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Belmont Stakes payout: How much Sovereignty, Journalism and other horses won today. Purse details and more
Kentucky Derby winner Sovereignty won the 157th Belmont Stakes on Saturday
Kentucky Derby winner Sovereignty won the 157th Belmont Stakes on Saturday, surging past favored Journalism just as he did at Churchill Downs to finish with two legs of this year's Triple Crown. Sovereignty sat out of the Preakness only to make a stunning return in the last leg, pulling away in the final straight to relegate Journalism to second again.
Baeza was third to complete the repeat of the Kentucky Derby one-two-three.
With the win, Sovereignty claims a large share of the $2 million purse.
Purse Details and Distribution
The 2025 Belmont Stakes offered a $2 million purse, matching 2024’s increase from $1.5 million and equaling the Preakness but trailing the Kentucky Derby’s $5 million. The purse was split among the top eight finishers, with 80% typically going to owners, 10% to trainers, and 10% to jockeys.
Sovereignty (5-2 odds): $1,200,000
Owners (Godolphin): ~$960,000
Trainer (Bill Mott): ~$120,000
Jockey (Junior Alvarado): ~$120,000
Journalism (2-1 odds): $360,000
Owners (Eclipse Thoroughbreds et al.): ~$288,000
Trainer (Michael McCarthy): ~$36,000
Jockey (Umberto Rispoli): ~$36,000
Baeza (7-2 odds): $200,000
Rodriguez: $100,000
Crudo: $80,000
Uncaged: $60,000
Hill Road: $40,000
Heart of Honor: $20,000
Sovereignty, skipping the Preakness for rest, outran Journalism by three lengths in 2:00.69 on a fast track after morning rain dried. Longshots Rodriguez, Uncaged, and Crudo led early, but Sovereignty’s late surge, echoing his Derby win, proved decisive.
Trainer Bill Mott’s strategy to bypass the Preakness made Sovereignty the first horse to win the Derby and Belmont without running the Preakness. Journalism, running all three Triple Crown races, showed fatigue.
Sovereignty trainer Bill Mott said he was "on a cloud".
"The horse proved himself," McCarthy said. "The form held up -- the first three finishers in the Derby were one-two-three today, and I think it just was a great race."
