Sovereignty wins the 151st Kentucky Derby

Sovereignty won the 151st running of the Kentucky Derby on Saturday at Churchill Downs Racetrack in Louisville, Kentucky.

Sovereignty won the 151st running of the Kentucky Derby on Saturday at Churchill Downs Racetrack in Louisville, Kentucky. The 2025 edition of the longest continuously held major sporting event in the United States featured all of the pomp and pageantry that has become the hallmark of “The Run for the Roses.” After a slate of preliminary races, American gymnast Simone Biles, an 11-time Olympic medalist, gave the “riders up” call for the jockeys to mount their rides in the paddock. Moments later, the bugler sounded the call to the post and the horses began to enter the famed Churchill Downs Racetrack as the University of Louisville marching band and choir performed “My Old Kentucky Home.” After a heavy dose of rain earlier in the day, the 19 horses took to the muddy track in front of 147,406 spectators under cool, overcast conditions. When the starting gates opened, it was Citizen Bull and Neoequos taking the lead to set the pace early, while the eventual frontrunners found themselves stuck in traffic towards the rear of the pack.