Winners of Kentucky Derby, Preakness horse races might meet in Belmont Stakes
May 19 (UPI) -- Will Preakness Stakes winner Journalism face off with Kentucky Derby winner Sovereignty in the Belmont Stakes?
Stay tuned. His trainer isn't even sure where Journalism is going when he leaves Pimlico Race Course this week ahead of the wrecking ball that ends the track's life.
That was the lingering question after a fruitful weekend of racing around the world, with candidates for Royal Ascot and even November's Breeders' Cup in action from Japan to France.
The Triple Crown
Trainer Michael McCarthy said Sunday morning Journalism emerged unscathed from his rough trip to victory in the Preakness. And neither he nor Aron Wellman, managing partner of the ownership group, dismissed the possibility their colt could seek to avenge his loss to Sovereignty three weeks down the road at Saratoga. How he might get there is another story.
And, to that end, McCarthy said it might make sense to ship him directly to the upstate New York track, rather than back to Churchill Downs. But move he must, in one direction or another, as the new management at Pimlico is eager to start demolition and reconstruction of the grandstand.
"It puts him in a position to run," McCarthy said of a potential trip direct to Saratoga. "He could go back to Churchill Downs and hang out for a week or two and then make his way to Saratoga. But it seems a little counterproductive to go 12 hours by van back to Kentucky to head back to New York, whether it be by plane or by van."
As to the Belmont, Wellman said, "We would love to go. I think this ownership group ... has made it very clear we take this seriously, and we want to be good ambassadors for the industry. We'll certainly keep it under consideration. But we have two-plus weeks to determine that, and we'll take all the time we need."
Classic
Awesome Aaron, claimed last fall for $40,000, launched a determined bid through the final furlongs of Friday's $250,000 Grade III Pimlico Special and outfinished Phileas Fogg by 3/4 length for the victory.
Distaff
Candied ended a frustrating string of three consecutive third-place finishes with a stretch-running, 3-length victory in Friday's $125,000 Allaire DuPont Distaff at Pimlico.
The 4-year-old Candy Ride filly, with Irad Ortiz Jr. in the irons, came five-wide around the early speed to get the lead and drew off, finishing 1 1/8 miles on a fast track in 1:50.47.
Margie's Intention rallied late to capture Friday's $300,000 Grade II George E. Mitchell Black-Eyed Susan Stakes for 3-year-old fillies at Pimlico by 3/4 length from pacesetter Paris Lily.
Turf
Utah Beach relaxed behind the pace in Saturday's $250,000 Grade III Louisville Stakes at Churchill Downs, came wide to challenge at the furlong pole and edged clear to win by 1 1/2 lengths over Verstappen.
Fort Washington battled to the lead in the stretch in Saturday's $250,000 Grade III Dinner Party Stakes at Pimlico, drifted outward a bit, but held on to win by 1 length over Cash Equity.
Reagan's Wit split rivals to take the lead near the eighth pole in Saturday's $100,000 James W. Murphy Stakes for 3-year-olds at Pimlico and drew off handily to win by 3 1/4 lengths.
Filly & Mare Turf
Firenze Flavor rallied from last of six to win Sunday's $100,000 Grade III Honeymoon Stakes for 3-year-old fillies at Santa Anita by a pair of noses over Miso Phansy and Jungle Peace.
Charlene's Dream shot right to the front in Saturday's $150,000 Grade III Gallorette Stakes at Pimlico, led comfortably throughout and coasted home first by 3 3/4 lengths.
Play With Fire came from last of eight to win Friday's $125,000 Hilltop for 3-year-old fillies at Pimlico by length from Pretty Lavish.
Turf Sprint
Lunar Impact was in front from gate to wire in Saturday's $100,000 Mizdirection Stakes for fillies and mares at Santa Anita and drew clear late to win by 5 furlongs over Uncorked.
Witty was away last in Saturday's $125,000 Jim McKay Turf Sprint at Pimlico, but then came roaring down the stretch outside rivals to win by 3 1/2 lengths over No Nay Hudson.
Bosserati led much of the way in Friday's $100,000 The Very One Stakes at Pimlico and held off a bid by Accomplished Girl by a head for the win.
Sprint
Booth led from gate to wire in Saturday's $150,000 Grade III Maryland Sprint Stakes at Pimlico and won by 1 length over Epic Ride.
Retribution challenged for the lead near the furlong marker in Saturday's $150,000 Chick Lang Stakes for 3-year-olds at Pimlico and kicked away to win by 1 3/4 lengths over Touchy.
