Insider: Kentucky Derby winner Sovereignty skipping Preakness Stakes damages horse racing

There will be no Triple Crown winner this year as Kentucky Derby winner Sovereignty will skip the Preakness Stakes, a decision that stunned the horse-racing world.
Trainer Bill Mott told reporters the team is keeping Sovereignty out of the Preakness due to 'long-term interests,' though the horse is still scheduled to run in the third leg of the Triple Crown, the Belmont Stakes, on June 7 at Saratoga Race Course in New York.
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In an interview with Sportsnaut's Evan Groat, BloodHorse.com senior writer Bob Ehalt said the decision to keep Sovereignty from running in the Preakness 'doesn't help the sport.'
'They're wondering, well, why aren't you going?' said Ehalt. 'Certainly it has to hurt a race like the Preakness when you don't have the Triple Crown in play and even more so the Belmont Stakes where they have not had a Triple Crown bid since 2018 when Justify won it all.'
Based on Mott's comments about the horse's long-term interests, Ehalt believes that Mott and horse racing team Godolphin — founded by Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, the prime minister of the United Arab Emirates and ruler of Dubai — have different priorities for Sovereignty.
'I think there is a desire amongst Godolphin and Bill Mott to win races down the road in like the Travers [which] is what Bill Mott would call a bucket list item,' noted Ehalt. 'And certainly Dubai World Cup next year, being that the owner of Sovereignty is Sheikh Mohammed, who founded the race, certainly that would be a plum for him to win that race with one of his own horses.'
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Ehalt questioned, however, how running in the Preakness would have impacted Sovereignty's preparation for those future races.
'But I don't necessarily get how running in the Preakness is going to prevent you from winning the Travers or winning the Dubai World Cup,' said Ehalt. 'I mean, if he gets beat in the Preakness, well, you skip the Belmont and you point for those other races.'
Journalism, the pre-Kentucky Derby favorite who finished second, will run in the Preakness.
Nine horses are set to compete in the 150th running of the Preakness Stakes on Saturday, May 17 at 6:50 p.m. ET. The race will air on NBC and CNBC and stream on Peacock.
Related: Updated ranking of the 2025 Preakness Stakes horses, including race favorite Journalism

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