LOUISVILLE, Ky. — Bill Mott looked like he was gliding on air as he made his way into the infield at Churchill Downs early Saturday evening. Just moments before, his horse Sovereignty won the Kentucky Derby.
He displayed a beaming smile while working through the crowd of well-wishers to get to the winner’s circle with jockey Junior Alvarado, Godolphin LLC racing manager Michael Banahan and others connected to the winner of the 151st Run for the Roses.
Godolphin, a global racing giant, celebrated its first Derby win after 26 years of trying. It was the first win for Alvarado in the Derby or any Triple Crown race, and it was the second for Mott. However, he had good reason to treat this like his first.
Six years ago, the Kentucky Derby was in limbo for 22 minutes while stewards reviewed the race. Mott’s Country House finished second to Maximum Security, but he would be named the winner after Maximum Security was deemed to have interfered with other horses. The 2019 decision ranks as one of the most controversial outcomes in the century-and-a-half history of America’s biggest horse race.
That night, Mott called the outcome “bittersweet.” This time around, there was nothing bitter about it.
“This is better,” he told reporters Saturday. “I said afterwards I want to finish first, cross the line first.”
There was no dispute about Saturday’s race as Alvarado rode Sovereignty smartly. With a 19-horse field, the Derby can easily be lost at the start as the horses converge. That could have happened as Chunk of Gold leaned into Sovereignty a stride into the race. Alvarado and his horse were sandwiched between Chunk of Gold and Sandman.
Instead, disaster was averted as Alvarado held Sovereignty back. Coming from the 16th gate, they were far from the rail at the start of the race. They made their way there before the first turn, but they were 16th after a quarter-mile. At the three-quarters mile mark in the 1 1/4-mile race, they were in 17th — almost 10 lengths behind frontrunner Citizen Bull.
Journalism, the 3-1 favorite, also was staying back and was 2 1/2 lengths ahead of Sovereignty with a half-mile to go. Alvarado knew that he would have to keep tabs on the Santa Anita Derby winner to have a chance.
“Every move I was making, that horse was just there for me,” Alvarado said. “I have to say I made probably six, seven or eight little moves, and he was there for me each time.”
Journalism and Sovereignty were third and fourth, respectively, just behind Owen Almighty and Neoequos with a quarter-mile to go. Both were going wide, and as they were making their way down stretch, they became the frontrunners, with Sovereignty showing signs of pulling away.
A replay of the race was on a loop throughout the post-race press conference, and even with the questions coming in, Mott kept sneaking a look at the screen. The smile was still on his face.
“I never get enough of it, you know,” he said, drawing laughs. “It’s really great to watch. … Actually, I’m fascinated by the trip he got.”
Mott, 71, has been in the racing business for decades. He’s a four-time Eclipse Award winner for outstanding trainer, and he has demonstrated consistency, having won the award in 1995, 1996, 2011 and two years ago. In 1998, he became the youngest trainer inducted into the Racing Hall of Fame, and for years, he was Churchill Downs’ most successful trainer.
Now the South Dakota native, whose first experience with the race was listening to the 1967 Derby on a truck radio, is now a two-time Derby winner.
“I never even imagined I would ever be here,” he said. “I never imagined even being at Churchill Downs.”
As big as Saturday’s win was for Mott, it was also as big for Godolphin, although the stable’s start in racing was world’s apart from Mott’s, as it was founded by Dubai ruler Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum 33 years ago.
“Do we expect to win these type of races?” Banahan said. “No, you don’t. You just expect to have some nice horses that you can give them the opportunity. … It’s just an opportunity to give those horses the best chance that they can have, and if we get one good enough to win the Derby, fantastic.”
Banahan noted that it has taken the stable years to win the big races. Godolphin didn’t claim its first Epsom Derby in England until seven years ago.
“It takes a very, very good horse to win these races, and we were fortunate enough to have Sovereignty be able to show his true talent today.”
–Steve Bittenbender, Field Level Media