SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. - Journalism had always struck his trainer Michael McCarthy as a horse that could handle the three-races-in-five-weeks rigors of the Triple Crown. On Sunday, after watching him put in a terrific workout over Saratoga’s main track, McCarthy will give Journalism the chance to prove him right.
Journalism, who on May 17 won the Preakness two weeks after finishing second to Sovereignty in the Kentucky Derby, was confirmed as a starter for Saturday’s Belmont Stakes at Saratoga after he worked a half-mile Sunday in 47.50 seconds, per Daily Racing Form clocker Mike Welsch, over Saratoga’s main track. The drill, done under Journalism’s regular jockey Umberto Rispoli, was punctuated by a monster gallop out of five furlongs in 1:00.10, six furlongs in 1:12.60 and seven furlongs in 1:25.55.
“I thought he was a horse that could handle all three of these races and from what I’m seeing here today I still believe he’s ready to handle the third of the three races,” McCarthy said.
Though post positions were to be drawn Monday evening, entries for the Belmont Stakes were due on Sunday. The field will include the top three finishers from the Kentucky Derby - Sovereignty, Journalism and Baeza.
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The field grew to eight when trainer Todd Pletcher on Sunday confirmed Crudo, winner of the Sir Barton Stakes three weeks ago at Pimlico, for the race. That will give Pletcher, a four-time Belmont Stakes winner, two horses in the field as he will also run Uncaged.
Rodriguez, winner of the Wood Memorial, Hill Road, winner of the Peter Pan Stakes, and Heart of Honor, fifth in the Preakness after running second in the UAE Derby, were the others expected to be entered.
As they had done following the Kentucky Derby and before deciding to run in the Preakness, the connections of Journalism wanted to see how their horse was doing before committing to the Belmont. Journalism had a difficult trip in the Preakness, bumping with Goal Oriented in upper stretch before getting in the clear and running down Gosger to win by a half-length.
McCarthy said Journalism came out of the Preakness with a few superficial cuts, but otherwise was none the worse for wear from the effort. Journalism shipped to Saratoga two days after the Preakness and had about 10 days of training here before he was scheduled to work on Saturday. Daylong rains forced McCarthy to postpone the work until Sunday and, despite 2.53 inches of rain falling here Saturday, both the main track and the Oklahoma training track were in really good shape on Sunday, thanks to a yeoman’s effort from the NYRA maintenance crew.
Journalism went out after the mid-morning renovation break after the track had been harrowed and seemed to move very comfortably over the surface, which clockers labeled “good.” McCarthy called it a maintenance type of move “with little to no urging” from Rispoli.
“Obviously, you saw him kind of pick it up through the lane and gallop out strong,” McCarthy said. “The racetrack is probably a half-step quicker.”
Rispoli, who gave up the weekend riding in Southern California to travel to Saratoga and be on and around the horse this week, said, “He’s a horse that looks like he didn’t even run two weeks ago. He takes his work very well. He went very good on the track, he was happy. Everything positive.”
Kentucky Derby winner Sovereignty also put in his final work on Sunday, going a half-mile in 48.58 seconds by himself over the Oklahoma training track. Welsch had Sovereignty’s final quarter in 24.41 seconds and had him galloping out five furlongs in 1:01.76. It was the third work since Sovereignty won the Derby and skipped the Preakness.
“Nice breeze, came back good,” trainer Bill Mott said. “The main thing is he came back good, walked good, and acted good afterwards. He did enough today.”
Crudo joined the Belmont field after he worked a half-mile in 48.66 seconds, in company with Swale Stakes winner and Woody Stephens candidate Gate to Wire, over the Oklahoma training track. Crudo started just off Gate to Wire and finished just in front and galloped out five furlongs in 1:01.51 and six furlongs in 1:14.07, per Welsch.
“He breezed very well, galloped out strongly, had a good couple of weeks since he ran, so we’re going to enter up,” Pletcher said. “It’s undoubtedly a pretty strong field. The top three from the Derby look to be really good colts, but we’ve just always been high on the way the horse has trained. His last two races have been very good and that kind of sold us on the idea of running.”
John Velazquez will ride Crudo, who is owned by celebrity chef Bobby Flay and Jimmy Ventura, in the Belmont. Crudo is by Triple Crown winner Justify.
Baeza, the Kentucky Derby third-place finisher, galloped Sunday over the Oklahoma training track and was to have his final workout on Monday. Heart of Honor had an open gallop down the stretch on the main track. His rider, Jimmy McCarthy, had to take a hold of the horse as the lights and sirens were on signifying a horse was running loose on the track without a rider.
Hill Road, following a workout Friday at Belmont Park, simply jogged over the main track Sunday morning for Chad Brown.
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