CNN
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Sovereignty won the 151st running of the Kentucky Derby on Saturday at Churchill Downs Racetrack in Louisville, Kentucky.

The 2025 edition of the longest continuously held major sporting event in the United States featured all of the pomp and pageantry that has become the hallmark of “The Run for the Roses.”

After a slate of preliminary races, American gymnast Simone Biles, an 11-time Olympic medalist, gave the “riders up” call for the jockeys to mount their rides in the paddock.

Moments later, the bugler sounded the call to the post and the horses began to enter the famed Churchill Downs Racetrack as the University of Louisville marching band and choir performed “My Old Kentucky Home.”

After a heavy dose of rain earlier in the day, the 19 horses took to the muddy track in front of 147,406 spectators under cool, overcast conditions.

When the starting gates opened, it was Citizen Bull and Neoequos taking the lead to set the pace early, while the eventual frontrunners found themselves stuck in traffic towards the rear of the pack.

Citizen Bull and Neoequos were joined by American Promise and East Avenue as the leaders raced four-wide down the back stretch.

As the horses raced around the final turn, Journalism and Sovereignty began to impose their wills on the rest of the field. The two horses ran neck-and-neck as they passed the rest of the pack on the outside.

The pair reached the final sixteenth of a mile running nose-to-nose before Sovereignty began to pull ahead, finishing a length and a half ahead of pre-race favorite Journalism.

Baeza, meanwhile, was able to follow the two leaders as they made their push to the front and surged to a third place finish, just a neck behind Journalism.

The three-year-old Sovereignty, trained by Bill Mott and ridden by Venezuelan jockey Junior Alvarado, entered the race as one of the favorites at 9-1 odds to win.

Alvarado, a first-time winner at the Derby, gave all the credit to Sovereignty.

“It was him, Soverignty, who got me all the way to the wire,” Alvarado told the NBC broadcast after the race. “It meant the world to me and my family here, I thought I had a great chance. … I was so confident all week. … It’s more than even a dream come true to have it done with (Mott).”

Mott was appreciative of the atmosphere at Churchill Downs, saying “it’ll take a while to sink in” after getting his second career Derby win.

“This one got there the right way,” Mott said. “He’s done well. He’s a great horse. He’s come from a great organization and I can’t say enough about the horse and the organization that started him out and did everything to make this happen.”

Bob Baffert, a six-time Kentucky Derby winner, made his return to Churchill Downs on Saturday after a three-year absence.

Until last year, the Hall of Famer was banned from running horses at the first leg of the triple crown after his horse Medina Spirit’s failed drug test in 2021.

However, his return wasn’t as successful as he would have hoped after his two horses failed to win.

Citizen Bull finished in 15th while Rodriguez had to withdraw earlier this week due to a bruised foot.

The next leg of horse racing’s triple crown will take place in two weeks at The Preakness Stakes in Baltimore, Maryland, followed by the final race on June 7 at the Belmont Stakes. The Belmont Stakes is being held in Saratoga Springs, New York, for the second consecutive year due to ongoing construction the race’s typical venue of Belmont Park in Elmont, New York.

This story has been updated with additional details.

CNN’s Jacob Lev contributed to this report.

CNN
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Andrea Kimi Antonelli became the youngest ever driver to claim an F1 pole position in any race format on Friday when he scorched around the track to ensure he will start at the front of the grid in the sprint event at the Miami Grand Prix.

The 18-year-old produced a brilliant performance in sprint qualifying to pip both McLaren drivers to the top spot, finishing just 0.045 seconds ahead of championship leader Oscar Piastri while Lando Norris took third.

Antonelli’s Mercedes teammate George Russell qualified in fifth place, behind the McLaren duo and Red Bull’s Max Verstappen in fourth.

The Italian is increasingly making a habit of becoming the youngest F1 driver to reach various milestones – in April he became the youngest driver to ever record the fastest lap in a grand prix and to lead the race too. Such landmarks underline his immense potential in the sport.

“I’m feeling over the moon. I did not expect it, but I was feeling good in the car,” he told broadcaster Sky Sports afterwards.

“I did not see that coming, to be honest. I felt the lap was good, I was happy with it, how it all came together. There were still a few bits where I could have done a bit better but still super happy with how I put all the sectors together.

“Now I will enjoy this moment a little bit more, but at the same time I’m going to try to focus on tomorrow because it would be good to repeat ourselves.”

After Antonelli finished, he went straight to the Mercedes garage to find his dad, Marco, and the two shared an embrace.

“He’s like a rock for me because I can always rely on him and it’s really nice to share this moment with him,” he said afterwards.

He will have a golden opportunity to win his first ever F1 race on Saturday in the sprint event, before the Miami Grand Prix on Sunday.

Reuters
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Twice Olympic 100 metres medallist Fred Kerley has been arrested for allegedly punching hurdler and ex-girlfriend Alaysha Johnson in the face, police said on Friday, and, as a result, he will not compete in the Grand Slam Track event in Miami this weekend.

The alleged incident occurred on Thursday at a hotel where Johnson, who is listed as a competitor in the Miami event, had an appointment with her conditioning coach when she told police she ran into Kerley.

According to the arrest report, Johnson told the officer she was struck one time by Kerley in the face with a closed fist, causing her nose to bleed, after he had become aggressive and continued to approach her.

The report also said Johnson’s injuries were “consistent with her statements” and that the 29-year-old Kerley was charged with one count of “battery-touch or strike.”

Reuters has contacted Kerley’s representative for comment.

Kerley and Johnson dated for about six months but broke up last October, according to the arrest report.

Kerley, who won a bronze medal in the 100m final at the 2024 Paris Olympics and silver in the same distance at the 2020 Tokyo Games, was scheduled to compete in Miami in the 100m on Saturday and 200m on Sunday.

“Fred Kerley was arrested last night. The matter is under active investigation, and all inquiries should be directed to the Broward County Sheriff’s Office,” Grand Slam Track said in a statement. “Fred will not compete this weekend. We have no further comment at this time.”

Kerley competed in Grand Slam Track’s inaugural meet last month in Kingston, Jamaica.

Grand Slam Track, which will hold four meets in 2025, was created by four-times Olympic gold medallist Michael Johnson.

The circuit is a direct challenge to the Diamond League, long the standard-bearer for the sport worldwide, which hosts 15 meetings each year in cities from Xiamen to Zurich.