, I still believe he’s ready to handle the third of the three races,” McCarthy told The Daily Racing Form.

While a Triple Crown isn’t on the line, either Sovereignty or Journalism could still join an elite club of horses to win two of the three classics. Outside of the 13 Triple Crown winners, only 11 horses have captured both the Kentucky Derby and Belmont S., and only 18 have won the Preakness and Belmont.

JOURNALISM WINS THE PREAKNESS! 🏆🌻

pic.twitter.com/sfi7uXdUkY

— TwinSpires Racing 🏇 (@TwinSpires) May 17, 2025

Fast-closing third-place Derby finisher Baeza has also entered the Belmont, setting up a showdown between the Derby’s top three finishers.

The Metropolitan H. (G1), a staple on the Belmont undercard, has long served as a career-defining test for older horses. This year, Kentucky Derby alumni Fierceness, White Abarrio, and Just a Touch look to bolster their legacies in the prestigious Met Mile.

Fierceness, the beaten favorite in the 2024 Derby, has rebounded in dominant fashion, capturing three graded stakes, including the Travers S. (G1). He also finished second in the Breeders’ Cup Classic (G1). White Abarrio, now six, is unbeaten in two starts this year, including a commanding win in the Pegasus World Cup (G1). The 2023 Breeders’ Cup Classic winner will be making his third attempt in the Met Mile. Just a Touch, featured in the Netflix series Race for the Crown, finished last in the 2024 Derby but has since returned to form with two wins in 2025. The son of Justify now returns to graded stakes company looking to prove he belongs among the division's elite.

In other Derby alumni news, 2024 winner Mystik Dan returned to the winner’s circle for the first time since capturing the Run for the Roses with a 1 1/4-length score in the Blame S. (G3) at Churchill Downs.

“I have a great group of people who’s been around this horse,” trainer Kenny McPeek said. “In hindsight, I wish I could take away a couple of those races after the Triple Crown. We got him back to his old self. I’m just so proud of him and the job [jockey] Brian [Hernandez] did with him.”

McPeek said Mystik Dan is now pointed towards the June 28 Stephen Foster S. (G1).