Sovereignty (center) leads Journalism (right) and Baeza to the finish line during the Kentucky Derby on May 3, 2025, at Churchill Downs in Louisville, Ky. The three horses are entered in the Belmont Stakes. (AP Photo/Abbie Parr)

It was déjà vu all over again in the 2025 Belmont Stakes. With better trips for each of the top three finishers from the Kentucky Derby five weeks ago, it was, once again, all Sovereignty in the final sixteenth of a mile.

In May, Sovereignty surged past favored Journalism to win the Derby but was kept out of the Preakness two weeks later. Journalism won the Preakness, setting up a much anticipated showdown in early June at the Belmont between the Derby and Preakness winners.