Junior Alvarado: Jockey Profile, 2025 Belmont Stakes

Key Takeaways:

• In the 2025 Belmont Stakes, Junior Alvarado will take the reins of Kentucky Derby winner Sovereignty; it’s his fourth Belmont appearance and first with a top contender.
• Alvarado, who typically rides for trainer Bill Mont, has 27 Grade 1 wins, including top horses like Cody’s Wish and War Like Goddess.
• Though his Kentucky Derby win showed great skill, it wasn’t without controversy, resulting in a riding crop violation and an ongoing appeal of a fine and suspension.

Jockey Junior Alvarado will be in the spotlight in the Belmont Stakes at Saratoga Race Course on Saturday, June 7. He will be in the saddle with Sovereignty, who won the Kentucky Derby on May 3 at Churchill Downs. Trainer Bill Mott decided to give the Derby winner five weeks’ rest between then and the Belmont, in hopes that he can turn in another top effort in the final jewel of the Triple Crown.

Originally from Venezuela, Alvarado began his riding career in his native country in 2005, before moving to the United States in 2007. His first graded victory came in 2009 with She Be Wild in the Arlington-Washington Lassie (G3) at Arlington Park; she would go on to champion juvenile filly honors that year. His first victory at the top level came the next year, also at Arlington, when he rode Eclair de Lune to victory in the Beverly D. (G1) for trainer Ron McAnally and owner Richard Duchossois, owner of Arlington Park and the widower of the race’s namesake.

Since then, it has been onward and upward for Alvarado. He has 27 Grade 1 wins going into Belmont Stakes weekend, including three wins at the Breeders’ Cup festival. He has ridden many of Bill Mott’s marquee horses in recent years. That includes Horse of the Year and two-time Breeders’ Cup Dirt Mile winner Cody’s Wish, Jockey Club Gold Cup (G1) winner Olympiad, Pegasus World Cup (G1) winner, Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies winner Just F Y I, and multiple Grade 1 winner and female turf division mainstay War Like Goddess.

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Junior Alvarado in the Belmont Stakes

Though Junior Alvarado has ridden often in New York in recent years, he has not often ridden in the Belmont Stakes—his mount with Sovereignty being only his fourth ride.

His best finish in the race so far came in his first try, when he rode Unstoppable U to a sixth-place finish behind Union Rags in the 2012 Belmont Stakes for trainer Kenny McPeek. His other two Belmont mounts have come with long shots for Mott: he was seventh in 2020 with Modernist and tenth in 2024 with Resilience.

Junior Alvarado in the Triple Crown

Alvarado’s victory with Sovereignty came in his sixth Kentucky Derby mount at Churchill Downs. It was the first time he had ever hit the board in the Run for the Roses. Alvarado had ridden five times in the race before 2025. His best previous finish came in his first try, back in 2016. He finished fourth behind Nyquist with Mohaymen, who was trained by Kiaran McLaughlin.

Alvarado has only ridden twice in the Preakness Stakes at Pimlico Race Course. His first start in the second jewel of the Triple Crown came in 2012, when he rallied for fourth behind I’ll Have Another with long shot Zetterholm. His only other Preakness ride came in 2022, when he rode Skippylongstocking to a fifth-place finish behind Early Voting.

Junior Alvarado and 2025 Belmont Stakes Contender Sovereignty

Alvarado rides most of Bill Mott’s heaviest hitters nowadays, and in keeping with that, he has ridden Sovereignty for almost all of his starts. The only one he missed was the Florida Derby (G1) on March 29, a race in which Manny Franco rode. However, he suffered a hairline fracture shortly before the Florida Derby, an injury that had him out for three weeks. Mott made it clear that Alvarado would have the mount back for the Kentucky Derby. Mott kept his word, and it worked out well.

The Kentucky Derby Trail

Sovereignty debuted August 24 at Saratoga with Alvarado in the irons for a six-furlong sprint. Well off the pace early, he made up good ground in the lane to finish fourth in a race that was just too short. He stretched out to a one-turn mile next out, about a month later at Aqueduct. Alvarado got Sovereignty closer to the pace over that longer trip, and he battled on down the lane to miss by just a neck.

Though he was still a maiden, it was a good enough performance for Mott to promote Sovereignty to stakes company in the Street Sense (G3) on October 27 at Churchill Downs. The stretch to two turns was just the ticket: he settled well off the pace, made a well-timed move with Alvarado, and galloped off to win by five lengths in what turned out to be a very live early prep—second-place Tiztastic and third-place Sandman both made the Kentucky Derby field, too.

Alvarado was back in the irons for Sovereignty’s three-year-old debut on March 1 at Gulfstream in the Fountain of Youth. Preparing a late runner at Gulfstream is always a challenge since the track can favor speed so strongly, but Alvarado gave him the perfect ride. Though they were at the rear of the small field, he made a well-timed move and got Sovereignty up to win by a neck.

That was Alvarado’s last prep with Sovereignty. The horse did take a final prep in the Florida Derby, but Alvarado was recovering from his shoulder fracture. Sovereignty ran a credible late-running second behind Tappan Street, doing just enough to hold his form and continue to look like a credible Kentucky Derby prospect.

The Kentucky Derby

In a race with a lot of speed on paper, it looked like Alvarado would get a good setup for Sovereignty’s late-running style, though there was a question about how he would handle the sloppy footing at Churchill Downs. Despite a tough start, clipping heels with another horse, Alvarado didn’t panic. He settled Sovereignty near the rear and let the front-runners set a sharp pace. He got rolling on the outside around the far turn, bore down alongside Journalism outside of Owen Almighty in upper stretch, and kicked away best to win by 1 ½ lengths.

Alvarado’s ride on Sovereignty in the Kentucky Derby was not without controversy. Stewards determined, upon review of the race, that he struck Sovereignty eight times with the riding crop. Under Horseracing Integrity and Safety Authority rules, a jockey is only allowed to use it six times in a race. The original punishment, since he had two riding crop violations within the 180-day period, was a fine of $62,000 and a two-day suspension from Kentucky racing days. However, he has appealed, and it is expected that the penalty may be lowered since HISA is considering changes to the multiplier rule. (The original penalty for going one to three strikes over the limit without the multiplier rule would be $31,000, 10% of his jockey’s portion of the Derby purse, and one day.)

Mott decided after the Kentucky Derby to give Sovereignty five weeks’ rest before the Belmont. Sovereignty has been training toward the return, and Alvarado knows both Sovereignty and Saratoga well enough to be ready to give his horse the best possible chance.

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