Kentucky Derby-winning jockey handed massive fine for brutally whipping his horse too many times

By BEN NAGLE

The jockey who rode Sovereignty to victory in the 2025 Kentucky Derby has been fined a whopping $62,000 after it was ruled he had whipped his horse too many times during the race.

Junior Alvarado was given the news on Friday after an investigation by the Horse Integrity and Safety Authority, who decided he had struck his animal eight times over the course of the two-minute race at Churchill Downs.

There is a six-strike limit applied to the race – a number which already sparks fury from the race’s critics – and Alvarado has now been suspended for two upcoming race days at Kentucky on May 29 and 30.

The jockey showed little remorse when speaking to the media after news of his ban was revealed, telling Bloodhorse: ‘I wasn’t galloping by 10 [lengths]. When the extra whip happened, I was right next to the favorite and I needed to do what I needed to do at the time.

‘After [watching a replay], I saw I went over, but I had no time to think about that [in the moment]. I just wanted to win the biggest race in America!’

Per reports, the penalty for going 1-3 strikes over the limit, as Alvarado did, is typically 10% of the jockey’s portion of the purse.

Junior Alvarado has been fined $62,000 and banned for whipping his Kentucky Derby horse

Alvarado rode Sovereignty to victory at Churchill Downs but whipped the horse six times

This week, Alvarado was in the Bronx to throw the first pitch at the New York Yankees

Alvarado’s cut of the purse was $310,000, but his $31,000 fine was doubled because it is his second fine in less than 180 days. 

The jockey was competing in his sixth Kentucky Derby, and Sovereignty’s victory marked his first win.

The six-whip limit at Kentucky was introduced in 2020 after a spate of horse deaths sparked fury across America.

At Churchill Downs, there was a death rate of 2.73 per 1,000 starts, which rated as the second highest among 25 tracks with public records, per Yahoo Sports. 

Before the rule was brought in, horses were whipped a remarkable number of times during the famous Kentucky Derby.

In 2015, Triple Crown winner American Pharoah was estimated to have been whipped over 30 times by its jockey. 

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Kentucky Derby-winning jockey handed massive fine for brutally whipping his horse too many times

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