The last time that the world of horse racing saw a Triple Crown winner came in 2018 when Justify accomplished the feat done only 13 times before. The next Triple Crown winner won’t come until 2026 at the earliest, something SiriusXM host Chris Russo was quite upset about on Wednesday’s edition of Mad Dog Unleashed.
On Tuesday, it was announced by Mike Rogers, the executive VP of 1/ST Racing, which operates the Preakness Stakes, that Sovereignty, the winner of the 2025 Kentucky Derby, would be skipping the Preakness later this month, the second leg of the Triple Crown of Thoroughbred Racing.
“We received a call today from trainer Bill Mott that Sovereignty will not be competing in the Preakness,” said Mike Rogers in a statement retrieved by ESPN, which operates the Preakness. “We extend our congratulations to the connections of Sovereignty and respect their decision.”
Instead, Bill Mott will be focusing on getting Sovereignty ready to take part in the Belmont Stakes in June, which will be held at Saratoga Race Course instead of Belmont Park because of ongoing construction and renovations at the traditional Belmont Stakes track.
Chris Russo discussed Mott’s decision on Wednesday’s edition of Mad Dog Unleashed, voicing his frustration that Mott opted not to try and go for the Triple Crown.
“You know and I know, if (Bill) Mott told the ownership group, ‘We think we can run well at the Preakness. The Triple Crown is significant.’ The ownership group would have passed. He’s a big trainer,” said Russo. “The guy just won him the (Kentucky) Derby. He would have said, ‘Bill, if you feel confident, run the horse.’ That’s what he would have done. And instead, they passed to run the Belmont.
“And the Belmont is… It’s not the Belmont! It’s not a mile and a half. It’s up at Saratoga. It’s not the Belmont! Sorry, that is not the Belmont. We have to make due with it being the Belmont because we don’t have any alternative. But don’t make it sound like it’s some grand scheme to win at Belmont Park. Because it’s not at Belmont Park.”
Russo continued.
“If anything, what he should have done is run the Preakness and bail on the Belmont! Because the Belmont has got an asterisk next to it. It’s not a mile and a half and it’s not at the same track. It’s not a sandy track like it is out there in Queens. My god, I mean, the sport is dying for some juice. It has three days a year where it has a little energy. That’s it, I’m not gonna watch that damn thing on Saturday afternoon. We’re getting ready for the Belmont… In Saratoga, New York, you’ll get ready for the Belmont. Don’t make it sound like the Belmont in Saratoga is the Belmont at the Belmont, because it ain’t.”
Say what you will about Russo and just how passionately he is against Mott’s decision on Sovereignty skipping the Preakness. But at least he has some conviction about the current state of horse racing, which has been an undercovered sport for years now in mainstream sports media.