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

The jockey who rode Sovereignty to triumph successful the 2025 Kentucky Derby has been fined a whopping $62,000 aft it was ruled helium had whipped his equine excessively galore times during the race.

Junior Alvarado was fixed the quality connected Friday aft an probe by the Horse Integrity and Safety Authority, who decided helium had struck his carnal 8 times implicit the people of the two-minute contention astatine Churchill Downs.

There is simply a six-strike bounds applied to the contention - a fig which already sparks fury from the race's critics - and Alvarado has present been suspended for 2 upcoming contention days astatine Kentucky connected May 29 and 30.

The jockey showed small remorse erstwhile speaking to the media aft quality of his prohibition was revealed, telling Bloodhorse: 'I wasn't galloping by 10 [lengths]. When the other whip happened, I was close adjacent to the favourite and I needed to bash what I needed to bash astatine the time.

'After [watching a replay], I saw I went over, but I had nary clip to deliberation astir that [in the moment]. I conscionable wanted to triumph the biggest contention successful America!'

Per reports, the punishment for going 1-3 strikes implicit the limit, arsenic Alvarado did, is typically 10% of the jockey's information of the purse.

Alvarado's chopped of the purse was $310,000, but his $31,000 good was doubled due to the fact that it is his 2nd good successful little than 180 days. 

The jockey was competing successful his sixth Kentucky Derby, and Sovereignty's triumph marked his archetypal win.

The six-whip bounds astatine Kentucky was introduced successful 2020 aft a spate of equine deaths sparked fury crossed America.

At Churchill Downs, determination was a decease complaint of 2.73 per 1,000 starts, which rated arsenic the 2nd highest among 25 tracks with nationalist records, per Yahoo Sports. 

Before the regularisation was brought in, horses were whipped a singular fig of times during the celebrated Kentucky Derby.

In 2015, Triple Crown victor American Pharoah was estimated to person been whipped implicit 30 times by its jockey.