Sovereignty does not disappoint winning Travers prep as odds-on favorite

Jul 26, 2025

Kentucky Derby and Belmont winner Sovereignty comfortably wins the Jim Dandy (G2) at Saratoga; the $1.25 million Travers on Aug. 23 will be next (Photo by Susie Raisher/Adam Coglianese Photography)

Kentucky Derby (G1) and Belmont (G1) winner Sovereignty returned to action with a comfortable one-length victory in Saturday’s $500,000 Jim Dandy (G2) at Saratoga, overtaking Baeza in upper stretch to set himself up for the $1.25 million Travers (G1) on Aug. 23. Regular rider Junior Alvarado was up on the Godolphin homebred colt for Hall of Famer Bill Mott.

Favored at 1-2 odds, Sovereignty cut back to 1 1/8 miles after winning the Kentucky Derby and Belmont at 1 1/4 miles. The bay son of Into Mischief appears to relish classic distances, and his next two major targets (Travers and Breeders’ Cup Classic [G1] at Del Mar in early November) will be held at 1 1/4 miles, but Sovereignty had too much class for his Jim Dandy rivals and easily passed the prep race, stopping the teletimer in 1:49.52.

“I'd say it was good, it was a winning trip, a winning ride, a winning run,” Mott said. “We hope he comes back good and hopefully he trains as well for the Travers as he did for this.”

Mott will seek his first win in the 156th running Travers and Sovereignty projects to be a prohibitive favorite. Observers will wait to see if Preakness (G1) and Haskell (G1) victor Journalism, a non-threatening second to Sovereignty in the Kentucky Derby and Belmont, returns to New York a third engagement against the leading three-year-old in the Travers or remains in California for the Pacific Classic (G1) at Del Mar a week later.

Ohio Derby (G3) winner Mo Plex flashed to the front after stumbling out of the gate and Sovereignty broke alertly from the far outside in the five-horse field, tracking the pace in second during the opening stages. Baeza, a half-brother to 2023 Kentucky Derby winner Good Magic and 2024 Belmont winner Dornoch, advanced to second along the inside on the backstretch while Sovereignty was kept in the clear on the far outside.

Sovereignty was carried wide into the stretch by Baeza, who fought gamely when challenged but ultimately proved no match Sovereignty, who drove past with seemingly plenty in reserve.

“I was 100 percent confident of what I had underneath of me,” Alvarado said of his trip. “He got to get out and I stayed with my horse and by a little bit before the three-eighths pole when I asked him, he started picking it up a little bit. He just jumped right away and went after them. Then I didn’t want to kind of pass by those horses right away. I didn’t want him to be on the lead too early turning for home so I kind of nursed him out a little bit with those horses. When I asked him, right after we turned for home, he took off and then after that once again just doing enough to keep him in the lead without really asking him for his best.'

Baeza, who was exiting thirds in the Kentucky Derby and Belmont, was nearly 10 lengths clear of Grade 2 winner Hill Road in third, and Mo Plex and Sandman completed the order.

By Into Mischief, Sovereignty registered his overall fifth stakes win and has now earned more than $5.1 million from an 8-5-2-0 record.