ARCADIA, Calif. – A trio of top California 3-year-olds including the multiple Grade 1 winner Journalism is headed to the East following strong workouts Friday and Saturday at Santa Anita.
Journalism and Goal Oriented will target the Grade 1 Haskell Stakes on July 19 at Monmouth Park; Baeza will ship to Saratoga for the Grade 2 Jim Dandy Stakes on July 26.
Journalism already established himself as one of the country’s leading 3-year-olds by winning the Preakness Stakes and finishing second in the Kentucky Derby and Belmont Stakes, while Friday workouts by Goal Oriented and Baeza suggest they are narrowing the gap.
Journalism worked six furlongs Saturday under jockey Umberto Rispoli, after which trainer Michael McCarthy confirmed Haskell plans for Journalism, the only colt to contest all three legs of the Triple Crown.
“Very good,” McCarthy said regarding Journalism’s drill. He broke off behind Phosphorescence, and finished in front of that rival under minimal urging. “All of [the work] was very good. Certainly there’s a soft circle around [the Haskell] right now,” McCarthy said. Clockers timed Journalism in 1:12; it was the first time Journalism has officially worked beyond five furlongs.
Rispoli said Journalism was “full of energy, he moves well, it’s difficult to find something wrong. He’s professional. When he goes out there, he knows what he has to do, and he does it the best way possible.”
Journalism is expected to start favored in the Haskell, but Goal Oriented is training like a colt with an upset chance. Goal Oriented worked five furlongs Friday in a bullet 59.20 seconds, and trainer Bob Baffert expects the Preakness fourth-place finisher to improve when he makes his fourth career start in the Haskell. Goal Oriented began his career winning maiden and allowance races, then finished fourth in the Preakness.
“He’s gotten better,” Baffert said Saturday, the day after Goal Oriented posted his third straight bullet workout at Santa Anita. Goal Oriented broke off behind two workmates, inhaled them late and galloped out with energy. He is a better horse since the Preakness on May 17.
“He was green, he didn’t know what was going on,” Baffert said, referring to a colt who was asked for a lot his first three starts. “We went boom-boom-boom, now he got caught up.” Baffert said Flavien Prat will ride Goal Oriented in the Haskell, a race Baffert has won nine times.
Baeza, third in the Kentucky Derby and Belmont Stakes, worked a strong six furlongs Friday in 1:12.40 under jockey Hector Berrios. Runner-up in the Santa Anita Derby, Baeza worked like a colt who will fire a big shot in Jim Dandy.
Baeza broke off behind an overmatched workmate, took dirt, and ran away late in 1:12.40. “Berrios was very happy with him,” trainer John Shirreffs said. “He kept him behind his workmate and [Baeza] tried to get out from all that dirt, but Berrios wouldn’t let him do it. He made him eat dirt.”
Baeza ate dirt, switched leads in the stretch, and kicked away strongly. “He’s made a lot of really good progress,” Shirreffs said. Berrios will regain the mount on Baeza in the Jim Dandy; Flavien Prat will be at Del Mar on July 26 to ride Nysos in the Grade 2 San Diego Handicap.
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