Alvarado on Sovereignty: ‘I Wouldn’t Trade My Horse for Anyone’

Steal Sunshine Working Saturday at Gulfstream for Godolphin Mile
Texas Glitter Noms Include Royal Palm Juvenile Winner Gabaldon

HALLANDALE BEACH, FL - Since coming to the U.S. from Venezuela in 2007, jockey Junior Alvarado has compiled an enviable list of accomplishments with more than 2,200 wins including three in the Breeders’ Cup, two on Horse of the Year Cody’s Wish, the $3 million Pegasus World Cup (G1) in 2023 at his winter home of Gulfstream Park, and the $20 million Saudi Cup last winter.

Now, the 38-year-old journeyman feels he’s in the best position ever to check another milestone off the list – a Triple Crown race victory.

Alvarado is the regular rider of Godolphin homebred Sovereignty, a bay son of Into Mischief that ranks tied for third with 60 qualifying points for the Kentucky Derby (G1). Fifty of those came with his dramatic late-running triumph in Gulfstream’s Coolmore Fountain of Youth (G2) March 1. It was the first race for Sovereignty since breaking his maiden in the Street Sense (G3) last fall at Churchill Downs.

“I’m very excited for this horse. He’s showed a lot of talent, and I don’t think we’ve seen the best of him yet,” Alvarado said. “Even when he broke his maiden, he was still a big, playful guy. Big body on him, but mentally he was still a little babyish. He’s a very lightly raced horse. I’m in a good spot. I wouldn’t trade my horse for anyone.”

Alvarado is 0-for-10 in Triple Crown races, having ridden five times in the Derby, twice in the Preakness (G1) and three times in the Belmont (G1). His best finishes came when fourth in the 2016 Derby with Mohaymen and 2012 Preakness – his Triple Crown debut – with Zetterholm.

“I think this year I have a chance to solve that and win the Derby,” Alvarado said. “I was thinking that [Sovereignty] could be the horse and, after the Fountian of Youth, I am even more excited. It’s one of the big races that I need for my resume as a jockey. This is the best chance that I’ve ever had with a horse going into the Derby.”

In the 1 1/16-mile Fountain of Youth, Sovereignty closed with aplomb to run down previously undefeated River Thames to win by a neck in 1:43.12 to give Alvarado his second win in the race after Mohaymen and Hall of Fame trainer Bill Mott his first.

“I think we’re sitting right now on cruise control with him. He came into the Fountain of Youth ready to run. I don’t think he was ready to win, I just think because of his talent and how good he is that he got the win that day,” Alvarado said. “We were kind of hoping to be second or third and pick up some points and then Bill told me after that we’ll get him definitely ready to pick up the other points we need to get into the Derby.

“Now, winning that race, it put us in a very, very good spot. He even said next time, I don’t need to do much with him. Just keep him happy and try to save that energy going toward the Kentucky Derby,” he added. “I like the plan. I think he might run here.”

Mott said Sovereignty is “95 percent” to make his next start in the $1 million Curlin Florida Derby (G1) March 29 at Gulfstream, a race that has produced 45 starters that have gone on to win a remarkable 59 Triple Crown events – 25 in the Derby, 18 in the Preakness and 16 in the Belmont.

“I think plans changed when he won. Ideally if he would have finished second or third, he probably would have gotten the extra week and shoot for the Wood Memorial or the Blue Grass to make sure he was good going into those races to pick up the points,” Alvarado said. “But now that we picked up the points, I think actually running here makes more sense because then you have one extra week going into the Derby. Mr. Mott is in the Hall of Fame for a reason. I’m just excited to be riding such a nice horse.”

Steal Sunshine Working Saturday at Gulfstream for Godolphin Mile

Steal Sunshine, a last-out second to Mindframe in the Gulfstream Park Mile (G2) March 1, will be back on the work tab this weekend ahead of a next scheduled start in the $1 million Godolphin Mile (G2) on the Dubai World Cup undercard April 5 at Meydan Racecourse.

Gulfstream-based trainer Bobby Dibona said Steal Sunshine’s regular rider, Paco Lopez, will be aboard the 6-year-old son of Constitution both for his breeze over the main track and the race in Dubai.

“He’s going to work Saturday,” Dibona said. “We’re doing all the preparations. He’s doing good, and he’s a good shipper. I’m not worried about that. I shipped him to Ellis Park and won [the 2022 Ellis Park Derby] with him. Hey, maybe we can pull it off.”

Michael Iavarone, Jules Iavarone, Carrie Brogden, Kevin Pollard, Ed Gorry and David Menard’s Steal Sunshine has made 20 of 26 career starts over his home track at Gulfstream, with Ellis Park his only out-of-town victory. Overall he has a record of 7-3-7 with $700,430 in purse earnings.

Steal Sunshine was the defending champion in the Gulfstream Park Mile, a race where he got pinched back at the start and trailed the field for four furlongs racing along the rail before tipping wide nearing the stretch and closing stoutly to come within 1 ¼ lengths of 2024 Belmont (G1) and Haskell (G1) runner-up Mindframe, the recently named Maryland-bred Horse of the Year making his first start in more than seven months.

