Zipse: Sovereignty stands atop a strong crop of 3-year-olds

Boy, was I wrong. I apologize to faithful followers of this column who suffered through my two serious mistakes in judgment, and I thank Sovereignty for so emphatically pointing out my errors.

My first mistake lasted the better part of six months. Journalism is not the best 3-year-old as I’ve believed and written for some time now. In two head-to-head meetings with Sovereignty, he has been proven only second best.

Sovereignty powered by Journalism in both the Kentucky Derby and Saturday’s Belmont Stakes. Sovereignty is the best 3-year-old in the land.

My second mistake might have lasted even longer in believing we have an especially strong group of older horses on the track in 2024. After Sierra Leone and Locked already had knocked my opinion on the group down a peg, Fierceness and White Abarrio followed suit in Saturday's Met Mile.

Kudos to the nice speed horse Raging Torrent for taking the favorites to task in the Grade 1 affair. He has improved to the point of joining the conversation of being the best older male around. In running Fierceness and White Abarrio off their feet, he also pointed out the inconsistencies of the group as a whole.

Ever the optimist, however, I do see some big positives in these two mistakes.

In comparison to the entire Triple Crown series of recent years, the 2025 editions of the Kentucky Derby, Preakness and Belmont Stakes had serious quality and substance to them.

Obviously, Sovereignty leads the way. After a strong stretch drive carried him to a decisive victory over 18 others on the first Saturday in May, he was even better Saturday at Saratoga.

He had to work hard to get by Journalism at Churchill Downs. It wasn’t as difficult for the powerfully put together son of Into Mischief in the Belmont.

Sovereignty is only getting better, and Saturday he turned in one of the best performances I've seen at Saratoga in years.

Journalism ran another very good race in the final leg of the Triple Crown. But when the horse you are trying to hold off counters with a sub-24-second final quarter at the classic 1 1/4-mile distance, second best was all he was going to get.

It’s very fair to wonder what might have been for Sovereignty. As a racing historian, I value the Triple Crown and I was disappointed that the Kentucky Derby winner skipped the second leg. I understand the decision but wish it had been different.

We never will know how Sovereignty would have fared in the Preakness and then in the Belmont if it had been his third in the series. What we do know is how good he was in the two legs he did run.

I imagine Godolphin, trainer Bill Mott and rider Junior Alvarado will have no regrets in running in only two out of three. And if they do have any regrets, they will not be spoken of.

As for the resounding winner of the Kentucky Derby and Belmont Stakes, Sovereignty is a hell of a horse. He never has run a bad race, and his late run is more potent with each passing month. Since taking his game to two turns, he has been a flat-out monster.

What about Journalism? The only horse to run in all three legs would be a Triple Crown winner if not for Sovereignty. He now has run in six graded stakes races in his career, and only one horse has finished ahead of him in those six.

And let us not forget his Preakness victory. Finishing second in the Belmont should take nothing away from his courageous run at Pimlico. If Sovereignty has proven himself to be Batman, we have a very classy Robin on our hands in Journalism.

Clearly the best of the rest might aptly describe the stakes career of Baeza. A beautiful colt and a beautifully bred horse, he might have been unlucky to be born in the wrong year. But his first three stakes' attempts have been very solid.

His consistency when running second behind Journalism in the Santa Anita Derby (G1) and then third in both the Kentucky Derby and Belmont Stakes behind the same two colts further highlights the class of all three.

Like Baeza, Gosger comes from a wonderful female family. I wish he was given a little more credit for what he did in the Preakness. It was only his fourth lifetime race and his first past 1 1/16 miles.

Sure, the Preakness was a showcase for Journalism, but what Gosger did at Pimlico really impressed me. I look forward to seeing much more from the Brendan Walsh trainee. The handsome gray rounds out my fearsome foursome.

Every Sunday in this column I share my opinions on the sport I love. Some are good, some not so good. But when I fail, I always get right back up on the horse. My parents taught me that.

After watching and re-watching each leg of this year’s Triple Crown, I believe that this is a very strong crop of sophomore colts.

Led by Sovereignty, followed closely by Journalism and supported by the likes of Baeza, Gosger and a cast of others, they have demonstrated real class throughout the series. So much so that I believe this could be one of the best crops we have seen in recent decades.

As of Saturday afternoon, they have stormed past the older horses. Look for the sophomore class of 2025 to have their way in the Breeders’ Cup Classic this fall at Del Mar. They already are better than the older horses, in my opinion.