Sovereignty Back On Top After Whitney Win

Bill Mott has been around many talented horses, not to mention horses like Cigar and Cody's Wish who managed to capture the heart of the public. Still, he couldn't help but be in awe at the reception Sovereignty received Aug. 8 at Saratoga Race Course while winning the Whitney Stakes (G1). "It was a very popular win," Mott said outside his barn Aug. 9. "The crowd roared when he crossed the finish wire, and they roared louder when he came back to the winner's circle. It was great. I turned around and was like, 'Wow.' It's pretty cool. … Yesterday was pretty memorable." The roar that accompanied the 4 3/4-length win was like a sigh of relief for the fan base who had fallen in love with Godolphin's homebred Into Mischief colt during a remarkable 2025 campaign that saw him capture the Kentucky Derby (G1), Belmont Stakes (G1), and Horse of the Year honors. Seemingly invincible as he exited 2025, Sovereignty had been beaten in both his first two starts this season, drawing many critics out of the shadows to take any shot at him they could. That made Saturday's Whitney all the more important, given that Godolphin could have followed the trend many top 3-year-olds take, retiring immediately at the end of their sophomore season. Instead, they took the gamble. "Coming back off your champion 3-year-old, Horse of the Year (season), that puts a little pressure on when you come back," Mott said. "Now you got to produce. You don't want to make anybody look bad, like you made bad decisions to bring him back." Sovereignty showed he was still the superstar of old, and the fanbase responded. The cheers in his honor lasted beyond the winner's circle, serenading him and his team as they walked up the stretch until he disappeared off the track. On Sunday morning, Sovereignty was happily back in the spotlight. He watched the group of paparazzi that gathered outside his barn with interest while occasionally stopping for a carrot break from his beloved Erma Scott. Asked whether the horses know when they're good, Mott said he believes so. When asked if they know when they get beat, he said he knows they do and referred back to the great Cigar, a famed lover of peppermints, and how he responded to losing his 16-race win streak. "Mr. (Allen) Paulson went to give him a peppermint, and he denied it," Mott said. With his first win at 4 now under his belt, Sovereignty will proceed to the Sept. 18 $1 million Jockey Club Gold Cup (G1) on opening day of the new Belmont Park, a race where he is expected to face off with Japan-based champion Forever Young (JPN). That will be his final tune-up for the Oct. 31 $7 million Breeders' Cup Classic (G1) at Keeneland. Plans are still to be determined for C R K Stable and Grandview Equine's Baeza, who again got away from the gate poorly and finished fourth, beaten 6 lengths by Sovereignty but only 1 1/4 lengths behind runner-up Nitrogen. "I haven't talked to the connections. We have to see how he came out of the race," Mott said of the 4-year-old McKinzie colt. "At one point, I think they probably would have liked to run in the Jockey Club Gold Cup, but I don't know, I haven't talked to them. He didn't run his race yesterday. (The start) always affects you. If he doesn't give 3 lengths away at the start, he's probably second or third. He moves up a notch."