If Sovereignty were to miss the Preakness, he would become the fourth Derby winner in the past seven Triple Crown seasons to do so (with a technicality in one of those cases). Mott’s own Country House missed out when a respiratory infection turned up the Tuesday morning after the Derby, but he already seemed a bit circumspect that year.

Sovereignty’s Kentucky Derby victory in the muck at Churchill Downs sparked curiosity over whether the colt can build on his signature win over a possibly drier, faster surface on the Triple Crown trail.

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth and White House deputy chief of staff Stephen Miller celebrated Sovereignty's Kentucky Derby win over its rival, Journalism.