Trainer Michael McCarthy got a good look at Journalism on Sunday at Churchill Downs and saw all he needed to see to green-light the Kentucky Derby runner-up for a start in Saturday’s $2 million Preakness Stakes at Pimlico.
“Just wanted to make sure things were as we had left them before I left,” McCarthy, who maintains a string in Southern California, said Monday. “Training with good energy, appetite, all those things you want to see; signs telling you you have a happy horse and we certainly feel like we have that.”
McCarthy noted that Journalism had three races in a seven-week span as a 2-year-old, so he wasn’t necessarily surprised that the horse bounced out of the Derby as well as he did.
“That didn’t take a whole lot of starch out of him, just going by the fact he’s run well back off quick rest,” McCarthy said.
Journalism galloped and schooled in the starting gate Sunday at Churchill. He galloped Monday at Churchill, will do so again on Tuesday, and then van to Baltimore.
The confirmation of Journalism into the field gave the Preakness a much-needed boost after it was announced last week that Kentucky Derby winner Sovereignty was going to pass the race in favor of the Belmont Stakes on June 7 at Saratoga. This is the second time in four years the Kentucky Derby winner will not be in the Preakness after Rich Strike passed the race in 2022.
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Journalism, the Kentucky Derby favorite off four straight wins, including the Grade 1 Santa Anita Derby, figures to be heavily favored against eight rivals in the Preakness. Post positions were to be drawn Monday night at the Guinness Open Gate Brewery, but in a field of nine the starting point is unlikely to have a bearing in the 1 3/16-mile race.
Journalism was beaten 1 1/2 lengths by Sovereignty in the Kentucky Derby and McCarthy felt his horse lost a little position early in the race as a result of Citizen Bull, under Martin Garcia, coming over in front of several horses when breaking from the rail, creating a chain reaction of traffic for horses to his outside. Journalism was 10th coming under the wire the first time, more than eight lengths off the early pace under Umberto Rispoli.
“We certainly didn’t plan on being that far back,” McCarthy said.
Journalism did get into a good spot down the backside, made a sweeping move to the lead at the head of the lane, but was outfinished by Sovereignty while holding off Baeza by a neck for second.
Journalism will attempt to become just the fourth Derby runner-up since 1960 to win the Preakness. From 1961 to 2024, 44 Derby runners-up have started in the Preakness and only three – Summer Squall (1990), Prairie Bayou (1993), and Exaggerator (2016) – have won. Only one Derby runner-up in the last six years has run in the Preakness, that being Epicenter, who finished second in the race to Early Voting.
Journalism is by Curlin, who won the 2007 Preakness after finishing third in the Kentucky Derby.
Journalism will be one of three horses coming out of the Derby that will run back in the Preakness. Sandman and American Promise, seventh and 16th, respectively, in the Derby, are also coming back in two weeks.
Sandman was added to the field on Saturday by trainer Mark Casse, who felt the horse was training well enough out of the race to run back on two weeks’ rest. Jose Ortiz, who had ridden Sandman to a victory in the Arkansas Derby and was aboard in the Kentucky Derby, had committed to Clever Again in the Preakness. John Velazquez, who won his first Preakness in 2023 aboard National Treasure, has picked up the mount on Sandman.
Ortiz is 2 for 2 on Clever Again, having guided him to a maiden victory at Oaklawn Park on Feb. 23 and to a four-length win over Grade 1 winner Gaming in the Hot Springs Stakes on March 30. On Monday, Clever Again worked a half-mile in 50.40 seconds at Churchill.
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Heart of Honor, shipping in from England for the Preakness, got out of quarantine in time to gallop at Churchill on Monday morning. He left for Pimlico by van Monday afternoon.
The remainder of the field includes River Thames, who came within a neck of Sovereignty in the Fountain of Youth; Gosger, winner of the Grade 3 Lexington Stakes; Goal Oriented, who is 2 for 2 for trainer Bob Baffert, the winner of a record eight runnings of the Preakness; and Pay Billy, winner of the Federico Tesio Stakes.
Though there is some rain in the Baltimore forecast each day this week beginning Monday night, Saturday looks dry with temperatures in the mid-80s.
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