Saratoga Notebook, Presented By NYRA Bets: Sovereignty Gets Work In Before Another Storm Slams Saratoga

[Wandering Eyes]

SARATOGA SPRINGS–Just before 8 Saturday morning, Sovereignty (Into Mischief) beat the weather. But just barely.

The GI Kentucky Derby and GI Belmont Stakes champ got his work in before the heaviest of yet another strong Saratoga thunderstorm pelted Saratoga Race Course.

With rain beginning to fall, Hall of Fame trainer Bill Mott was able to get Sovereignty out on the Oklahoma Training Track for a five-furlong work. Ridden by his assistant Neil Poznansky and working in company with stablemate Jefferson Street (Street Sense), Sovereignty covered the distance in 1:02.18 (5/12).

The leader in the 3-year-old division, Sovereignty is being pointed to the $500,000 GII Jim Dandy Stakes at Saratoga on July 26.

“I think we are in good shape,” Mott said outside his barn on the Oklahoma. “I am glad we got the horse breezed today. It worked out well enough; it looked like he went good. He moved well, the time was good, the rider was happy.”

The road outside of Mott's barn was flooded by 8:45 a.m. after a 45-minute rain pounded the area. It looked like a mini lake.

“We didn't expect this, can you believe it?” Mott said. “We got out in time, fortunately, because it looks like we've got some more rain coming (Sunday). I don't know. This track (Oklahoma) might not have a chance to dry out.”

 

Work of the Day from #Saratoga—Jefferson Street (Outside) and Sovereignty worked 5 Furlongs in 1:02.00 on July 12th, 2025, for trainer Bill Mott. pic.twitter.com/VN8gcfxELC

— 1/ST TV (@Watch1ST) July 12, 2025

This was Sovereignty's third work since winning the Belmont Stakes, which was run at Saratoga, on June 7. He has won three of four starts this year. Besides the Derby and Belmont, he also won the GII Fountain of Youth at Gulfstream Park.

In his other start this year, he was second in the GI Florida Derby.

Sovereignty beat the favored Journalism (Curlin) in the Derby and Belmont. He won't see him in the Jim Dandy as it appears that Journalism will run in the $1 million GI Haskell Stakes at Monmouth next weekend.

The area around Mott's office was cleared on Saturday morning following a Thursday night storm that uprooted a huge maple leaf tree. There was no damage done to the office and the tree has been hauled away.

When the tree departed, it took with it an enormous amount of shade with it. Mott found that out Friday afternoon when he came back to the office in the afternoon.

“The sun was beating down and it got hot (in the office),” Mott said. “I'm going to have to get a shade for my window.”

La Cara Up Next To Make Her Case For Casse

The race for best 3-year-old filly in the land will heat up next week when the $500,000 GI Coaching Club American Oaks is run at Saratoga Race Course.

Hall of Fame trainer Mark Casse is hopeful that one of his distaff runners can strengthen her case in the 1 1/8-mile race. That is Tracy Farmer's La Cara (Street Sense), who already owns a pair of Grade I wins in the Ashland Stakes at Keeneland and the Acorn at Saratoga on June 6.

La Cara | Sarah Andrew

The leader of the division is the Brad Cox-trained Good Cheer (Medaglia d'Oro), who won her first three starts this year–including the GI Kentucky Oaks–before finishing fifth in the Acorn. Good Cheer is not targeting the CCA Oaks, although could be seen in the $600,000 GI Alabama at Saratoga on Aug. 16.

Immersive (Nyquist), last year's Juvenile Filly champion, also trained by Cox, could also be in the starting gate in the CCA Oaks.

“Right now, we are ahead (of Good Cheer) in Grade I's,” Casse said outside his barn on the Saratoga backstretch. “She won a stake in New Orleans (GII Fair Grounds Oaks) and I don't know if that ranks as high as the Ashland. It's pretty close. Obviously, the (Kentucky) Oaks carries a big punch. I would say when Saratoga ends, there will be a clear-cut leader. I just hope it's us.”

La Cara had her final work for the CCA Oaks on Friday, going four furlongs on the main track in :49 (28/92).

“She went perfect,” Casse said. “We were going for an easy work.”

Casse also has another solid contender in the division in Nitrogen (Medaglia d'Oro), owned by D J Stables LLC. She won her first five starts of the year and has positioned herself as the top 3-year-old grass filly in the land. She ran valiantly in the GI Belmont Oaks Invitational at Saratoga on July 5 but lost by a nose to another Cox filly, Fionn (Twirling Candy).

In her prior start, Nitrogen showed her affinity for the dirt when she won the GIII Wonder Again, by 17 lengths, which was originally scheduled for the grass. Granted she only beat two others, but she showed enough to give Casse the confidence to say her next start will be in the Alabama.

“I am proud of our team,” he said. “We have two fillies that are two of the best 3-year-old fillies in North America. This is going to be an interesting meet.”

Prat Had To Make A Tough Decision

No one can be in two places at once.

As much as jockey Flavien Prat would like to, he can't be at Saratoga Race Course on July 26 and also at Santa Anita Race Track on the same day.

So, he had to pick. And he'll head to California.

Nysos and Flavien Prat | Benoit

Prat will ride the well regarded Nysos (Bernardini) in the GII, $300,000 San Diego Stakes at Del Mar; his other option was to be on Baeza (McKinzie) in the GII, $500,000 Jim Dandy at Saratoga.

“It's never an easy decision,” Prat said outside the jockey's room at Saratoga.

Prat rode Nysos, trained by Hall of Famer Bob Baffert, in the GII Churchill Downs in May and finished third in a three-horse photo finish. The winner of the race was Mindframe (Constitution), who is considered the leader of the older horse division.

It was Nysos' first start since February of 2024. He won his first three starts by a combined 26 3/4 lengths and Prat was aboard for two of them, the GIII Robert B. Lewis and the GIII Bob Hope Stakes.

Nysos was then sidelined by injury before re-emerging. After the Churchill Downs, he won the GIII Triple Bend Stakes at Santa Anita under jockey Juan Hernandez on May 31 (Prat was riding in Kentucky that day).

“I am kind of committed to Nysos,” Prat said. “I always felt like he could be anything.”

When Baeza runs in the Jim Dandy for trainer John Shirreffs, he will be ridden by Hector Barrios, who rode him in three of his first four starts, including a second-place finish in the GI Santa Anita Derby.

 

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