In a race that lived up to the billing, Kentucky Derby winner Sovereignty galloped to victory in muddy conditions at the 157th Belmont Stakes in Saratoga Springs, New York, on Saturday in the third leg of the Triple Crown.

Sovereignty, who entered the race with 2-to-1 odds, defeated a field of seven challengers. Journalism finished in second place. 

The race marked a kind of replay of the Derby, in which Sovereignty had finished in first and Journalism was the runner-up. 

Sovereignty is the first ever horse to win the Derby, skip the Preakness Stakes, and then win the Belmont. 

Journalism had entered as the heavy favorite after winning the Preakness. Derby third-place finisher Baeza was also in the field of eight.

Journalism was the only horse who ran in all three legs of the Triple Crown this year. Bob Baffert-trained Rodriguez was in the Belmont after being scratched from the Derby because of a minor foot bruise that also kept the colt out of the Preakness.

The Belmont took place for a second consecutive time at the historic Saratoga Race Course in upstate New York. The New York Racing Association temporarily relocated it there while Belmont Park on Long Island undergoes nearly half-a-billion dollars in renovations.

Because it took place at Saratoga, the Belmont was 1 1/4 miles long instead of the usual 1 1/2 miles, making the race known as the Test of the Champion the same length as the Derby.   

This is a developing story and will be updated.