“I was 100% confident of what I had underneath of me,” jockey Junior Alvarado knew Sovereignty wouldn’t let him down by any means. The Venezuelan wasn’t wrong. As the 2-5 morning line favorite, the son of Into Mischief left Baeza in the dust by a length to win the 2025 Jim Dandy on Saturday. But Bill Mott had his reservations.
The Hall of Fame horse racing trainer is no stranger to winning high-stakes competitions. With this year’s Jim Dandy having only a five-horse field, Mott probably was feeling confident about Sovereignty’s chances of winning the Grade II race. However, any connoisseur of the sport knows things can change in the blink of an eye. “They’ve got to hang those numbers up and say official,” the celebrity trainer said before the weekend event. While he might be feeling relieved now, Mott did have his breath clenched, but he isn’t one to wear his emotions on his sleeve.
An article by Thoroughbred Daily News from July 27 shared how Sovereignty’s trainer was feeling squeamish before Saturday’s G2 race, but wasn’t up for talking about it too much. The most significant thing that caused the stir was the fact that the Jim Dandy is run over 1 1/8 miles, while Sovereignty has carved out his legacy over 1 1/4 miles, winning both the Kentucky Derby and the Belmont Stakes.
Moreoever, with the 3-year-old colt previously having lost the 2025 Florida Derby earlier this year, which is also a 1 1/8 mile race, Mott was justifiably anxious to see how the Jim Dandy played out for Sovereignty. “I looked at that, but, no, that wasn’t really my biggest concern. Now, you’re going to ask what was your biggest concern. I don’t know if I am going to reveal that,” Mott was quoted as telling the reporters after the weekend victory, while also noting that he wasn’t “panicking” over the length of the Saratoga racecourse.
Horse Racing: 157th Belmont Stakes Jun 7, 2025 Saratoga, NY, USA Sovereignty 2 with Junior Alvarado up wins the Belmont Stakes at Saratoga Race Course. Saratoga Saratoga Race Course NY USA, EDITORIAL USE ONLY PUBLICATIONxINxGERxSUIxAUTxONLY Copyright: xGregoryxFisherx 20250607_lbm_fb5_053
But Mott’s confidence was boosted by the fact that fans seemed to place all their eggs in Sovereignty’s basket. Despite the Kentucky thoroughbred fumbling at the Florida Derby, while having hands on deck for the 151st Kentucky Derby, fans remained steadfast in the hope of seeing the Belmont Stakes winner coming through in Saratoga. Maybe that’s what helped the HoF trainer keep up his smile despite all the pressure.
With the latest victory, Sovereignty now posts five wins in his last six starts. You can understand why his trainer is feeling elated. But the show never stops, and it’s onto the next challenge for the horse and his camp. On August 23, at the Spa, the Travers will descend to entertain the horse racing fans, and Mott has a special reason to look forward to the race.
“We are trying to get ready for the Travers and that is the main objective for everybody, I think. The Mid-Summer Derby, I think the Travers is important to me. It is a race I’ve never won, and I’d really like to win it before I check out,” Bill told NYRA with a laugh on Saturday.
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