SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. - It was just six days before the 2025 Florida Derby, on March 23, when jockey Junior Alvarado’s dream to finally win the Kentucky Derby nearly ended. The 38-year-old veteran suffered a slightly fractured scapula when his mount, the Bill Mott-trained Term, fell after suffering a heart attack less than a quarter-mile into a maiden race on the turf at Gulfstream Park.
Alvarado knew immediately upon being diagnosed that he would lose his regular seat aboard Sovereignty - whom he had guided to victory in the Grade 2 Fountain of Youth less than four weeks earlier - in the Florida Derby. And his first thoughts, his one fear at that point, was whether he would be able recuperate quickly enough to get that seat back in time for the Kentucky Derby less than six weeks later.
Fortunately for Alvarado, his road to recovery proved a lot smoother than predicted. He was able to return to the saddle on April 16 at Keeneland. Seventeen days later he reunited with Sovereignty, who benefitted from a perfectly orchestrated trip to readily run down and edge clear from the favored Journalism to win the Derby over the sloppy going at Churchill Downs.
And on Saturday at Saratoga, Alvarado added a second chapter to what he termed “an amazing journey” after putting up a similarly brilliant and well-timed ride aboard Sovereignty that resulted in an even more convincing, three-length victory over archrival Journalism in the Belmont Stakes. It was Alvarado's first Belmont victory.
“This whole experience has been something unique,” Alvarado said while leaving the winner’s circle after the race. “I can’t put into words just how amazing it is to ride in the Triple Crown, let alone [win] two of them. It means the whole world to me. That’s why we put in all the time, put in all the work. To win these two races, with an unbelievable horse like Sovereignty, for a trainer like Bill Mott, it’s something I will take with me forever.”
Alvarado began working Sovereignty as a 2-year-old last summer at Saratoga and has been his regular rider throughout his seven-race career, save for missing the Florida Derby, in which the homebred son of Into Mischief, with jockey Manny Franco aboard, finished a late-running second behind Tappan Street. And he credits the job Mott has done preparing the horse for the Triple Crown, and the confidence that has given him with each successive ride, as going a long ways toward the success the team has had over the past five weeks.
“This horse is unbelievable and I knew Mr. Mott was going to bring him into the Derby and into this race again today at A+,” Alvarado said. “And the trip we had today was amazing. He put himself right there, we just took it to them. It was like he knew he was the best horse. In the Derby I felt like we were a winner turning for home. Today I knew it by the five-eighths pole. I knew how much horse I had underneath me. I just couldn’t wait until we turned into the stretch to turn him loose.”
Mott, who first took Alvarado under his wing 15 years ago, credited that confidence the Venezuelan native has in Sovereignty as a major factor in all they have been able to accomplish together over the past 10 months.
“When a rider has confidence in his horse, like Junior has in this one, he can wait and let a horse like Journalism go, like he did in the Derby and he did in this race,” Mott explained. “He knows he’s loaded. He knows he has a good feel under him. He knows he can tip to the outside and still run him down. Like he did again today.”
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