Sovereignty reigns over Journalism again in Belmont
Sovereignty won the 157th running of the Belmont Stakes on Saturday with Journalism coming in second. (AL BELLO)
Kentucky Derby winner Sovereignty won the 157th Belmont Stakes on Saturday, surging past favored Journalism just as he did at Churchill Downs to finish with two legs of this year's Triple Crown.
After sitting out the Preakness, won in scintillating fashion by Journalism, Sovereignty returned to win the anticipated rematch in convincing fashion, pulling away in the final straight to relegate Journalism to second again.
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Baeza was third to complete the repeat of the Kentucky Derby one-two-three.
Italian jockey Umberto Rispoli guided the Michael McCarthy-trained Journalism to the front as they turned for home, closely tracked by Sovereignty -- who was taken wide by jockey Junior Alvarado and powered past to win by three lengths.
Sovereignty, who had given the Godolphin stables a long-awaited first Kentucky Derby victory, became the first horse two win two legs of the Triple Crown since Justify became the 13th horse to sweep all three in 2018.
Michael Banahan, Godolphin USA's director of bloodstock, said the decision to give Sovereignty the five weeks' rest he has become used to paid off with a "fantastic result".
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"We knew he was a very good horse going into the Kentucky Derby and he showed it that day.
"And to come back here again and beat a really, really good horse like Journalism today, running one-two again like they did in the Derby -- it was a fantastic result for us here."
Sovereignty trainer Bill Mott said he was "on a cloud".
"The horse proved himself," McCarthy said. "The form held up -- the first three finishers in the Derby were one-two-three today, and I think it just was a great race."
For the second straight year the grade one race, with a purse of $2 million, was run at Saratoga because of ongoing renovations at Belmont Park, the distance again reduced from the Belmont's traditional 1 1/2 miles to 1 1/4.
Journalism was the only horse to run in all three Triple Crown races this year.
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