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Forbes
16 hours ago
- Entertainment
- Forbes
Belmont 2025: Post Positions, Odds, And Journalism's Tough Second Shot
Will The Re-Match Look Like This: Sovereignty #18, ridden by jockey Junior Alvarado crosses the finish line to win the 151st running of the Kentucky Derby at Churchill Downs on May 03, 2025 in Louisville, Kentucky. (Photo by) In a fine, sporting turn of the Triple Crown season, the 2025 Belmont Stakes favorite Journalism, at 8-5 in the Saratoga morning line, will face both the horse that blazed by him to win the Kentucky Derby, Sovereignty (2-1), and the show horse that was within strides of passing him in that race, Baeza (4-1), all pictured above in the middle of that wet battle on May 3. Talk about racing kismet. The 'Big Sandy,' as the brawny Belmont track has been nicknamed by the racing community, is still under renovation, and thus has added this other seemingly small, but deceptively big, similarity to the Derby. For the second year in a row, the Belmont's $2-million Belmont Stakes, will be a fair imitation of the Kentucky Derby at one-and-a-quarter miles. What's a quarter-mile? Another to put that would be to say, if Baeza had had another quarter-mile in front of him in the Kentucky Derby, Journalism would be the show horse. And another way to put that would be to say, although Saratoga has drawn a modestly-sized field, it's jam-packed with athletic talent. But before we get into what Bob Baffert and his onrushing front-runner Rodriguez have in mind for the top three, here are the freshly drawn post positions and the Saratoga morning line. (Source: NYRA, 6/3/2025) Piquant in the Saratoga draw is the fact that Journalism will be breaking just a stall to the outside of the horse that nearly beat him in the Derby, and both of them have a fair shot at settling in the early going. But the fact that matters more is that Journalism ran back in the Preakness, and did it quite well, just two weeks back. Sovereignty's Derby victory in the last furlong over Journalism was quite decisive, and the horse came out of the race well, but trainer Bill Mott and the Sovereignty connections decided with fair dispatch that Sovereignty would sit out the Preakness to return now. John Shirreffs and the Baeza team decided the same. Rodriguez missed both the Derby and the Preakness with his foot injury, which has been given a sterling stamp of full recovery. The point, which we'll be hearing about ad infinitum this week, is that the four most dangerous horses to Journalism in the Belmont are spanking fresh. And he's not.
Yahoo
18-05-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Journalism rallies down stretch for sensational win in 150th Preakness
Journalism surged from behind to win the 150th Preakness Stakes on Saturday in Baltimore, making up five lengths in the final furlong to dramatically capture the middle jewel of thoroughbred racing's Triple Crown on the final race day before the rickety 155-year-old venue is demolished and rebuilt. Trained by Michael McCarthy and ridden by Umberto Rispoli, the strapping bay colt left things late before fulfilling his status as the 8-5 morning-line favorite, bursting through a gap and accelerating past five rivals down the home stretch to claim victory. The win marked McCarthy's second Preakness triumph and Rispoli's first Triple Crown victory, making him the first Italian jockey to secure a win in one of America's three most prestigious races. Gosger finished second in the $2m race for three-year-olds, Sandman took third, while Goal Oriented, trained by the controversial Hall of Famer Bob Baffert, came in fourth. Gosger, the 20-1 longshot who was collared by Journalism in the final yards, finished a half-length behind the winner. Journalism completed the 1 3/16 miles in 1:55.37, a strong showing on a day that saw the track dry out after a week of heavy rain. "A REMARKABLE RECOVERY BY JOURNALISM!" JOURNALISM WINS THE 150TH PREAKNESS STAKES! #Preakness150 — NBC Sports (@NBCSports) May 17, 2025 Clever Again shot out to an early lead, breaking sharply out of the gates and setting the pace into the first turn. Journalism was tucked along the inside, boxed in and trailing by five lengths at the final turn. Rispoli swung him outside and the colt responded with a powerful stretch drive, overtaking Clever Again and Gosger in the final strides. Stewards reviewed the race after a bump between Journalism, Clever Again and Goal Oriented, but no changes were made to the result. 