A week filled with anticipation, bad weather, 147,406 fans in the stands, and it was all over in two minutes. Well, 2:02.31 to be exact, as Sovereignty crossed the finish line ahead of heavy favorite Journalism. While it was trainer Bill Mott’s second Kentucky Derby win, winning at the legendary Churchill Downs was a feeling Sovereignty’s rider had never experienced before. The Venezuelan couldn’t really put it in words.

“I don’t think I’m going to be able to find the right word to describe this feeling right now,” Junior Alvarado said as per The Courier Journal. What’s more? Alvarado wasn’t even sure he would be able to ride Sovereignty after suffering a hairline fracture in his shoulder just days before the Florida Derby. Alvarado wondered if he would even make it to the Kentucky Derby. However, what was truly astonishing about the 38-year-old’s situation was that he would never have made it far enough to have this dilemma if it weren’t for his father.

Back in 2012, Junior Alvarado revealed how his father’s decision made it possible for him to race in America. “My dad was a rider too. I did pretty good as a bug boy in Venezuela but my dad always put it in my mind, ‘You should go to the United States.’” said Alvarado as per This is Horse Racing. Rafael Alvarado saw his son’s potential and pushed him to reach the height he never could.

“I’m like, ‘I’m doing good here.’ I wasn’t really thirsty… We watched racing from the United States, I was like, ‘Wow, I kind of like it.’ Dad say, ‘Let’s try to do it, maybe we can find some help there, get somebody to sign your paper.’ He was the one with the idea,” the 2025 Kentucky Derby winner had said over a decade ago. And, as Alvarado saw Sovereignty lose the Florida Derby from the hospital bed, he became sure of one thing.

“This was the right horse for me to win the Derby,” Junior Alvarado thought. After five failed attempts at winning the prestigious title, the Barquisimeto, Venezuela native, made up his mind to try again, and had the right team to push him to glory.

Kentucky Derby-winning Jockey was grateful to Hall of Famer

The first thing Alvarado did was thank God in his interview with NBC after the race. “I got to thank my Lord Jesus for giving me this Kentucky Derby win. It was Him and Sovereignty who got me all the way to the wire,” said the jockey. Next on his list was Bill Mott. “Mr. Mott, I mean, I was so confident the whole week. I knew Mr. Mott could have done it… “If I had to pick someone, it was Mr. Mott. And, you know, like, we’ve been a team for a while,” said the 38-year-old. The Hall of Fame inductee horse trainer also gave the jockey reassurance when his shoulder injury put him at risk of being replaced by a different rider.

“When Mr. Mott called me the day after I got out of the hospital, he gave me a big peace of mind,” Alvarado said. “You don’t get that in the business often…But having the peace of mind and being able to do what I needed to do was something that I always will appreciate from Mr. Mott,” he added.

Faith like that can push you to do great things. The victorious jockey also explained how well Sovereignty responded to his adjustments during the race. “Every move I was making, that horse was just there for me every single time,” said Alvarado, reiterating his confidence in the Kentucky Derby winner.

In fact, the rider knew that by the time they had crossed the eighth pole, no other horse would catch up. And he was spot on. Journalism couldn’t close the race as Sovereignty pulled away, and while Baeza accelerated to slot into third place, he would’ve needed at least another furlong to catch Sovereignty. So it was Sovereignty, Junior Alvarado, and Bill Mott who took home the $3.1 million first-place purse.

The praise didn’t just go one way. Bill Mott also had complete faith in Sovereignty’s “regular rider” leading up to and during the race. In fact, as per NBC, Mott thought his horse winning the Kentucky Derby with Alvarado made it even more special.