Belmont Stakes in Danger for Bob Baffert as Kentucky Derby Winner Sovereignty Confirms Return

Bob Baffert was really looking forward to the 2025 horse racing season. But, you know, not every dream ends up coming true. The Hall of Fame trainer was eager to snag that seventh Kentucky Derby title to prove himself to the community. “It feels great. I came back here in November and it was nice. Coming into the stable gate, everyone was nice to me and welcomed me back. It’s like I never left, so I feel great,” Baffert said when he arrived at Churchill Downs. But you know what? It was Sovereignty that came out on top, even catching the Derby favorite Journalism off guard.

So, Sovereignty, trained by Bill Mott and ridden by Junior Alvarado, had a bit of a rough start from the 18th post position. He really picked up the pace and managed to pass the favorite, Journalism, right at the end, winning by 1 1/2 lengths with a time of 2:02.31. With Rodriguez out because of a foot injury, it turned out that Citizen Bull was the only one left for the race. So, there was a moment when the colt ridden by Martin Garcia was actually leading the race, but then it just dropped down the ranks pretty fast, ending up in a tough 15th place. It looks like Baffert’s troubles might carry on to Belmont.

On X, DRF correspondent Mike Welsch shared some exciting news: “A star studded team to say the least over a ‘good’ Oklahoma training track with Sovereignty working in co. with no less a mate than Arthur’s Ride breaking 2L back holding slight edge at wire going easiest before edging clear on gallop out 5/8 37.36 102.45 up 3/4 116.03.”

Sovereignty teamed up with Arthur’s Ride. He noticed that Arthur’s Ride fell back by two lengths but still had a slight advantage at the finish line, while Sovereignty seemed to be moving comfortably before pulling ahead during the gallop out.

A star studded team to say the least over a “good”Oklahoma training track with Sovereignty working in co. with no less a mate than Arthur’s Ride breaking 2L back holding slight edge at wire going easiest before edging clear on gallop out 5/8 37.36 102.45 up 3/4 116.03

— Mike Welsch (@DRFWelsch) May 24, 2025

In a similar vein, horse racing handicapper Matthew DeSantis shared his thoughts on this workout, saying, “Sovereignty doing it easy against stablemate and G1W Arthur’s Ride. To be fair to AR, he is still working his way back into shape having not run since last year’s BC Classic but an impressive work by Sovereignty nonetheless.”

He mentioned that Arthur’s Ride is still getting back into shape since he hasn’t run since last year’s Breeders’ Cup Classic, but he also recognized how impressive Sovereignty’s work has been. It seems like trainer Bill Mott is really onto something with this workout, and skipping Sovereignty in the Preakness might have been a smart move after all. But did you know that Baffert’s horse also had a workout?

Bob Baffert won’t back off from the battle

Do you remember Rodriguez? Yeah, the horse that was dealing with a foot injury and had to miss the Kentucky Derby and the Preakness Stakes. It seems like he’s all set for the upcoming Belmont Stakes! Tom Ryan, the co-owner of Rodriguez, gave an update on the colt, saying, “Lovely work from Rodriguez this morning at Santa Anita in 1:24.4 – Happy horse, extended nicely – he’s ready for a trip to Saratoga.”

Rodriguez wrapped up six furlongs in 1:24.4, and it really caught the eye of his co-owner. This is just the right opportunity for Bob Baffert, especially with the Belmont Stakes coming up on June 7. Ryan mentioned that the horse’s workout time is spot on, indicating that Rodriguez is in fantastic shape and ready for his upcoming race at Saratoga.

It’s been a little while since the colt took home the G2 Wood Memorial Stakes, and he hasn’t been in the race since then because of a foot injury. But you know, the Belmont Stakes could really be the moment where we get to see the greatness of this amazing Baffert-trained colt.

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