NBC Sports announced a milestone year for jockey Junior Alvarado, who secured his first Triple Crown series victories with Sovereignty (Into Mischief) in the GI Kentucky Derby and GI Belmont Stakes. The 39-year-old Venezuelan rider has established himself as a regular for Hall of Fame trainer Bill Mott’s talent-rich stable.
Alvarado nearly missed his Derby opportunity after fracturing his shoulder blade in a March 23 spill at Gulfstream. Doctors initially projected a six-to-eight-week recovery period — timing that would have prevented him from riding in the Kentucky Derby.
“I remember laying in the bed right there with my agent next to me,” Alvarado said during his appearance as Gainesway Guest of the Week on the Thoroughbred Daily News Writers’ Room Podcast presented by Keeneland. “I kept telling my agent, ‘I think I may have a fracture. I can handle pain. I’ve been through a lot of injuries and I knew that this one was worse than normal.'”
The jockey sought a second opinion from a Saratoga-based physician who had previously treated him. This doctor offered a more optimistic timeline, suggesting Alvarado could return before the Derby if he followed specific instructions.
The rehabilitation plan proved successful. Alvarado returned to racing on April 16 — just 23 days after the accident.
The Mott-Alvarado partnership has flourished over several years, with the jockey winning 421 races, 65 graded stakes, and $51.5 million in purse money for the trainer.
“When I moved to New York, I had Mike Sellitto as my agent,” Alvarado explained. “He’s a very good, close friend to Bill Mott. That’s how we started it.”
Alvarado described his gradual progression within Mott’s operation, initially working horses in morning training sessions while watching race day mounts go to established riders like Mike Smith or Joel Rosario.
“I remember my agent telling me, just keep working, keep working. You’re going to have your time,” he said. “By working a lot of his horses in the morning, I came to understand what Bill really likes to do with his horses, with the babies, how he develops the horses.”
Before Sovereignty, Alvarado experienced another career highlight with Cody’s Wish (Curlin), whose heartwarming connection with Cody Dorman became racing’s most celebrated human-equine story.
“That was very special,” Alvarado said. “It was completely different than riding Sovereignty. With Sovereignty I was always calm. Riding Cody’s Wish, I felt lot of pressure every single time I was riding him. I didn’t want to be the one who made a mistake and be the villain of the beautiful story that was happening.”
The podcast’s “Fastest Horse of the Week” segment, sponsored by WinStar, highlighted Ways and Means (Practical Joke), who earned a 111 Beyer Speed Figure in winning the GII Bed o’Roses Stakes — the highest Beyer assigned to any horse this year.
The podcast team of Randy Moss, Zoe Cadman and Bill Finley analyzed the Belmont and other Grade I stakes from the Saratoga weekend. When discussing whether Sovereignty might have swept the Triple Crown had he competed in the Preakness, the consensus was affirmative.
The Writers’ Room podcast is also sponsored by KTOB, the Pennsylvania Horse Breeders’ Association, West Point Thoroughbreds, 1/ST Racing and 1/ST TV.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9sjz-60AxMM
