Journalism wins 2025 Preakness Stakes: Results, highlights from Pimlico Race Course

USA Today

18-05-2025

Journalism wins 2025 Preakness Stakes: Results, highlights from Pimlico Race Course
The 2025 Preakness Stakes featured a field of nine horses competing on a dirt track at Pimlico Race Course in Baltimore for a distance of 1 3/16 miles, all vying for the prestigious Middle Jewel title.
With coveted trainers such as Bob Baffert returning to Pimlico, there was a lot of intrigue around this race, even if Kentucky Derby winner Sovereignty opted out of the race in order to focus on the Belmont Stakes. Regardless, Derby runner-up Journalism entered the race as the odds-on favorite for the win at Pimlico, just as the horse did at Churchill Downs. This time though, Journalism didn't disappoint.
After a slow start, and getting pinned to the railing around the last turn, Journalism kicked into high gear down the final straightaway, squeezing in between horses, then moving to the outside of Gosger, who had been in front for almost the entire race. Journalism took the lead at the absolute last second, winning by less than a length to take the crown at the Middle Jewel.
Here's everything that happened at the 2025 Preakness Stakes:
Figures based on $2 bet (odds in parentheses)
Journalism (Even): $4.00 Win; $2.80 Place; $2.40 Show
$4.00 Win; $2.80 Place; $2.40 Show Gosger (15-1): $9.00 Place; $5.40 Show
$9.00 Place; $5.40 Show Sandman (6-1): $3.60 Show
Bets
$2 Exacta (2-9): $33.80
$33.80 $1 Trifecta (2-9-7): $73.50
$73.50 $1 Superfecta (2-9-7-1): $303.40
*Horses listed alongside their pre-race odds
Journalism (EVEN) - 1:55.47 Gosger (15-1) Sandman (6-1) Goal Oriented (8-1) Heart of Honor (20-1) River Thames (9-1) Pay Billy (11-1) American Promise (9-1) Clever Again (5-1)
Pre-race favorite Journalism won the race in exhilarating fashion. After trailing for the first three-quarters of the race and being bumped into the inside railing on the last turn, Journalism found an extra gear on the final straightaway, pulling ahead of runner-up Gosger at the last possible second. Those two horses were far out in front of third-place Sandman, but that did not at all take away from the intensity that the race brought.
As Journalism won Saturday's 150th edition of the Preakness, surviving one of the most rough-and-tumble stretch runs you'll ever see and coming back from what seemed like an impossible position with 1/8th of a mile to go, you can understand why the state of Maryland is about to invest $400 million to give Pimlico Race Course the facelift it deserves
But, as thrilling as Saturday's race was, and as great of a horse as Journalism appears to be, did anyone but the sport's dwindling die-hards care? The answer, of course, is not really. The moment Kentucky Derby winner Sovereignty was withdrawn from consideration for the Preakness, the race was essentially rendered meaningless in the greater sports landscape.
And it didn't have to be that way. — Dan Wolken
Click here to read Wolken's full column on the 2025 Preakness and the state of horse racing.
The 157th running of the Belmont Stakes will take place on Saturday, June 7 at 6:50 p.m. ET. The race will actually be shorter than the usual 1.5 miles though. The race will be hosted by the Saratoga Race Course in Saratoga Springs, New York, which boasts a smaller dirt track.
The final leg of horse racing's triple crown sets up as a showdown between Preakness champion Journalism and Kentucky Derby winner Sovereignty.
Journalism got its name from one of its co-owners, Aron Wellman, who was a former sports editor of his high school newspaper in Beverly Hills, California.
Wellman and other owners bought the horse for $825,000 at the Fasig-Tipton Saratoga Select Yearling Sale in 2023, but had some difficulty in coming up with a name off its sire and dam — Curlin and Mopotism, respectively — so they settled on Journalism. − John Leuzzi
What time is the 2025 Preakness Stakes?
The 150th running of the Preakness Stakes will be held Saturday, May 17. Post time is 6:50 p.m. ET
When is the 2025 Preakness Stakes?
Date: Saturday, May 17, 2025
Saturday, May 17, 2025 Time: 6:50 p.m. ET
6:50 p.m. ET Stream: Peacock | Fubo (free trial)
Peacock | Fubo (free trial) TV: NBC
NBC Location: Pimlico Race Course (Baltimore)
The 150th Preakness Stakes at Pimlico Race Course is set for Saturday, May 17, 2025. Fans can watch the race, which will be streamed on Peacock, NBCSports.com and the NBC Sports.
Watch the 2025 Preakness States on Fubo
2025 Preakness Stakes post positions
Here's where each horse landed, and morning-line odds:
Goal Oriented (Flavien Prat) | early odds: 6-1 Journalism (Umberto Rispoli) | early odds: 8-5 American Promise (Nik Juarez) | early odds: 15-1 Heart of Honor (Saffie Osborne) | early odds: 12-1 Pay Billy (Raul Mena) | early odds: 20-1 River Thames (Irad Ortiz Jr.) | early odds: 9-2 Sandman (John Velazquez) | early odds: 4-1 Clever Again (Jose Ortiz) | early odds: 5-1 Gosger (Luis Saez) | early odds: 20-1
