TRACKSIDE WORLDWIDE

Sovereignty Reigns In The 151st Kentucky Derby, Capping A Stellar Weekend For Godolphin

Despite wet weather conditions, the Kentucky Derby drew a crowd of over 147,000 on Saturday, May 3. Spectators were rewarded with a thrilling main event as the 151st running of the historic race at Churchill Downs delivered high drama and a deserving winner in Sovereignty. The colt, who had previously shown strong form at the track - most notably with a win in October 202 - looked comfortable throughout the race. He kept pace early with Citizen Bull, the frontrunner trained by Bob Baffert, before a dramatic showdown in the stretch. There, Sovereignty went stride for stride with race favorite Journalism, the two seemingly unfazed by the unfavorable weather. In the final furlong, it was Sovereignty who pulled away, sealing a well-earned victory.

For trainer Bill Mott, it marked a significant milestone. Although he was awarded the Derby in 2019 with Country House following the disqualification of Maximum Security, this was his first uncontested win at the Run for the Roses - and it was a triumphant one. The victory was particularly special for the Godolphin team, led by Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum. It marked their first ever Kentucky Derby win and crowned an unforgettable weekend of success. Just a day earlier, their filly Good Cheer splashed through the slop to win the $1.5 million Kentucky Oaks in commanding fashion. Across the Atlantic, trainer Charlie Appleby and jockey William Buick added to the Godolphin celebration with wins in the 1000 and 2000 Guineas at Newmarket. The result was a quartet of major stakes wins in a single weekend, underscoring Godolphin’s relentless pursuit of global racing dominance. Expect their name to lead headlines throughout the flat racing season.

Further North, some of Canada’s best thoroughbreds returned to the track for racing at Woodbine. The cold winters in Canada mean that the tracks typically sit empty countrywide before racing returns towards the end of April. Fans of the movie ‘Dodgeball’ will know that Patches O’Houlihan is a trailblazer; and so too is the horse named in his honour. Canada’s reigning Horse of the Year made his return to the track in style setting a track record over 5 ½-furlongs. In a dominant performance, the 5-year-old won by four lengths in a time of 1:02.28. The record breaking performance overshadowed the lone Group race held at the track on the weekend. Earhart won the Group 3 $150,000 Whimsical Stakes on Saturday May 3, against a field of just five. 

Meanwhile, in South Australia, young jockey Lachlan Neindorf continued his impressive rise by capturing another major victory. Just a year after securing his first Group 1 title, Neindorf guided Femminile to a gutsy win in the G1 SA Derby - beating a male-dominated field and boosting her value ahead of the Magic Millions National Broodmare Sale. With the field fanning wide into the final furlong, Neindorf made a decisive move to keep Femminile near the rail. His calm and confident ride paid off, as the filly held off the fast-finishing Statuario to claim her second career victory. Her connections will undoubtedly credit the young jockey for the likely uptick in her value when she goes under the hammer on the Gold Coast later this month.

written by Joe Bell