Journalism Battles Through Traffic to Win Preakness

As the curtain came down on what will now be known as the "old" Pimlico Race Course, talk of the great performances in the long history of the racetrack surfaced. There was Secretariat's last-to-first move in the 1973 Preakness Stakes (G1) and the epic stretch duel between Sunday Silence and Easy Goer in the 1989 middle jewel of the Triple Crown. In the 150th and final edition of the Preakness May 17 before the "old" structure is torn down next month, Journalism authored a performance that will rank right up there with the most memorable ever at Old Hilltop. Sandwiched between horses and bumping with them at the three-sixteenths pole, it seemed the son of Curlin was destined for another runner-up finish in a classic, like his second-place finish as the favorite two weeks earlier in the Kentucky Derby (G1)—if he was lucky. At the eighth pole, he was five lengths behind Gosger, who spurted clear while Journalism ran into trouble, and had Sandman, who also avoided any traffic issue, closing outside of him. But in the final eighth of a mile, Journalism won the Pulitzer Prize for drama. With an incredible closing kick, he and jockey Umberto Rispoli gobbled up the ground in spellbinding fashion and collared Gosger in the final yards to prevail by a half-length in the $2 million Preakness for 3-year-olds. It was a spectacular win and a poignant tribute to the work of trainer Michael McCarthy—and it was all about guts. "I think this victory symbolizes so much about life," said Eclipse Thoroughbred Partners' founder and president Aron Wellman, also managing partner of the ownership group. "It took guts for Michael McCarthy to make this call to come here. It took guts for Umberto Rispoli to get sideswiped and thread the needle and power on through. And it took guts from an incredible horse to somehow will his way to victory." Robert LaPenta, another of the owners, held his fingers a few inches apart and said, "I came this close to turning away. I said, 'They got him.' It wasn't that he wasn't the best horse. They got the best of him. I was worried about him getting second. And what he did and how he ran was incredible. "This is one of the most impressive runnings of the Preakness I've ever seen," he added. "He had no business winning. It shows what a warrior he is, two weeks after a tough race." For McCarthy, it was his second Preakness win after taking the 2021 edition with Rombauer, and it brought a cascade of emotions. "When I saw that (bumping), I thought it was another solid effort, and, unfortunately, he was going to come up just a little short," McCarthy said. "For sure, he got the worst of it. Hats off to Umberto and Journalism for persevering. I think today you saw what it takes to be a champion. Today was his day." The major storyline of the 150th Preakness was the decision by the connections of Kentucky Derby winner Sovereignty to skip the Preakness and point for the June 7 Belmont Stakes (G1) at Saratoga Race Course. After Saturday's jaw-dropping win by Journalism, excitement is greater than ever for a rematch between the two Triple Crown race winners in the Belmont, and Team Journalism did not rule it out. "As I said before, and as it always will be, the horse will come first," Wellman said. "We'll evaluate him. Michael's going to stay here for a couple of days and assess his energy level, appetite. We would love to go. I think this ownership group has made it very clear we take this seriously and we want to be good ambassadors for the industry and we'll certainly keep it under consideration. But we have two-plus weeks to determine that and we'll take all the time we need." Bred by Don Alberto, Journalism is also owned by Bridlewood Farm, Don Alberto, Elayne Stables 5, and the Coolmore team, which secured his breeding rights back in late March. Journalism ($4) was the even-money favorite as the field of nine broke from the gate. Clever Again, the 5-1 second choice, darted out to the lead and was in front by 1 1/2 lengths after a half-mile in :46.66, with Gosger (15-1), River Thames, and American Promise chasing. Rispoli, the first Italian-born jockey to win a Triple Crown race, had Journalism sixth along the rail at that point. On the turn, it was Gosger who went after Clever Again, while Journalism was boxed in along the rail. Late on the turn, as Gosger put Clever Again away, Rispoli made his move and came out but the only hole was a narrow one between the tiring Clever Again (who would finish last after being taken up when he bumped with Journalism) and Goal Oriented. Rispoli went for it. Cue the mayhem. "A little gap was opened and I say, it's now or never," Rispoli said. Journalism bulled his way through the hole but when he worked free at the eighth pole, Harvey A. Clarke Racing Stable's Gosger had a seemingly safe five-length lead. But then Journalism changed leads and it was as if he added wings. "He switched his lead and boom, he took off," Rispoli said. "When I crossed the line all 20 of my years of riding crossed in front of me. I had to wait so long to ride a champion like that." Final time for the 1 3/16 miles was 1:55.47. There was an inquiry, but the result was unchanged. Gosger, a son of Nyquist trained by Brendan Walsh, settled for second, 2 1/4 lengths ahead of Sandman. "I'm disappointed not to win it, but I am not disappointed in the horse," Walsh said about the Lexington Stakes (G3) winner. "He ran a great race." Sandman, a son of Tapit owned by D. J. Stable, West Point Thoroughbreds, St. Elias Stable, and CJ Stables and trained by Mark Casse, finished third, four lengths ahead of the Bob Baffert-trained Goal Oriented. A son of Curlin, Journalism was purchased for $825,000 at Fasig-Tipton's 2023 The Saratoga Sale from the Denali Stud consignment. It was his fifth win in seven starts and it lifted his earnings to $2,838,880 while creating a lasting bond with his sire. Curlin stands for $225,000 at Hill 'n' Dale Farms near Paris, Ky. "I respect the game a lot. I study it a lot. And history tends to repeat itself. I never want to be bullish and suggest he's Curlin, but part of what went into our decision to run in the Preakness was Curlin," Wellman said. "He ran third in the (2007) Kentucky Derby and it wasn't his best effort. In the Preakness, he looked defeated at the sixteenth pole and he came back and beat Street Sense. He had heart, tenacity, and grit and you saw that today in Journalism. I think you saw a little bit of his daddy reincarnated." Track officials announced betting on the Preakness Day card was $110 million, the second-highest in history and up 11.7% from last year's $98.5 million.