The Kentucky Derby winner trained by Bill Mott, Sovereignty, will not compete in the Preakness Stakes, disappointing hopes for a Triple Crown winner for the seventh consecutive year. The Triple Crown, consisting of the Kentucky Derby, the Preakness Stakes, and the Belmont Stakes, is one of the most coveted titles in horse racing. Sovereignty's victory over the favorite Journalism at Churchill Downs, with a time of 2:02.31, was a surprise. His withdrawal from the Preakness Stakes was an even bigger shock.
The purse amount for the 150th annual Preakness Stakes has not yet been disclosed. Last year's winner, Seize The Gray, received a Woodlawn Vase and $1.2 million from the total $2 million purse.
Every Kentucky Derby-winning trainer has the same day-after script when it comes to bringing their horse to the Preakness. And the line is usually some non-committal variation of 'they'll tell us' if they're physically ready to run back just two weeks later in the second jewel of the Triple Crown.
Well, Bill Mott wasn't kidding Sunday, the morning after Sovereignty's victory. You could almost see the thought bubble forming around his words, telling everyone not to be too surprised if he and the management team at Godolphin, which owns the horse, decided to take a pass on Baltimore. — Dan Wolken
Triple Crown: As Sovereignty skips Preakness, time for horse racing to realize Triple Crown must change
The Courier Journal: Journalism to win (2-3-8 finish)
Ed DeRosa writes, "As I discussed in a Courier Journal video, the win pool of this race will be very interesting given how inefficient that same pool was in the Kentucky Derby. I am referencing No. 2 Journalism being 3-1 in the win pool but closer to 2-1 in other pools. Sovereignty was the fourth choice in win wagering but second choice in the other pools. I bring this up because there is no sense trying to get cute with exactas, trifectas and such when a horse like Journalism — easily one of the top 3-year-olds in the country and the best/most accomplished horse on paper among this group — might be more than even money. I will bet him to win at odds of 6-5 or better. No. 3 American Promise should run better here than in the Derby. That seven-week layoff is an eternity for a D. Wayne Lukas trainee. No. 8 Clever Again is the 'new shooter' with the heaviest artillery."
NBC Sports: Clever Again
Staff writes the following with an added finish order: "For the Preakness, I am looking at the newcomers to the Triple Crown trail for a winner. Clever Again, Goal Oriented and River Thames all have potential to improve here. Clever Again was very impressive at Oaklawn in the Hot Springs Stakes, and as a son of American Pharoah, he should have no problem with the distance. The allowance race win by Goal Oriented at Churchill on Derby Day was tremendous, and he's undefeated in two starts with a license to get better. And as impressive as Sovereignty was in the Derby, we shouldn't forget that the horse that finished a neck behind him in the Fountain of Youth Stakes was River Thames. It's tough to separate these horses, but here it is:"
Clever Again
Goal Oriented
Journalism
River Thames
The Preakness Stakes will enjoy its 150th running. It will take place at the iconic Pimlico Race Course in Baltimore, Maryland.
2024: Seize the Grey
Seize the Grey 2023: National Treasure
National Treasure 2022: Early Voting
Early Voting 2021: Rombauer
Rombauer 2020: Swiss Skydiver
Swiss Skydiver 2019: War of Will
War of Will 2018: Justify (won Triple Crown)
Justify (won Triple Crown) 2017: Cloud Computing
Cloud Computing 2016: Exaggerator
Exaggerator 2015: American Pharoah (won Triple Crown)
It's become a trend in recent years to see Derby winning horses opt out of the Preakness. With load management becoming a more popular training technique, it appears that many trainers are opting out of the Preakness for their horses' health.
The short two-week turnaround between the Derby and Preakness can sometimes prevent horses from recovering fully after their race at Churchill Downs. Even Sovereignty's trainer, Bill Mott, hinted that he'd rather focus on the Belmont Stakes, which is set for five weeks after the Derby, in order to give Sovereignty more time to recover. While the Triple Crown is a coveted achievement worth chasing, many trainers are focusing on maintaining their horses' health and long-term success instead.
Post 6 has produced 17 winners at the event since 1909 with the most recent being 2021 winner Rombauer. Triple Crown winner Justify in 2018 ran out of Post 6 at the Preakness.
Here's a full list of the Preakness winners out of Post 6 since 1909:
1915: Rhine Maiden
Rhine Maiden 1924: Nelly Morse
Nelly Morse 1927: Bostonian
Bostonian 1928: Victorian
Victorian 1935: Omaha
Omaha 1939: Challedon
Challedon 1950: Hill Prince
Hill Prince 1952: Blue Man
Blue Man 1960: Bally Ache
Bally Ache 1962: Greek Money
Greek Money 1966: Kauai King
Kauai King 1974: Little Current
Little Current 1983: Deputed Testamony
Deputed Testamony 2006: Bernardini
Bernardini 2013: Oxbow
Oxbow 2018: Justify
Justify 2021: Rombauer
*All horses listed in order of post position; odds via TwinSpires.com
1) Goal Oriented 7-1
2) Journalism 6-5
3) American Promise 9-1
4) Heart of Honor 20-1
5) Pay Billy 11-1
6) River Thames 9-1
7) Sandman 5-1
8) Clever Again 5-1
9) Gosger 19-1