Sovereignty overtook the favorite Journalism in the final stretch to win the 151st Kentucky Derby.
After rain turned to mist Saturday, Churchill Downs’ dirt track was muddy for the first leg of the Triple Crown. Despite those conditions, Sovereignty and jockey Junior Alvarado won with a surge past the pack starting in the final turn.
For Alvarado, recently back from an injury, this Kentucky Derby win was a first.
“It means the world to me. My family is here. I thought I had a great chance,” he said.
Trainer Bill Mott said he lost sight of his horse partway through the race.
“He made up a lot of ground in a hurry,” Mott said after the race.
Mott previously notched a Derby win in 2019, after the horse that crossed the finish line first was disqualified.
Journalism and Baeza took second and third place.
The purse, shared among the top five finishers, was $5 million.
Rain marks the day
The day of the Derby had a soggy start at Churchill Downs, with a blanket of gray clouds, chilly winds and rain showers covering the historic racetrack.
According to the National Weather Service, rain showers are expected to continue through Monday. Rain or shine, Derby fans still enjoyed the atmosphere.
“Other than the rain, everyone's been very hospitable. Great outfits, great drinks. Everybody's been great,” said Washington D.C. resident Phil Houston.
It was Houston’s first time at the Kentucky Derby. He said he came to be a part of Derby culture.
“This is one of the great places where you can actually come and there's no divisiveness, no divisiveness at all,” he said. “Everyone's literally coming here to have fun and enjoy themselves.”
The Streeter family said the weather would not ruin their fun on Derby Day. Amy Streeter owns Susan Florist’s in Louisville, and her store did the flowers for Woodford Reserve, Old Forester and Vineyard Vines’ displays around Churchill Downs.
“I've had it for 23 years now, and it is a family business,” Amy said. “It's crazy. It's organized chaos. Mother's Day is coming up. But this is a wonderful family endeavor. No family has ever done Derby like we did.”
Amy’s son Stuart Streeter said organizing flowers for Derby takes a lot of overtime.
“We're here [at] like four or five in the morning,” he said. “Then, during the day, we kind of do our little rounds, and then we come back at night as well. So it's a lot.”
Their annual homage to the Run for the Roses is their Derby Rose dress. For the last 12 years, the Streeters have come up with a different design. Amy’s daughter Margaret Streeter sported this year’s design. The dress is adorned with more than 500 roses that are hand-sewn together. Margaret has been the model for the dress since 2019.
Margaret said it’s “a labor of love.”
“Coming in and seeing everyone's jaws drop, it's amazing. It’s harder not to do it than it is to do it,” she said.
Franklin, Kentucky, native Jessica Towe said the fashion brings her back to Derby every year. This year, Towe said her outfit is inspired by the Netflix series “Bridgerton.”
“It’s about the horses and the races and spending time with my good friends,” she said.
She said she was hoping to win more than she spent on racing bets.
This story was updated.
