“He was a little bit upset with the mud in his face, he was very surprised after the summer heat,” said Umberto Rispoli after finishing the 151st Kentucky Derby in second place with Journalism. With that, the Italian jockey also noted that he would be looking to settle the score with Derby winner Sovereignty on May 17 at the Preakness Stakes. However, that might not be on the table after all.

Pulling off an incredible victory at Churchill Downs on May 3, the Bill Mott-trained and His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum of Dubai-owned Sovereignty stunned the horse racing community by winning the Kentucky Derby last Saturday. Subsequently, the thoroughbred also began the debate about whether it has what it takes to win the coveted Triple Crown. But it looks like Bob Baffert’s Justify will continue to be the last horse to boast the title for the time being.

In a post on X, Daily Racing Form‘s David Grening noted that Sovereignty will be pulling out of the May 17 race in order to focus on the third and final leg of the Triple Crown. “Sovereignty to skip Preakness, point to Belmont Stakes,” the social media update notes.

On Sunday, trainer Mott revealed that Sovereignty picked up a scrape on its right front pastern, just above its hoof. “I believe we want to do what’s best for the horse,” the trainer said. “We received a call today from trainer Bill Mott that Sovereignty will not be competing in the Preakness Stakes. We extend our congratulations to the connections of Sovereignty and respect their decision,” Mike Rogers, of the Preakness, said in a statement Tuesday.

But this might not be entirely unprecedented either. After all, after winning the Kentucky Derby last weekend, Mott had noted that they wanted Sovereignty to have a long career rather than a successful but short one. “I think over the years people realize spacing these horses out a little bit gives you the opportunity to make them last a little longer and I think we’re looking at a career. We want the career to last more than five weeks,” said Mott, walking an entirely different path on the matter compared to Journalism’s trainer, Michael McCarthy.

McCarthy had noted that Journalism had a tendency to do well after a short break and promised a game plan for the Preakness Stakes. But maybe that was his disappointment of losing the Kentucky Derby talking. Going into the race, Journalism was the favorite with a 3-1 odds to its name. But it was ultimately jockey Junior Alvarado and Sovereignty who edged out Rispoli and Journalism to win the 1 1/4 mile race. Umberto felt like he deserved a second chance, especially considering how wet everything was at CDI on Saturday.

But we can certainly agree that Sovereignty deserves to revel in the glory of winning the Derby for some time before getting back to the racecourse! But that doesn’t mean that things will be mundane as the action returns to the Pimilco Race Course for the 150th time! Instead, a stacked lineup would greet the fans.

A thrilling race awaits, despite Sovereignty’s absence

The Preakness Stakes will see the return of the great Bob Baffert yet again. The celebrity horse trainer came back to Churchill Downs after serving a three-year suspension by the CDI after his horse Medina Spirit failed the post-race drug test following its 2021 Kentucky Derby victory. While many were hoping that upon his return to the iconic ground, Baffert would make a thumping statement by winning the Derby, he instead had to scratch his best bet to win the race, Rodriguez, because of a foot injury.

Thankfully, though, it seems like the 3-year-old thoroughbred has recovered and will enter the Preakness Stakes with 5-1 odds. At last year’s race, Baffert’s horse, Imagination, finished seventh in Pimlico, and undoubtedly, the storied trainer would look for his eighth Preakness Stakes win. With that, Bob would also be looking to find salvation for his miss at the Kentucky Derby.

But all eyes will be on Clever Again, the son of the Triple Crown winner American Pharoah. While the colt is a longshot to win the race with 12-1 odds, we all know how horse races can be an exhibition of miracles! So, with Sovereignty out, who do you think would seize the day? Tell us your Preakness Stakes predictions below!