Sovereignty, the impressive three-year-old colt owned by Godolphin, is wrapping up his training for an exciting run in the $1.25 million Grade 1 Travers Stakes this Saturday at Saratoga Race Course. After some amazing wins in the Kentucky Derby, Belmont Stakes, and just recently the Jim Dandy Stakes on July 26, the son of Into Mischief is now at the legendary “Graveyard of Favorites,” ready to show he’s the top horse of his generation. There’s a small but fierce group of five gearing up for the 1 1/4-mile “Midsummer Derby,” and everyone’s watching the heavy morning-line favorite.

Fans are hoping he’ll live up to his big reputation and finally give Hall of Fame trainer Bill Mott his long-awaited first win in this historic race. You can really feel the confidence coming from the Godolphin camp.

According to their official website, Michael Banahan, who is the Director of Bloodstock at Godolphin USA, shared some great news about the colt. He mentioned, “Sovereignty has galloped beautifully since the weekend, and all systems are go for the Travers. We are pleased to see Bracket Buster entered, as he can keep the other speed horse occupied on the front end and hopefully get a decent pace in the race, unlike the Alabama last weekend. We are expecting a big performance from Sovereignty. Hopefully, he can confirm his status as the top three-year-old in the country and give Bill Mott his first Travers.”

A win would really mean a lot in so many ways. For Mott, this would mark the end of a significant personal dry spell in a race that has slipped through his fingers during his legendary career, with him having finished second three times before.

If Sovereignty pulls it off, he’ll be in some pretty legendary company, right up there with the likes of Twenty Grand from 1931, Shut Out from 1942, and Thunder Gulch from 1995—horses that have all taken home the Kentucky Derby, Belmont, and Travers titles.

Plus, it would really strengthen his grip on the three-year-old championship and make it Godolphin’s third win in the Travers, following Alpha in 2012 and Essential Quality in 2021. Additionally, a competitor trainer was fairly forthright about Sovereignty’s performance leading up to the Travers.

Sovereignty has set standards that high

The excitement for the Travers Stakes really ramped up when a top competitor made an unexpected concession before the race. Trainer Chad Brown, who brought Strategic Focus into the race, shared his honest thoughts about the G1 challenge, saying, “If Sovereignty runs his race, everyone is going to be running for second, but I’m OK with that. I’d be happy with that, but it’s Saratoga, and anything can happen. I have a horse that’s sound, healthy, fresh, and lightly raced, and it’s a race I’ve always wanted to have success in, so I want to take a shot.”

This straightforward acknowledgment from a well-respected competitor really highlights the impressive level of respect Sovereignty has in the racing world, making it seem like the whole event is his to lose. It showed just how much of a psychological advantage Godolphin’s colt had, so strong that it seemed to scare off other potential challengers, leading to a small field of just five horses.

But Brown has also captured Saratoga in his remarks: the course, the atmosphere, and the history can all work together to produce shocks, even when a clear favorite is in the hunt. Because, you know, in horse racing, anything may happen.