Church and State came from last of six to win Sunday's $100,000 (Canadian) King Corrie Stakes for 3-year-olds on the Woodbine all-weather course by 1/2 length over Incoming.
Filly & Mare Sprint
Zeitlos rallied four-wide to catch pacesetting Striker Has Dial and ran on to win Saturday's $125,000 Skipat Stakes at Pimlico by 1 1/2 lengths over that rival.
Echo Sound circled rivals to get the lead in Friday's $150,000 Grade III Miss Preakness Stakes at Pimlico and cleared to win by 2 lengths from You'll Be Back.
Brindi pressed the pace in Saturday's $100,000 (Canadian) Ruling Angel Stakes for 3-year-old fillies on the Woodbine all-weather course, got the lead and was all out to hold it by a nose over the favorite, Somethinabouther.
Around the world, around the clock
Japan
Ascoli Piceno was off sluggishly in Sunday's Grade 1 Victoria Mile at Tokyo Racecourse and raced last of 18 around the bend and into the long straight. Midway down that straight, jockey Christophe Lemaire finally got the 4-year-old daughter of Daiwa Major going and she ran by them all to snatch a final-strides victory, edging Queen's Walk.
The victory was her second in a row, following the Group 2 1351 Turf Sprint in Saudi Arabia in March.
Ascoli Piceno was undefeated as a 2-year-old, claiming the Grade 1 Hanshin Juvenile Fillies and the year's divisional championship with a perfect three-race campaign. She returned at 3 to finish second in both the Grade 1 Oka Sho or Japanese One Thousand Guineas and the Grade 1 NHK Mile Cup.
England
Lead Artist nailed the favorite, Dancing Gemini, in the closing strides of Saturday's Group 1 Lockinge Stakes at Newmarket, winning by a neck, with Rosallion and Notable Speech trailing in third and fourth.
With 2 furlongs to run in the 1-mile test, the classy eight-horse field was strung across the course in a near-perfect line before sorting out in the late going. John and Thady Gosden train the winner for Juddmonte. Oisin Murphy had the mount.
Ireland
Kyprios, reigning king of the stayers, made it nine wins in a row with a victory Friday in the Group 3 Saval Beg Levmoss Stakes at Leopardstown. The 7-year-old did what he had to do and no more, edging away from rival Dallas Star only in the final few hundred yards to win the 1 3/4 miles test by 1 1/2 lengths for the Coolmore, Aidan O'Brien, Ryan Moore triumvirate.
The race was another step back toward Royal Ascot, at which Kyprios will seek his third straight Gold Cup.
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New York Post
an hour ago
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Yahoo
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Meet the horses running in the Belmont Stakes
The Belmont Stakes is set to host a rematch in New York on Saturday of the top three finishing horses from the Kentucky Derby to close out horse racing's Triple Crown for 2025. Five weeks after Sovereignty won the Derby over Journalism and Baeza, the three horses will be among the eight competing in the last race of the Triple Crown — the series for 3-year-olds consisting of the Derby, the Preakness Stakes and the Belmont. Sovereignty's connections chose to skip the Preakness in Baltimore to prepare for the Belmont, meaning no horse would win the Triple Crown this year. Advertisement 2025 Belmont Stakes horses and odds Journalism, who won the Preakness two weeks after coming in second at the Derby, was picked as the morning-line favorite for the Belmont with 8-5 odds. The odds will change as bettors place their wagers leading up to Saturday's approximate post time of 7:04 p.m. EDT. 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Last year, he was aboard Resilience, who finished in 10th place and was trained by Bill Mott. The two have teamed up again with Sovereignty. Mott has trained a Belmont winner before — Drosselmeyer, who won in 2010. Sovereignty comes into the Belmont after finishing second at March's Florida Derby and winning the Fountain of Youth Stakes in Florida and October's Street Sense Stakes at Churchill Downs, the home of the Derby. Sovereignty breezes during morning workouts on the Oklahoma Training Track at Saratoga Race Course in Saratoga Springs, New York, June 4, 2025. / Credit: Gregory Fisher-Imagn Images Baeza didn't initially draw a post for the Derby and only entered the field when Rodriguez was scratched from the race two days before the Run for the Roses. He broke from the post on the far outside and came in third behind Journalism by a neck. Before the Derby, the bay colt came in second at the Santa Anita Derby, also behind Journalism. Advertisement Baeza was given 4-1 morning-line odds for the Belmont and will be under Flavien Prat, who also had the mount in the Derby. Prat's been in the past four runnings of the Belmont, riding Hot Rod Charlie to second place in 2021. Trainer John Shirreffs has had three other horses in the Belmont, most recently Gormley, who came in fourth in 2017. Baeza breezes during his morning workout at Saratoga Race Course in Saratoga Springs, New York, June 4, 2025. / Credit: Gregory Fisher-Imagn Images Rodriguez was scratched from the Derby over what co-owner Tom Ryan described as a "small but slightly sensitive foot bruise." Trainer Bob Baffert said the dark bay colt has healed and is performing as well as he was before he won the Wood Memorial Stakes in April at New York City's Aqueduct Racetrack, according to a New York Racing Association news release. Baffert has trained three Belmont winners: American Pharoah, Justify and Point Given, who won the race by 12 1/2 lengths in 2001. 