Kentucky Derby Winner Skipping Preakness; No Triple Crown at Belmont

SARATOGA SPRINGS — Sovereignty, the horse that won this year’s Kentucky Derby, will not compete in the upcoming Preakness Stakes, it was announced on Tuesday. As a result, there will be no opportunity for a Triple Crown winner at the Belmont Stakes, which is being held at the Saratoga Race Course on June 7.

“We received a call today from trainer Bill Mott that Sovereignty will not be competing in the Preakness,” said Mike Rogers, executive vice president of 1/ST Racing, the company that operates the Pimlico Race Course, host of the Preakness. “Bill informed us they would point toward the Belmont Stakes. We extend our congratulations to the connections of Sovereignty and respect their decision.”

Sovereignty upset Derby favorite Journalism on a sloppy track in front of a reported crowd of 147,406 spectators. The race was viewed by an average of 17.7 million viewers, according to NBC, which made it the biggest Kentucky Derby television audience since 1989. The all-sources betting handle of more than $234 million also shattered previous records.

The decision by Sovereignty’s connections to point towards Belmont rather than Preakness set off contentious online discourse among horse racing fans, some of whom advocated for changing the scheduling of the Triple Crown races to encourage more Triple Crown attempts. Others debated the need for more cooperation among track operators, while others still argued that the Triple Crown would simply have to become less important to the sport.

Despite bailing on the Preakness, Sovereignty is expected to compete at the Belmont Stakes, which is being held for the second year in Saratoga while construction continues on Belmont Park in Long Island.