Junior Alvarado, 38 years old from Barquisimeto, Venezuela, rode Sovereignty to victory in the 151st Kentucky Derby on Saturday at Churchill Downs. It marked the pair’s fifth start together and second at the commonwealth’s most famed racetrack.
Alvarado and Sovereignty came out of Post 16. They finished the 1 ¼-mile race in 2:02.31 — ahead of second-place Journalism.
With the victory, Alvarado won his first Triple Crown race.
Alvarado delivered trainer Bill Mott his second Derby win and first since Country House (via disqualification) in 2019.
The experienced jockey delivered owner Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum of Godolphin his first Derby win in 13 tries. Godolphin’s best finish before Saturday came with Essential Quality (third) in 2021.
Alvarado finished 78th in wins and 16th in earnings last year.
His Derby victory came 20 years after the first win of his career and about five weeks after he was hospitalized for a shoulder blade fracture at Gulfstream Park.
Alavardo was forced to watch Sovereignty race in the Florida Derby from afar. The day after Alvarado was discharged, Mott promised him he’d get to reunite with the horse, which the jockey said gave him the peace of mind needed to heal quickly. Alvarado started riding again on April 16 at Keeneland.
Sovereignty improved to 3-2-2 across six starts with the win.
Of the 20-horse field, 10 were ridden by men who have never won the race and five making their debuts. Of the five past champions, two had only reached the winner’s circle via disqualification.
This story will be updated.
Reach college sports enterprise reporter Payton Titus at [email protected], and follow her on X @petitus25.
This article originally appeared on Louisville Courier Journal: Kentucky Derby 2025 winning jockey Junior Alvarado: Journey to victory
Junior Alvarado, 38 years old from Barquisimeto, Venezuela, rode Sovereignty to victory in the 151st Kentucky Derby on Saturday at Churchill Downs. It marked the pair’s fifth start together and second at the commonwealth’s most famed racetrack.
Alvarado and Sovereignty came out of Post 16. They finished the 1 ¼-mile race in 2:02.31 — ahead of second-place Journalism.
With the victory, Alvarado won his first Triple Crown race.
Alvarado delivered trainer Bill Mott his second Derby win and first since Country House (via disqualification) in 2019.
The experienced jockey delivered owner Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum of Godolphin his first Derby win in 13 tries. Godolphin’s best finish before Saturday came with Essential Quality (third) in 2021.
Alvarado finished 78th in wins and 16th in earnings last year.
His Derby victory came 20 years after the first win of his career and about five weeks after he was hospitalized for a shoulder blade fracture at Gulfstream Park.
Alavardo was forced to watch Sovereignty race in the Florida Derby from afar. The day after Alvarado was discharged, Mott promised him he’d get to reunite with the horse, which the jockey said gave him the peace of mind needed to heal quickly. Alvarado started riding again on April 16 at Keeneland.
Sovereignty improved to 3-2-2 across six starts with the win.
Of the 20-horse field, 10 were ridden by men who have never won the race and five making their debuts. Of the five past champions, two had only reached the winner’s circle via disqualification.
This story will be updated.
Reach college sports enterprise reporter Payton Titus at [email protected], and follow her on X @petitus25.
This article originally appeared on Louisville Courier Journal: Kentucky Derby 2025 winning jockey Junior Alvarado: Journey to victory