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John Velazquez will have the mount, going for his third victory at the race. Pletcher's second horse in the race, Uncaged, won at Saratoga in August and at Aqueduct in April but came in sixth at the Peter Pan. With 30-1 morning-line odds, the bay colt will be under Luis Saez, who won the Belmont with Dornoch last year and with Essential Quality in 2021. Advertisement With Heart of Honor, the other horse to be given 30-1 odds in the morning line, Saffie Osborne has a chance to become the first woman to ride to victory in a Triple Crown race since Julie Krone won the Belmont in 1993 aboard Colonial Affair. In addition to finishing fifth at the Preakness, the British-bred brown colt raced in the United Arab Emirates, coming in second at the UAE Derby in April. 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New York Post
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Baeza looking to right a Kentucky Derby wrong by besting favorites at Belmont Stakes
SARATOGA SPRINGS — While many horse racing fans are expecting Saturday's Belmont Stakes to be a rematch, it just might turn into a threematch. Baeza made a late rush from the back of the pack in the May 3 Kentucky Derby, coming up less than two lengths short of winner Sovereignty, with Journalism in between. Journalism then won the Preakness two weeks later, while Sovereignty rested. Now, in the second Belmont Stakes to be conducted at Saratoga during Belmont's renovation, Baeza is the third-favorite at 4-1 to get his slice of the Triple Crown pie. 4 Baeza is pictured June 4 ahead of the Belmont Stakes. Jason Szenes for the NY Post 'I had a hard time finding him [in the Derby] because it was so muddy that day, but once he got out and made his move, he was obviously finishing faster than any horse in the race,' trainer John Shirreffs told The Post. 'After the race, [jockey] Flavien [Prat] said he didn't get all the run he could have out of Baeza had he had an opportunity to get out a little sooner.' Shirreffs is best known for training 2005 Kentucky Derby champion Giacomo and 2009 Breeders' Cup Classic winner Zenyatta. Prat has two Triple Crown wins — the 2019 Kentucky Derby aboard Country House and the 2021 Preakness with Rombauer. Baeza himself is in position to claim a place in history. 4 Trainer John Shirreffs is pictured June 4 ahead of the Belmont Stakes. Jason Szenes for the NY Post With a victory on Saturday, his broodmare, Puca, would become the first to have produced three Triple Crown race champions, and she would have done it in consecutive years. Mage won the Kentucky Derby in 2023 and Dornoch captured the Belmont Stakes last year. Both were by Puca and Good Magic. 4 Trainer John Shirreffs is pictured with his horse, Baeza, on June 4. Jason Szenes for the NY Post Baeza was sired by McKinzie. Like Mage and Dornoch, Baeza spent his first year and a half of life at Runnymede Farm in Paris, Ky. '[Baeza is] a dream to train. I mean, there's nothing I would want to change about that horse,' Shirreffs said. 'He's the perfect weight. He's the perfect size. He's got a beautiful stride. He's got this great appetite. He's the total package.' 4 Baeza is pictured June 4 ahead of the Belmont Stakes. Jason Szenes for the NY Post Baeza is named after Hall of Fame jockey Braulio Baeza, who in 1963 became the first Latin American rider to win the Kentucky Derby aboard Chateaugay. Owner Mike Repole, the billionaire benefactor of St. John's basketball, has a Belmont Stakes championship with Mo Donegal in 2022 and a second place with Mindframe last year. On Saturday, he sends 30-1 Uncaged to the post with trainer Todd Pletcher and jockey Luis Saez. Saez won last year's Belmont Stakes aboard Dornoch. Repole's Fierceness will be hunting for an automatic bid to the Breeders' Cup Dirt Mile when he runs in the $1 million Metropolitan Handicap, Saturday's eighth race. Fierceness won the Travers Stakes in 2024, the signature event of Saratoga's summer meet. Giants board director Chris Mara made it to the winner's circle on Friday. He's part of the ownership group of Bellacose, who won the first race for jockey John Velazquez and trainer Wesley Ward.