'I still can't realize what this horse did today,' said Rispoli afterwards, overcome by emotion. 'I got in trouble at the corner pole. But it's all about him. It's a pleasure and a privilege to ride a horse like him. It's just unbelievable. I won one of the legs of the Triple Crown and I'm crying like a kid.' The result provided a measure of redemption for Journalism, a son of 2007 Preakness winner Curlin, who finished second by one and a half lengths to Sovereignty in the Kentucky Derby two weeks ago. Sovereignty's connections opted to skip the Preakness and target the Belmont Stakes instead, citing the short turnaround. That decision marked the fifth time in seven years that the Preakness was contested without a Triple Crown on the line. Also bidding for history at Pimlico was Saffie Osborne, who came in fifth aboard English import Heart of Honor. The 23-year-old Briton was attempting to become only the second female jockey to win any leg of the Triple Crown after Julie Krone's breakthrough in the 1993 Belmont. Heart of Honor, a brown colt trained by her father Jamie Osborne, had shown promise in Dubai earlier this year, finishing second in the UAE Derby. 'It's an adventure for us,' Jamie Osborne said before the race. 'We didn't set out for the Triple Crown, but here we are.' The Preakness, staged at Pimlico since 1873, is set to move to Laurel Park in Prince George's County next year while the storied Baltimore track undergoes a $400m redevelopment. 'A lot of history here,' McCarthy said. 'Of all the good horses who have run through the lane here, I think one of the things that really got it started for me was Sunday Silence and Easy Goer [in 1989]. I remember where I was watching that race that day. 'Things kind of come full circle. Will be sad to see this place go, but we'll try to get back here next year, whichever locale it's at.' Journalism became just the fourth Kentucky Derby runner-up to win the Preakness since 1961, joining a group that includes Summer Squall (1990), Prairie Bayou (1993) and Exaggerator (2016). Bought for $825,000 as a yearling at the 2023 Fasig-Tipton Saratoga sale, his lifetime earnings climbed to $2,838,880 after Saturday's fifth win in seven career starts. Although his connections have not yet decided if he will enter the Belmont Stakes for a rematch with Sovereignty, there's anticipation already building for a showdown in upstate New York. The Triple Crown's final leg, held at Saratoga Race Course this year due to the ongoing two-year renovation of Belmont Park, could serve as the defining race of Journalism's season. 'We would love to go,' said Aron Wellman, Journalism's co-owner and the managing partner of Eclipse Thoroughbred Partners. 'I think this ownership group, Eclipse on down, has made it very clear we take these American classics very seriously and hold them in high regard and we want to be good ambassadors for the industry and the sport at large. … We feel very fortunate to be in the position we're in and if Michael gives him the green light, we'll be there.' As the dust settled on Saturday night by Pimlico's ramshackle grandstand, fans were left to savor one final memory: Journalism's thrilling surge to the wire, etching his name into the storied history of Old Hilltop before its doors close for good. But for McCarthy, the southern California-based trainer whose family has been displaced for months by the wildfires, Saturday's second Preakness win was even more emotional than his first with Rombauer four years ago. 'We'll get back there,' McCarthy said. 'Everybody will get back there. We'll rebuild. This is for Altadena.'
