Kentucky Derby-winning jockey fined for striking horse Sovereignty too many times during race

The jockey of the Kentucky Derby-winning horse Sovereignty has been fined $62,000 for using his riding crop too many times.

The Horseracing Integrity and Safety Authority states jockeys can only strike their horse six times during a race, but officials claim Junior Alvarado struck Sovereignty eight times at the May 3 event. The Kentucky Derby, held at Louisville’s Churchill Downs racecourse, is the longest continuously-held sports race in the U.S. The event drew nearly 150,000 attendees this year.

Alvarado is now saying goodbye to 20 percent of his total $310,000 prize. The violation would normally be just 10 percent, but it was upped after the agency claimed this was Alvarado’s second offense in the last 180 days.

He’ll also be suspended for two race days later this month, a penalty which was also doubled on account of his repeat offenses.

The consequences could be worse, however. If Alvarado had hit Sovereignty a total of ten times, the pair would’ve been disqualified from the race.

Alvarado has been penalized nine times for riding crop overusage since 2022, when the rules were first introduced, according to The Athletic.

Alvarado told the outlet Blood Horse he “couldn’t keep track” of how many strikes he had.

“It’s such a big race, there’s so much that you’ve got on your mind,” he said.

“When the extra whip happened, I was right next to the favorite and I needed to do what I needed to do at the time,” he added. “After [watching a replay] I saw I went over, but I had no time to think about that. I just wanted to win the biggest race in America.”

Sovereignty, a three-year-old colt, beat favorite Journalism to win the 151st Kentucky Derby last weekend. He was bred by Godolphin, the racing stable of Dubai ruler Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum.

Sovereignty’s trainer, Bill Mott, previously won the competition with another horse in 2019.

“This one got there the right way,” Mott said of Sovereignty. “I mean, he’s done well, he’s a great horse, he comes from a great organization and I can’t say enough about the horse and the organization that started him out and made this happen.”

Sovereignty won’t be running in the Preakness Stakes, yet another popular horse race held in Baltimore. This ends any chance at a Triple Crown, which is awarded to a horse that wins the Kentucky Derby, the Preakness Stakes and the Belmont Stakes in Elmont, New York.

Mott said Preakness is still set to enter the Belmont Stakes next month.