“If I don’t get destroyed leaving the gate, I beat Mindframe that day. I spotted the field 20 lengths. He ran huge. After that race, they extended the invitation for the [Godolphin] Mile,” Dibona said. “He’s a good horse. He needs a hot pace, and I think we’ll get it. I think he’ll have the pace he needs out there and Paco says he’s doing so, so good right now.”

Lopez has ridden Steal Sunshine in eight of 10 starts since last January with two wins including the Gulfstream Park Mile, the last-out second and thirds in the 2024 Ghostzapper (G3) and Fred Hooper (G3).

“This horse, he’s great but you’ve got to know how to ride him, and he does, so it’s all good,” Dibona said. “He’ll leave on the 22nd and we’ll get out there and get a chance to maybe blow him out a little bit before the race.”

Later on Saturday, Dibona will send out Michael Iavarone, Jules Iavarone and Mark Frimmel’s Tiger Belle in the $115,000 Captiva Island for older fillies and mares scheduled for five furlongs on the grass. The Irish-bred 4-year-old filly, a 2023 Group 3 winner facing males in France, has not raced since last July for previous trainer Saffie Joseph Jr.

Tiger Belle was 12th in the 2023 Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Turf Sprint (G1) at Santa Anita in her stateside debut then went winless in three tries last year including a fourth in the five-furlong Melody of Colors on Gulfstream’s all-weather Tapeta course in late March.

“Mentally, with these European horses I think it just takes a bit to get to them,” Dibona said. “I turned her out for a while and brought her back in and kind of started from square one. We’ve had a nice little run preparing, but every once in a while she throws in a day that makes me scratch my head.

“My goal right now is to hopefully be in good order Saturday morning and then see what we’ve got our hands on,” he added. “If she’s good and she runs the way she worked the last couple of works, she might be this kind of horse.”

Texas Glitter Noms Include Royal Palm Juvenile Winner Gabaldon

Soldi Stable’s Gabaldon, winner of last spring’s Royal Palm Juvenile in his career debut, undefeated Turbulent Force and Makeit to Cheyenne, riding a two-race win streak, are prominent among nominees to the $115,000 Texas Glitter for 3-year-olds scheduled to go five furlongs on the grass Saturday, March 22 at Gulfstream Park.

Gabaldon led all the way to take the five-furlong Royal Palm Juvenile by 1 ¼ lengths and earn an automatic berth to a 2-year-old race at the famed Royal Ascot meet in England, where the Gone Astray colt ran second by a length in a field of 27 for the mid-June Windsor Castle and hasn’t started since.

Trained by Jose D’Angelo, Gabaldon returned to the work tab Feb. 8 and has breezed four times on the main track at Palm Meadows, Gulfstream’s satellite training facility in Palm Beach County.

R.A. Hill Stable and SGV Thoroughbreds’ Turbulent Force has won each of his two races, starting with a five-furlong maiden special weight on the Gulfstream turf Dec. 6. He has not been out since a front-running 1 ¼-length optional claiming allowance score Jan. 9 on the all-weather Tapeta course, also at five-eighths.

Makeit to Cheyenne ran a troubled 10th in the Royal Palm Juvenile but came back to graduate in late July on the Monmouth Park turf. The speedy Liam’s Map gelding was off until rolling by 3 ¼ lengths in a five-furlong Tapeta dash March 7 at Gulfstream.

Other nominees include stakes-placed Dumb Money; Boundfortrouble, a maiden winner at the course and distance last summer; and D’Angelo-trained stablemate Incanto, third or better in six of eight starts second to Makeit to Cheyenne last out.

Tracy Farmer’s Abientot, winner of the Matron (G3) last fall at Aqueduct, tops 15 nominees to the $115,000 Melody of Colors for 3-year-old fillies scheduled at five furlongs on the turf Sunday, March 23.

Abientot broke her maiden last summer at Saratoga and two starts later ran third in the 6 ½-furlong Untapable at Kentucky Downs before cutting back to six furlongs for the Matron. By Not This Time, she most recently tired to last after pressing the pace in the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies Turf (G1) Nov. 1 at Del Mar.

Troy Johnson and Maritza Weston’s Win N Your In is nominated to make her turf debut after three wins and three thirds in eight prior starts, all on dirt. She raced exclusively at Gulfstream last year, winning the Sharp Susan and Florida Sire Susan’s Girl, and is winless in two tries this year with a third in the seven-furlong Gasparilla Jan. 11 at Tampa Bay Downs.

Also among nominees are Dare to Breeze, second by a neck in the five-furlong Algonquin in her grass debut and most recent race last fall at Aqueduct; Cloe, who graduated sprinting 5 ½ furlongs on the Tapeta Jan. 8; Me Governor, winner of the Stewart Manor last fall on the Aqueduct turf; and Shisospicy, twice stakes-placed on dirt before a front-running optional claiming allowance triumph Feb. 5 in her grass debut.