A rain-soaked track, 19 horses thundering down Churchill Downs, the 2025 Kentucky Derby, dubbed “The Greatest Two Minutes in Sports,” delivered a historic upset that had fans buzzing. Sovereignty, a colt not favored to win, surged to victory in 02:31, shattering a 36-year viewership record and marking a triumphant return for controversial trainer Bob Baffert.

Sovereignty’s win was a first for Venezuelan jockey Junior Alvarado and a second for trainer Bill Mott, whose 2019 victory came via disqualification. But the real story was Bob Baffert’s comeback. After a three-year ban following his horse Medina Spirit testing positive for a banned substance in 2021 and its subsequent death, Baffert returned with Citizen Bull. Though Citizen Bull didn’t win, Bob Baffert’s presence added intrigue. A victory would’ve made him the first trainer to win seven Kentucky Derbies, a feat that is yet to be achieved. Yet, even as one record was missed, another was made.

Bob Baffert and Sovereignty were enough

This year’s Derby, the 151st “Run for the Roses,” drew a jaw-dropping 17.7 million viewers on NBC and Peacock, the largest audience since Sunday Silence’s 1989 win (18.9 million viewers) as reported by @NBCSports ‘X’ handle. Viewership peaked at 21.8 million as Sovereignty clinched a 1 1/2-length lead over the favored Journalism, who settled for second. Peacock alone saw a 34% jump in streaming, with 959,000 average minute viewers, making it NBC Sports’ biggest horse racing streaming event ever.

What’s more? This kind of viewership was achieved even as Donald Trump and Taylor Swift could not be spotted at Churchill Downs despite the odds of their appearances being high. In fact, the U.S. President had the best odds at 3/1 per a report by Action Network. Meanwhile, with Swift’s odds being 5/1 and her boyfriend and NFL star Travis Kelce sitting at 4/1, the chances of at least one half of the power couple making an appearance at the Derby were quite high. But leave it to the Kentucky Derby to turn odds on their heads. However, to be fair, even though these notable personalities were among the absentees at Churchill Downs, the richest of the Triple Crown races did not have any shortage of star power.

Simone Biles was there with her husband, Jonathan Owens. That’s as good a power couple as there is. What’s more? Biles was not the only one representing the sport of Gymnastics, as former LSU star and NIL sensation Olivia Dunne was also in attendance, while Chris Tucker brought some Hollywood bling to the horse racing extravaganza that was attended by a crowd of 146,407.

But now, with Sovereignty raining on Bob Baffert’s parade, all eyes are on the second leg of the Triple Crown—the Preakness Stakes. And as the attention shifts, one question is perhaps on everyone’s mind.

Will Sovereignty run at the Preakness Stakes?

So, Sovereignty just stormed through the slop at Churchill Downs to snag the Kentucky Derby crown, and now everyone’s buzzing. What’s next for this colt on the Triple Crown trail? The big question is whether he’ll tackle the 150th Preakness Stakes on May 17 at Pimlico Race Course or take a breather for a later challenge. After that gritty win in the muck, folks are dying to see if Sovereignty can keep the momentum going on a drier, faster track.

Hall of Fame trainer Bill Mott, though, isn’t rushing to pack his bags for Baltimore. On Sunday, he was playing it cool, sounding more cautious than confident about the Preakness. He did mention a minor scrape on Sovereignty’s right front pastern—probably from a little gate-traffic tussle with another horse—but brushed it off as no big deal. Still, you can tell he’s weighing his options carefully. “The great thing about the Triple Crown is that not many horses are able to do it,” Mott said, nodding to champs like American Pharoah in 2015 and Justify in 2018. That’s a high bar, and Mott knows it.

The Preakness, at 1 3/16 miles, is the shortest of the Triple Crown races, but that quick two-week turnaround from the 1 1/4-mile Derby? Yeah, it’s enough to make any trainer pause. Compare that to the Belmont Stakes on June 7, which gives you a cushy five weeks post-Derby to prep. Plus, this year’s Belmont, set for Saratoga Springs again, matches the Derby’s distance instead of the usual grueling 1 1/2 miles, making it a tempting target for Mott and his team.

For now, Sovereignty’s camp is keeping things hush-hush, watching how the colt recovers before deciding his next move. Will he chase Triple Crown glory in Baltimore, or hold out for Belmont? Only time—and Mott’s gut—will tell.