Kentucky Derby winner Sovereignty tees up Travers Stakes tilt with victory in Saratoga Grade 2

Kentucky Derby winner Sovereignty maintained his position as the top three-year-old in the US with an easy win in the Jim Dandy Stakes at Saratoga. 

The Into Mischief colt won two legs of the prestigious US Triple Crown with success at Churchill Downs and in the Belmont Stakes, and he was well fancied dropping down to Grade 2 level in the nine-furlong contest.

The Godolphin homebred faced just four rivals and was sent off odds-on under Junior Alvarado, breaking well before dropping to the rear at the halfway stage. Three furlongs from home, Alvarado began to ask questions of his mount and the pair went to the outside of the field turning for home, eventually getting past the John Shirreffs-trained Baeza to win by a length.

The winning margin may not have been significant but the smooth nature of his success was, with Sovereignty managing his latest test with ease despite coming off a seven-week break since winning the Belmont.

His win could be a sign of things to come, with the Bill Mott-trained star due to return to the New York venue to contest the 1m2f Travers Stakes in four weeks' time. 

"It was good," said Mott, quoted by Bloodhorse. "It was a winning trip, a winning ride, a winning run.

"Hopefully he comes back good and trains as well for the Travers. We're trying to get ready for the Travers and that's the main objective for everybody. The Travers is important to me. It's a race I've never won and I'd really like to win it before I check out."

Bill Mott: trainer of top US three-year-old SovereigntyCredit: Edward Whitaker

Sovereignty's record now reads five wins from eight starts, with his sole defeat this year coming when second to Tappan Street in the Florida Derby at Gulfstream Park in March.

"It was nice to get that behind him," said Michael Banahan, Godolphin USA's director of bloodstock. "He trained well into it but obviously he wasn't cranked up all the way. So, go out there, get the win, and move on to the next one, just like a basketball tournament. 

"Hopefully, this will set us up nicely for the Travers. There are going to be new shooters in the Travers which you can't take lightly, so we'll want to have our running shoes on that day as well."

Sovereignty's triumph may have been the highlight on the east coast at the weekend, but there was also Grade 1 action in California with Lovesick Blues landing an upset win in the 6f Bing Crosby Stakes at Del Mar.

The Librado Barocio-trained seven-year-old achieved easily the best win of his career in the contest, the previous highlight having been a Listed victory at Santa Anita in May. 

He was an outsider in this nine-runner affair but swung wide and gunned down Hejazi to strike by a length and three-quarters under Geovanni Franco, who was credited with pushing the trainer to target this race.

"I'd been able to ride him only in grass races, and he excels on that," said Franco. "But as far as working on the main track, he's always dragging me out there. So I told Librado, 'Why not take a chance at the Crosby?' And he responded like the champion he is."

Read more US news:

71-year-old American jockey set for record-breaking 53,579th ride this weekend 

'The big days are what it's all about' - Danny Mullins ticks another one off the bucket list with Grade 1 winner at Saratoga 

Watch: Journalism produces stunning late surge to land Haskell Stakes in dramatic fashion 

'Things didn't happen overnight but I'm getting opportunities and making them work' - Ben Curtis seeks Grade 1 breakthrough after strong US start 

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