Associated Press
18-05-2025
- Sport
- Associated Press
2025 Preakness Chart
13th Race at Pimlico, Saturday May 17, 2025 1 3-16 Miles Dirt.; Track: Fast Purse $2,000,000 3-Year-Olds Preakness Stakes 150th Running HorseWgtPPStrt1/41/23/4StrchFinJockeyOddsJournalism 126246-1½6-1½6-53-Hd1½R. Umberto1.00Gosger126922-½2-12-1½1-52-2¼L. Saez15.50Sandman12678997-22-Hd3-4J. Velazquez6.40Goal Oriented126153-½4-1½4-½4-2½4-2F. Prat8.00Heart of Honor126498-2½8-3½995-1¾S. Osborne19.70River Thames126665-Hd3-Hd3-Hd5-36-5I. Ortiz Jr.9.70Pay Billy126577-27-28-48-17-1¾R. Mena17.30American Promise126334-1½5-15-26-Hd8-13¼N. Juarez12.70Clever Again126811-11-1½1-½7-1½9J. Ortiz5.30 $0.50 Pick 3 (2/3/5/7-10-2) 3 correct $11.30. $0.50 Pick 4 (1-2/3/5/7-10-2) 4 correct $88.85. $0.50 Pick 5 (Dirt 8-4-11-1-2) 5 correct $199.25 $1.00 Daily Double (10-2) $10.80. $1.00 Exacta (2-9) $16.90. $1.00 Superfecta (2-9-7-1) $303.40. $1.00 Super High Five (2-9-7-1-4) $1,767.30. $1.00 Trifecta (2-9-7) $73.50. Trainers: 2 - McCarthy, Michael; 9 - Walsh, Brendan; 7 - Casse, Mark; 1 - Baffert, Bob; 4 - Osborne, Jamie; 6 - Pletcher, Todd; 5 - Gorham, Michael; 3 - Lukas, D.; 8 - Asmussen, Steven. Owners: 2 - Eclipse Thoroughbred Partners, Bridlewood Farm, Don Alberto Stable, LaPenta, Robert V., Elayne Stables 5 LLC, Magnier, Mrs. John, Tabor, Michael B. and Smith, Derrick; 9 - Harvey A. Clarke Racing Stables, LLC; 7 - D. J. Stable LLC, St. Elias Stable, West Point Thoroughbreds and CJ Stables; 1 - SF Racing LLC, Starlight Racing, Madaket Stables LLC, Stonestreet Stables LLC, Bashor, Dianne, Determined Stables, Masterson, Robert E., Ryan, Tom J., Waves Edge Capital LLC and Donovan, Catherine; 4 - Jim And Claire Limited; 6 - WinStar Farm LLC, CHC, Inc., Pantofel Stable LLC and Wachtel Stable; 5 - RKTN Racing LLC; 3 - BC Stables LLC; 8 - Winchell Thoroughbreds LLC, Magnier, Mrs. John, Tabor, Michael B. and Smith, Derrick. Copyright 2025, Equibase Company LLC Time: 23.19-1/4; 46.66-1/2; 1:10.23-3/4; 1.35:89-Strch. Final Time: 1.55.47.
Washington Post
18-05-2025
- Sport
- Washington Post
Hall of Famers Bob Baffert and D. Wayne Lukas watch horses get troubled trips in the Preakness
AP Sports Writer — Hall of Fame trainers Bob Baffert and D. Wayne Lukas saw their horses endure some troubled trips Saturday in the 150th running of the Preakness Stakes . Baffert's Goal Oriented finished fourth after bumping with winner Journalism down the stretch. A stewards inquiry was briefly posted to take a look at the contact, and then it was removed with no changes.
