OCEANPORT, N.J. – Every reporter wants a good story. Cover Journalism and you’re going to get one. The 3-year-old colt with a flair for the dramatic fumbled the start, raced from second to last, and needed nearly the entire Monmouth Park homestretch to get up and win the $1 million Haskell Stakes on Saturday.
The margin of victory was a half-length, but felt smaller. Gosger earned the place by a neck over Goal Oriented, the other five runners spread far behind the top three. But all eyes were on Journalism, the 2-5 favorite, winner of the Preakness Stakes, second to Sovereignty in the Kentucky Derby and the Belmont. By the quarter pole Umberto Rispoli had gotten the colt into a winning position, but Gosger and Goal Oriented cornered for home better than the favorite and opened a couple lengths. Only past the furlong grounds, Journalism’s long, sweet stride unfurling, did it come clear he’d win.
“At the top of the stretch …. You don’t want to know what I was thinking,” said Aron Wellman, president of Eclipse Thoroughbreds, one among several owners of a colt who will stand at Coolmore – another owner – upon his retirement.
Journalism, off splits of 23.33, 46.83, 1:10.75, and 1:35.71, clocked 1:48.15 for 1 1/8 miles (101 Beyer Speed Figure) on a fast track that wasn’t playing especially quick, the final time about par in this race’s recent history. The winner paid $2.80 – and made good on the decision to send him back to the East Coast from California after an arduous spring campaign.
Journalism will ship back to California from New Jersey, trainer Michael McCarthy said in a post-race press conference. McCarthy said there are multiple scenarios for how Journalism will get to the Breeders’ Cup Classic – the Haskell was part of the Breeders’ Cup Challenge Series, and Journalism now has an automatic fees-paid entry into the Classic – but declined to specify what those are. The Travers Stakes on Aug. 23 at Saratoga will, if all goes to plan, include the only horse to beat Journalism this year, Sovereignty. Back in California, the Pacific Classic, a race open to older horses, comes up Aug. 30.
Journalism won the San Felipe Stakes without incident to start his campaign, then got stuck in a bad spot, trapped along the rail going to the half-mile in the Santa Anita Derby, overcoming a tough trip to win his first Grade 1. Early traffic in the Derby shuffled Journalism farther back than connections hoped, costing him a better chance at victory, they believe, and then, at the top of the stretch in the Preakness, Journalism and Goal Oriented got into a serious scrum – Goal Oriented coming close to falling, Journalism losing all momentum – before Journalism rallied gallantly to catch Gosger in the final strides.
Other than a stutter-stepping start, the Belmont went off without incident, but Journalism on Saturday tossed his head just as the gate sprang, getting away seventh, and going into the first turn with only Burnham Square behind him. What’s more, the colt, Rispoli said, resented kickback in the early stages, something he’d never done before.
Nonetheless, Rispoli got Journalism settled and engaged at the head of the backstretch, setting his sites, he said, on Gosger, the horse who could tow him along and serve as a main target. That appeared to be a winning plan, and Journalism cruised to the half-mile pole in decent enough position and went around the far turn like he could pounce at any point.
Ahead of him, longshot Kentucky Outlaw, sent hard to be the early pacesetter, threw in the towel, Goal Oriented taking over and dropping down to the fence, Gosger coming up to engage him. Those two roared off the turn, changed leads professionally, and fought it out to the furlong grounds. But by then, Journalism had gotten his feet fully beneath him.
Did the performance show the colt at his very best? Perhaps not, but then much has been asked of Journalism. Journalism raced in March and April before coming to the Derby, shipping first to Churchill, then going on to Baltimore and north to Saratoga Springs. The only horse to race in all three legs of the Triple Crown, he returned to Santa Anita, plans uncertain. McCarthy, who won his first Haskell with his first start – as did Rispoli – said he tried to give Journalism some down time. Journalism overruled him, acting like a horse who needed to get back into training. McCarthy gave him a relatively easy first breeze back, keeping an open mind. Journalism asked for more and wound up boarding a plane this past Tuesday.
The two he ran down performed well in defeat. Gosger and jockey Luis Saez gave Journalism a fight, this time without the benefit of Journalism running into compromising trouble.
“Luis rode a fantastic race, I thought,” trainer Brendan Walsh said. “He got nailed again by a very good horse. I’m not disappointed in the horse. He’s just got unlucky running into the same horse twice.”
Goal Oriented, making just his fourth start, showed he belonged in races at this level.
“I had a good trip,” jockey Flavien Prat said. “Honestly, when Gosger came next to me, I thought I had enough horse to win.”
Burnham Square, flat on the toteboard at 10-1, lagged near the rear and came with the mildest of runs. Jockey Brian Hernandez said the gelding never gave him anything like a good feeling.
Journalism is by Curlin out of the Uncle Mo mare Mopotism, who died earlier this week. He was bred by the Don Alberto Corporation, which, along with Eclipse and Coolmore, owns the colt in partnership with Bridlewood Farm, Robert LaPenta, and Elayne Stables Five.
McCarthy had a lump in his throat at one point talking about how it feels training a horse this special. By the eighth pole, the voices of 41,876 fans had swelled to a Jersey Shore roar. Journalism was the story. He made it interesting again.
:: Want to learn more about handicapping and wagering? Check out DRF's Handicapping 101 and Wagering 101 pages.