The Kentucky Derby has always been a special moment in horse racing. Every year, fans gather at Churchill Downs or watch from home to see history unfold. This year’s race gave fans another story to remember.
Sovereignty won the 151st Kentucky Derby on May 3, 2025, under wet and challenging conditions. Trained by Bill Mott and ridden by Junior Alvarado, Sovereignty crossed the finish line first with a time of 2:02.31. The horse started the race at 7-1 odds and took home a prize of $3.1 million from the total $5 million purse.
This win marked the second Derby victory for Bill Mott, whose first win came in 2019. For Alvarado, the win was especially meaningful. He had returned from an injury not long ago and called it “more than a dream come true.” The crowd of 147,000 fans cheered through the rain as Sovereignty pulled ahead.
Journalism, the pre-race favorite, finished second. Baeza took third place, while Final Gambit came in fourth. Two horses, Rodriguez and Grande, were scratched earlier in the week due to foot injuries, leaving 19 horses to compete.
With this win, Sovereignty will head to the Preakness Stakes on May 17 at Pimlico Race Course. Many are now wondering: can this horse make a run for the Triple Crown?
Here’s a full look at the Kentucky Derby winners, updated with the latest champion:
| Year | Winner | Jockey | Trainer | Owner | Time |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | Sovereignty | Junior Alvarado | Bill Mott | Godolphin | 2:02.31 |
| 2024 | Mystik Dan | Brian Hernandez Jr. | Kenny McPeek | Lance Gasaway, 4 G Racing LLC & Daniel Hamby III | 2:03.34 |
| 2023 | Mage | Javier Castellano | Gustavo Delgado | OGMA investments | 2:01.57 |
| 2022 | Rich Strike | Sonny Leon | Eric R. Reed | RED TR-Racing, LLC | 2:02.61 |
| 2021 | Mandaloun | Florent Geroux | Brad H. Cox | Juddmonte Farms (Khalid Abdullah) | 2:01.02 |
| 2020 | Authentic | John R. Velazquez | Bob Baffert | Spendthrift Farm LLC, MyRaceHorse Stable, Madaket Stables LLC and Starlight Racing | 2:00.61 |
| 2019 | Country House | Flavien Prat | William I. Mott | Mrs. JV Shields, EJM McFadden and LNJ Foxwoods | 2:03.98 |
| 2018 | Justify * | Mike E. Smith | Bob Baffert | China Horse Club, Head of Plains Partners, Starlight Racing and WinStar Farms | 2:04.20 |
| 2017 | Always Dreaming | John R. Velazquez | Todd Pletcher | Brooklyn Boyz Stables | 2:03.59 |
| 2016 | Nyquist | Mario Gutierrez | Doug F. O’Neill | Reddam Racing LLC | 2:01:31 |
| 2015 | American Pharoah * | Victor Espinoza | Bob Baffert | Ahmed Zayat | 2:03.02 |
| 2014 | California Chrome | Victor Espinoza | Art Sherman | Steve and Carolyn Coburn & Perry and Denise Martin | 2:03.66 |
| 2013 | Orb | Joel Rosario | Claude R. “Shug” McGaughey III | Stuart Janney III & Phipps Stable (Ogden Mills “Dinny” Phipps) | 2:02.89 |
| 2012 | I’ll Have Another | Mario Gutierrez | Doug O’Neill | J. Paul Reddam | 2:01.83 |
| 2011 | Animal Kingdom | John Velazquez | H. Graham Motion | Team Valor International | 2:02.04 |
| 2010 | Super Saver | Calvin Borel | Todd Pletcher | WinStar Farm LLC. | 2:04.45 |
| 2009 | Mine That Bird | Calvin Borel | Bennie Woolley Jr. | Double Eagle Ranch & Bueno Suerte Equine | 2:02.66 |
| 2008 | Big Brown | Kent Desormeaux | Richard Dutrow, Jr. | IEAH Stable (Michael Iavarone) and Paul P. Pompa Jr. | 2:01.82 |
| 2007 | Street Sense | Calvin Borel | Carl Nafzger | James B. Tafel | 2:02.17 |
| 2006 | Barbaro | Edgar Prado | Michael Matz | Lael Stables (Roy & Gretchen Jackson) | 2:01.36 |
| 2005 | Giacomo | Mike Smith | John Shirreffs | Mr. & Mrs. Jerome S. Moss | 2:02.75 |
| 2004 | Smarty Jones | Stewart Elliott | John Servis | Someday Farm | 2:04.06 |
| 2003 | Funny Cide | José Santos | Barclay Tagg | Sackatoga Stable (Jackson Knowlton) | 2:01.19 |
| 2002 | War Emblem | Victor Espinoza | Bob Baffert | The Thoroughbred Corporation | 2:01.13 |
| 2001 | Monarchos | Jorge Chavez | John T. Ward, Jr. | John C. Oxley | 1:59.97 |
| 2000 | Fusaichi Pegasus | Kent Desormeaux | Neil D. Drysdale | Fusao Sekiguchi | 2:01 |
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