On Saturday, Journalism came flying from behind to snatch a win in the $1 million Haskell Invitational at Monmouth Park. With that, the only colt to participate in all three of the Triple Crown races solidified his status as one of the top three-year-olds in the game. But it’s not like his newfound rival Sovereignty intends to stay too far behind him. 

Sovereignty beat Journalism to the first place in both the Kentucky Derby and the Belmont Stakes. However, keeping the gruelling schedule of the Triple Crown and his long-term career in mind, trainer Bill Mott and team decided against running him at Preakness. But the three-year-old is now ready to take the field at the 2025 Jim Dandy on July 26. 

Horse racing reporter, Tim Wilkins, took to X to share a video of the horse partaking of some healthy snacks ahead of the big day. “Sovereignty, the top-ranked 3-year-old in the country, gets his daily dose of carrots from his pal, longtime employee of trainer Bill Mott, after he had his final work for next weekend’s Jim Dandy at Saratoga.” Mott is well-acquainted with triumph in the Jim Dandy Stakes, having trained four previous winners in Chief Honcho (1990), Favorite Trick (1998), and Good Samaritan (2017). With that wealth of experience and a proven track record, he knows better than to take anything for granted. However, he is happy with what he has seen of his trainee of late.

“He was good. He was very good. Nice five-furlong breeze. He went smoothly and finished up good, came back to the barn good, looked good after work, and looked good this morning,” said Mott on July 13, after his trainee went five furlongs in one minute, 2.18 seconds under exercise rider Neil Poznansky the day before. But while Mott is excited for the Jim Dandy, that’s certainly not the only upcoming race on his mind.

Trainer Mott sets sights on Travers win with Sovereignty

After the Belmont Stakes, Sovereignty remained at Saratoga to gear up for his next test in the Jim Dandy Stakes. As reported by the Paulick Report, the colt maintained his training regimen at the Oklahoma dirt training track, where he logged a solo half-mile breeze on July 19, posting a consistent time of 49.82 seconds. It was a key piece of work that signaled his readiness ahead of the Jim Dandy.

“We hope he has a good race and has a little luck. Anything can happen,” said Mott. But while Mott wishes for Journalism to be successful on July 26, he has his eyes set on the $1.25-million DraftKings Travers (G1) on August 23. It’s a race that hasn’t seen him finish first yet, and nothing would please him more than winning it with the Kentucky Derby champion.

“I’d like to win it with any horse. It would be special to be able to win it with this horse, having won the Derby and the Belmont. I think if he can pick off the Travers, that’d be really great for him and great for the connections,” Mott explained. The stage is set. Let’s see if Sovereignty can bring the winning smile on Mott’s face, just like he did in the Kentucky Derby, 2025.