Racing Royalty: Sovereignty Romps in Travers

[Wandering Eyes]

Dual Classic winner Sovereignty (Into Mischief) showed no mercy on his four overmatched rivals, romping by 10 lengths in Saturday's GI Travers S. at Saratoga. Bracket Buster (Vekoma) was second; Magnitude (Not This Time) was third.

The 1-4 favorite trailed the bunched-up field of five as expected pacesetter Magnitude led through an opening quarter :23.47. Third on the outside less than a half mile from home, Junior Alvarado asked the question as Bracket Buster turned them in approaching the top of the stretch. The response was immediate and spectacular. The Godolphin homebred gained command shortly thereafter and ran up the score to provide Hall of Famer Bill Mott with his first win in the Travers.

The final time for 1 1/4 miles was 2:00.84.

Sovereignty becomes the first winner of the GI Kentucky Derby, GI Belmont Stakes and Travers since Thunder Gulch did so in 1995. Twenty Grand (1931), Whirlaway (1941) and Shut Out (1942) have also completed the prestigious triple.

Sovereignty's loaded resume also includes wins in the GII Jim Dandy S., GII Fountain of Youth S. and GIII Street Sense S.

Sovereignty debuted with a fourth-place finish on last year's Travers undercard, highlighted in these same pages in Steve Sherack's Second Chances series.

Pedigree Notes:

Sovereignty was one of two Grade I winners for out-of-this-world sire Into Mischief on the Travers card.  Sovereignty was produced by the unraced Bernardini mare Crowned, a daughter of GISW Mushka (Empire Maker) and a $1.2-million Keeneland September yearling purchase by Sheikh Mohammed's operation. The Into Mischief x A.P. Indy cross has also produced GISWs Atone (o/o an A.P. Indy mare) and Newgate (o/o a Majestic Warrior mare). Crowned is also responsible for a yearling colt by Nyquist. She passed away in 2024. The aforementioned Bernardini won the 2006 Travers, and, in addition to Sovereignty, he is also the broodmare sire of 2018 Travers winner Catholic Boy.

SOVEREIGNTY reigns supreme!

He wins the @DraftKings Travers, giving Bill Mott & @JuniorandKellyA their first-ever Travers and becoming the first horse since 1995 to sweep the @KentuckyDerby, @BelmontStakes & Travers! pic.twitter.com/bxJNgj9ZU2

— NYRA () (@TheNYRA) August 23, 2025

Saturday, Saratoga
DRAFTKINGS TRAVERS S.-GI, $1,212,500, Saratoga, 8-23, 3yo, 1 1/4m, 2:00.84, ft.
1–SOVEREIGNTY, 126, c, 3, by Into Mischief
              1st Dam: Crowned, by Bernardini
              2nd Dam: Mushka, by Empire Maker
              3rd Dam: Sluice, by Seeking the Gold
O/B-Godolphin, LLC (KY); T-William I. Mott; J-Junior
Alvarado. $687,500. Lifetime Record: 9-6-2-0, $5,835,300.
Werk Nick Rating: A+. Click for the eNicks report & 5-cross
pedigree or the free Equineline.com catalogue-style
pedigree.
2–Bracket Buster, 126, c, 3, Vekoma–Spring Dance, by Dance
With Ravens. 1ST G1 BLACK TYPE. ($160,000 Wlg '22
KEENOV; $125,000 Ylg '23 KEESEP). O-BBN Racing LLC;
B-David Baxter (KY); T-Victoria H. Oliver. $250,000.
3–Magnitude, 126, c, 3, Not This Time–Rockadelic, by
Bernardini. 1ST G1 BLACK TYPE. ($310,000 Wlg '22 KEENOV;
$450,000 Ylg '23 KEESEP). O-Winchell Thoroughbreds LLC;
B-Ron Stolich (KY); T-Steven M. Asmussen. $150,000.
Margins: 10, 10 3/4, 12HF. Odds: 0.30, 17.80, 3.60.
Also Ran: McAfee, Strategic Focus.
Click for the Equibase.com chart or the TJCIS.com PPs. VIDEO, sponsored by FanDuel TV.

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