The Thoroughbred racing industry was treated to a pleasant surprise in 2025 when three of the major players from the 2024 3-year-old crop, Sierra Leone , Fierceness , and Mystik Dan , returned for their 4-year-old season. In recent years, horses of their stature and accolades have headed straight to the breeding shed upon completion of their sophomore year.
All three justified the gamble of their connections, continuing their consistency and deepening their résumés in their 4-year-old campaign to enhance their value as stallions.
And perhaps they established a new trend as Kentucky Derby (G1) and Belmont Stakes (G1) winner Sovereignty and Preakness Stakes (G1) winner Journalism, the undisputed top two of the 2025 3-year-old season, have both returned at 4.
Journalism is set to stand at Coolmore's Ashford Stud when it comes time to retire from racing, the same team that gave the go-ahead on Sierra Leone and Fierceness returning at 4. The industry has already profited from that decision in April when Sovereignty and Journalism met up at Oaklawn Park for the Oaklawn Handicap (G2) and provided a thriller when finishing second and third, respectively, behind the veteran 7-year-old White Abarrio, setting the stage for an exciting older horse division as the year progresses.
That stage for Journalism is now set for June 6 at Saratoga Race Course, where he aims to show his versatility by cutting back to a 1-mile distance in the $1 million Metropolitan Handicap (G1), more affectionately known as the Met Mile. In addition to Coolmore, the remainder of the ownership—Eclipse Thoroughbred Partners, Bridlewood Farm, Don Alberto Stable, Robert LaPenta, and Elayne Stables Five—have made no secret that this was the first half of the year goal since announcing in the fall that he would remain in training.
"The Met Mile has historically been such an important race as far as stallion value goes, and of course the race itself is so prestigious," Eclipse Thoroughbred Partners founder and president Aron Wellman said. "It's been on our radar since the Breeders' Cup Classic last November and something that (trainer) Michael McCarthy and our whole ownership group have been intrigued by cutting him back to the mile distance to see if his brilliance might be accentuated."
The mile distance is a question mark for the son of Curlin , who has not raced that short since his second lifetime start, a maiden-breaking score at Del Mar. Although Journalism has always shown himself to be up to a challenge, constantly firing off top performances whether he wins or loses. Saturday's competition is fierce, with reigning Breeders' Cup Dirt Mile (G1) winner Nysos joined by grade 1 winners Antiquarian and Saudi Crown among the challengers.
The Met Mile falls in a very unique spot on the racing calendar. The closest American dirt grade 1 options for route horses fall 13 weeks before (Santa Anita Handicap at Santa Anita Park March 7) and three weeks after (Stephen Foster Stakes at Churchill Downs June 27), while the closest grade 1 sprint options fall five weeks before (Churchill Downs Stakes at Churchill Downs May 2) and seven weeks after (Bing Crosby Stakes at Del Mar July 25).
That timing often turns the Met Mile into a blend: sprinters stretching out, classic horses cutting back, and the proven milers receiving a true class test. Regardless of which category a horse falls into, the Met Mile offers an opportunity to prove something new, which is why it is often billed as a stallion-making race.
"For sprinters that can prove they can stretch their speed to the mile distance against the best, it validates their brilliance," Wellman said. "For classic-distance horses that can prove brilliant at a middle distance of a mile, it shows they have the speed to be able to beat the best of the best at that distance. That's really what breeders want to see: the versatility combined with the brilliance to be able to be fast enough to beat sprinters and have enough stamina and endurance to beat classic horses."
With pedigree, consistency, durability, and class already proving Journalism to be an exciting stallion prospect when the time comes, adding a cut-back win against a strong group at a mile will only strengthen his appeal.
"We're grateful to the Coolmore contingent for allowing us to bring him back to campaign this year," Wellman said. "It's races like the Met Mile that we've had on the radar that we hope can only enhance his value as a stallion when it's time for him to go to the shed. We're in this to win the most important races, to make history, and hopefully to amplify Journalism's already exceptional profile."
Journalism aims to become the second Classic winner in three years to land the Met Mile, 2023 Preakness winner National Treasure returning to take the race in 2024. Other Classic winners to pull off the feat at 4 this century include 2011 Preakness winner Shackleford and 2013 Belmont winner Palace Malice.
By returning as a 4-year-old, there is now an opportunity to see a different, perhaps more mature, version of the horse who earned the hearts of racing fans with his late-stretch heroics in all three of his grade 1 victories last year.
"You need to be mentally elite to be able to withstand that type of season and travel and maintain top form against the best of his generation, but he just seems to be more comfortable in his own skin this year," Wellman said. "He always trains impressively, but this year it feels as though things are coming even that much easier to him. He's so naturally gifted and such a superior mover mechanically; he's always going to impress. He's just more confident in himself to know that he doesn't have to go out and show off week in and week out, he's just going to do it naturally."
Journalism highlights an exciting weekend of graded action for the Eclipse team, who also will contest the June 4 Belmont Gold Cup (G2T) with Corruption, Intercontinental Stakes (G2T) with Roja, June 5 Acorn Stakes (G1) with Meaning, New York Stakes (G1T) with Speed Shopper, June 6 Just A Game Stakes (G1T) with Classic Q.
"It's the grandest of stages, Belmont weekend in New York with the Belmont Stakes being the focal point of such an incredible cast of races," Wellman said. "Eclipse feels very fortunate to be represented in big races Thursday, Friday, and Saturday, bringing a strong contingent of contenders and partners to New York. We want our partners and our horses winning the biggest races on the biggest stages. Any time you're able to showcase a talent like Journalism on the grandest of stages, it adds that much more to the appeal.
"It would be an honor for him to deliver the type of performance that we know he's capable of and have seen so consistently over the last two seasons."
