BOZICH | Belmont Beckons: Mott suggests Sovereignty might bypass Preakness

LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDRB) — Let’s make this clear: Trainer Bill Mott did not say that Kentucky Derby winner Sovereignty will bypass the Preakness, the second leg of horse racing’s Triple Crown in Baltimore May 17.

But Mott did say this: He would not have any issue skipping the Preakness and training Sovereignty for the Belmont Stakes on June 7.

In fact, Mott was asked if it would be hard to say “No,” to the people at Pimlico Race Course, who are known for being the most hospitable hosts of a Triple Crown race.

“No,” Mott said. “No.”

Mott also said that he and the Godolphin racing braintrust will make their decision based on what is best for Sovereignty’s entire racing career, not simply what everybody will be talking about for the next five weeks.

So after picking Sovereignty to win the Kentucky Derby, I’m equally confident in this follow-up prediction:

I believe Sovereignty will skip the Preakness and race next in the Belmont.

As renovations continue at Belmont Park in New York City, the third leg of the Triple Crown will unfold at Saratoga Race Course, near Albany, N.Y. for the second consecutive year.

Like 2024, the Belmont’s trademark mile-and-a-half distance will be shortened by a quarter-mile. No reason to do the math. The Belmont will mirror the Derby’s mile-and-a-quarter.

“It makes it very interesting to me,” Mott said. “I’d like to see him at his best going into the Belmont.”

We saw how wonderfully that distance that fit Sovereignty Saturday when Mott’s colt powered down the stretch to outrun race favorite Journalism to give Mott his second Kentucky Derby victory.

A Hall of Famer for more than a quarter-century, Mott, 71, has a tremendous appreciation for racing history. He knows the names of the 13 horses who have won the Triple Crown, mostly recently American Pharaoh (2015) and Justify (2018), two colts trained by Bob Baffert.

Sovereignty jogged across the Churchill surface around 7 a.m. Sunday. After talking with the media in a persistent rain outside Barn 19 on Sunday morning, Mott and Godolphin US racing manager Michael Banahan took a phone call from officials at Pimlico Race Track in Baltimore with their official invitation to the Preakness.

That hardly means that Sovereignty is Baltimore-bound. In fact, they said they were unlikely to make a decision until the end of this week.

Sovereignty will remain at Barn 19 and return to training here. Mott said the colt suffered a 4-inch scrape on his right front leg, likely the result of bumping with another horse several steps outside the starting gate Saturday. Mott did not believe the injury would be an issue, but that it would be treated to make certain an infection did not develop.

Other than that, the colt was thriving.

“I was really flabbergasted when I saw him (several hours after the race),” Mott said. “You know, by the time I got back to the barn, he had eaten up. I mean, his tub was already out of the stall and and he must have eaten his dinner in 20 minutes.

“That was, you know, pretty unusual for a horse that’s run that hard.”

But remember what I said about the Belmont distance. Racing is a sport where the loudest voices are generally traditionalists. With the Belmont being run over a shorter distance at Saratoga, a Triple Crown victory would carry an asterisk with many this year.

Mott and the Godolphin leadership team will weigh the value of winning the Preakness against having Sovereignty at his best for the Belmont, Travers, Breeders’ Cup and other major races in the summer and fall. Do not overlook his enhanced value as a stallion.

Mott was asked if his biggest concern was asking the colt to compete again in two weeks.

“Yeah,” he said. “I think over the years people realize that spacing these (horses’) races out a little bit gives them the opportunity to make them last a little longer.

“We’re looking at a career, a career to last more than five weeks.”

Who will be in Baltimore?

The rain as well as the post-Derby blues appeared to limit the crowd on the Churchill backside Sunday morning. Firm answers were elusive on many horses.

Rodriguez, a colt that Baffert scratched from the Derby seems likely to run. Trainer Michael McCarthy was noncommittal on Journalism. Baeza, who finished third, is likely to return to California.

Jennie Rees, the publicity director for the national Horsemen’s Benevolent and Protective Association, said that trainer Mark Casse told her that Sandman was unlikely for the Preakness.

She also said that Clever Again (trained by Steve Asmussen) and River Thames (Todd Pletcher) were likely for Baltimore. Trainer Brendan Walsh is likely to send Gosger.

But the Derby winner?

“Once we make a decision, we’ll make the decision and not look back,” Mott said.

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