The favorite didn’t win the KY Derby again. Here’s what happened behind Sovereignty
For the seventh consecutive year the betting favorite did not win the Kentucky Derby.
Journalism, who went off at 3-1, followed a similar path through the field as winner Sovereignty and made his charge down the backstretch at the same moment. As the two horses began to separate from the pack, Sovereignty edged ahead though, eventually winning by 1 1/2 lengths.
“I had a beautiful trip,” said Umberto Rispoli, Journalism’s jockey. “I had the trip I wanted and saved ground into the first turn. On the backside, I had a lot of horses in front of me that didn’t appear to have a chance. So, I knew I had enough horse still and waited for the right time.
“Past the half-mile pole he started running for me. I was smoothly getting him into a rhythm. I wanted to turn for home with just a couple of horses ahead of me. That’s what happened, but Sovereignty was the best today.”
The lightly raced Baeza, who did not have enough points to qualify for the initial field but was added after Bob Baffert-trained Rodriguez scratched Thursday, almost caught Journalism with a hard charge down the stretch but finished in third.
Jeff Ruby Steaks winner Final Gambit, a popular long-shot pick at 17-1, broke out of the gate in last place but used his closing style to overtake the early pace setters and finish in fourth.
“I’m really proud of the effort,” Final Gambit’s trainer Brad Cox said. “With this big of a field, it’s really hard to close from last but that’s his style. This gives us confidence to try a fast dirt surface in the future.”
Here’s a look at how the rest of the 19-horse field finished.
What happened to Sandman?
Just behind Journalism in the betting odds was Arkansas Derby winner Sandman, who went off at 5-1 but never was in contention for the win.
Sandman was second-to-last in the 19-horse field at the first turn. While he did appear poised to make a push behind Sovereignty, he eventually finished seventh.
“He was traveling well despite being the first time on the sloppy track,” Jockey Jose Ortiz said. “I felt like on the backside I was following the right horses and I saw Junior (Alvarado on Sovereignty) and Journalism in front of me. I wish I was more patient and sat there a little longer and cut the corner. He was very steady, gave me a good effort, but disappointed with the result.”
How did Bob Baffert’s horse perform in his return to the Kentucky Derby?
In his return to the Derby after a three-year suspension from Churchill Downs following the 2021 disqualification of Medina Spirit, Baffert finished well out of contention. His only horse in the field after Rodriguez’s scratch, Citizen Bull, took the early lead but eventually faded to 16th.
“This is the first time he ran in the mud and he didn’t like it,” jockey Martin Garcia said. “He never felt comfortable and never fired.”
Just behind Citizen Bull at the first turn were Neoequos, Owen Almighty and American Promise. East Avenue and Admire Daytona were also in the lead pack early in the race.
Owen Almighty, the Tampa Bay Derby winner, lasted the longest of that group, finishing in fifth.
“I had a great trip,” jockey Javier Castellano said. “It was what I was looking for today. I tried to keep track of the speed. I really liked the way the race unfolded. Turning for home, he got tired a little bit in the end but he ran such a great race. He did really well and I’m really proud of the horse.”
East Avenue finished eighth. Neoequos, American Promise and Admire Daytona faded to 13th, 16th and 19th, respectively.
Other horses of note
Several horses expected to come off the pace as late chargers failed to ever push into contention on the sloppy track.
That was the case for Luxor Cafe, who went off at 8-1 and finished 12th; Bluegrass Stakes winner Burnham Square, who finished sixth; Steve Asmussen-trained maiden Publisher, who finished 14th; and Louisiana Derby winner Tiztastic, who finished 10th.
“It is hard to come way off the pace like we were,” Tiztastic’s jockey, Joel Rosario, said. “He looked like he was making a little move midway through the race but he got tired. It’s a long way on a sloppy track, but we will try again next time.”
The sloppy track was seen as a possible boost for Coal Battle, who had been 2-for-2 on wet tracks, but he was never in contention, finishing 11th.
“When (jockey Juan) Vargas was able to get him over, I thought he was in pretty good shape,” trainer Lonnie Briley said. “Then another horse came on his inside. When he kind of settled, another horse came and sort of broad-sided him. It kind of knocked the wind out of him. When he asked him to go, he responded but not like he normally does.”
Chunk of Gold, purchased for just $2,500 as a yearling, finished ninth.
“I’m so proud of him,” trainer Ethan West said. “He had a good trip but just got tired late.”
Long shots Render Judgment (17th) and Flying Mohawk (18th) were never in contention.