Yahoo
18-05-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Hall of Famers Bob Baffert and D. Wayne Lukas watch horses get troubled trips in the Preakness
Nik Juarez, atop American Promise, looks on after participating in the 150th running of the Preakness Stakes horse race Saturday, May 17, 2025, at Pimlico Race Course in Baltimore. (AP Photo/Stephanie Scarbrough) American Promise trainer D. Wayne Lukas looks on prior to the 150th running of the Preakness Stakes horse race Saturday, May 17, 2025, at Pimlico Race Course in Baltimore. (AP Photo/Julio Cortez) Flavien Prat, atop Goal Oriented, looks on after participating in the 150th running of the Preakness Stakes horse race Saturday, May 17, 2025, at Pimlico Race Course in Baltimore. (AP Photo/Stephanie Scarbrough) Goal Oriented's trainer Bob Bafert looks on prior to the 150th running of the Preakness Stakes horse race Saturday, May 17, 2025, at Pimlico Race Course in Baltimore. (AP Photo/Julia Demaree Nikhinson) Jockeys compete during the 150th running of the Preakness Stakes horse race Saturday, May 17, 2025, at Pimlico Race Course in Baltimore. (AP Photo/Nick Wass) Jockeys compete during the 150th running of the Preakness Stakes horse race Saturday, May 17, 2025, at Pimlico Race Course in Baltimore. (AP Photo/Nick Wass) Nik Juarez, atop American Promise, looks on after participating in the 150th running of the Preakness Stakes horse race Saturday, May 17, 2025, at Pimlico Race Course in Baltimore. (AP Photo/Stephanie Scarbrough) American Promise trainer D. Wayne Lukas looks on prior to the 150th running of the Preakness Stakes horse race Saturday, May 17, 2025, at Pimlico Race Course in Baltimore. (AP Photo/Julio Cortez) Flavien Prat, atop Goal Oriented, looks on after participating in the 150th running of the Preakness Stakes horse race Saturday, May 17, 2025, at Pimlico Race Course in Baltimore. (AP Photo/Stephanie Scarbrough) Goal Oriented's trainer Bob Bafert looks on prior to the 150th running of the Preakness Stakes horse race Saturday, May 17, 2025, at Pimlico Race Course in Baltimore. (AP Photo/Julia Demaree Nikhinson) Jockeys compete during the 150th running of the Preakness Stakes horse race Saturday, May 17, 2025, at Pimlico Race Course in Baltimore. (AP Photo/Nick Wass) AP Sports Writer (AP) — Hall of Fame trainers Bob Baffert and D. Wayne Lukas saw their horses endure some troubled trips Saturday in the 150th running of the Preakness Stakes. Baffert's Goal Oriented finished fourth after bumping with winner Journalism down the stretch. A stewards inquiry was briefly posted to take a look at the contact, and then it was removed with no changes. Advertisement American Promise was eighth in a field of nine after going through similar struggles two weeks earlier in the Kentucky Derby led to finishing 16th. Baffert and Lukas, who have combined to win the second leg of the Triple Crown, each lamented not getting what they hoped for from their colts in the Preakness. 'He didn't get to run his race,' Baffert said. 'I wanted to see him on the lead, Maybe he would have stopped, I don't know. He is lightly raced. He ran well, but he is still green. He was not used to being behind horses and he got intimidated.' American Promise's jockey, Maryland native Nik Juarez, said the horse 'just didn't have it.' Advertisement 'When he got bumped and roughed up a little bit, he kind of threw his head and quit on us,' Lukas said. "I didn't like the way he responded. ... I just think that attitude-wise, we've got to change it a little bit.' Gosger surprises Irish trainer Brendan Walsh's Gosger went off at odds of 15-1, third-longest in the Preakness. He also was poised to pulled a big upset if not for Journalism's remarkable run from the middle of the pack to the finish line. 'I thought we were home when he opened up,' Walsh said. 'I'm disappointed not to win it, but I'm not disappointed in the horse. He ran a great race. He is an improving horse and he will improve off this.' Advertisement Jockey Luis Saez said they 'had no excuses' and hopes Gosger will learn from the experience. 'Luis said at the end he just got a little bit lackadaisical, and he was out on his own maybe a little too long and the other horse came by and flew by him,' Walsh said. 'Maybe we will get our turn the next time.' Malcolm celebrates the 'Middle' NBC Sports' leadup to the race included an introduction from actor Frankie Muniz, known for his childhood role on the show 'Malcolm in the Middle.' Muniz espoused the virtues of the Preakness as the middle jewel of horse racing's Triple Crown, which for the fifth time in seven years went off without a shot at a Triple Crown for various reasons. Advertisement 'People don't talk about the middle enough,' Muniz said, bringing up middle seats on planes, the middle ages and how nobody wants to peak in middle school. 'When you're in the middle, you've got to fight for attention." The attention was on Pimlico Race Course, hosting the Preakness for a final time before the structure that opened in 1870 is demolished and rebuilt. 'Beginnings and endings get all the credit, but life happens in the middle on a journey from here to there," Muniz said. 'That's where you prove what you're really made of. On a day like today, at this ancient racetrack all dressed up one more time, there's absolutely no place better to be than the middle.' ___ AP horse racing:
