Welcome to 2025 Triple Crown Prospect Profiles where we’ll take a look each week at a recent winner on the Triple Crown trail.

This week’s profile is Journalism, the half-length winner of the 150^th edition of the Preakness Stakes May 17 at Pimlico. The Curlin colt certainly provided a memorable farewell to the old facility at Pimlico, which will be razed in the coming weeks and replaced with a modern venue for the 2027 edition of the race, when he pushed through a very slim opening in early stretch and made up five lengths on leader Gosger in the final eighth of a mile to prevail. In this week’s profile, we’ll explore what we learned about Journalism in the Preakness and how he might fare in the 1 ¼-mile Belmont Stakes in three weeks at Saratoga Race Course.

Racing Résumé: Before the Kentucky Derby Presented by Woodford Reserve, I predicted Journalism would not only win the Derby but he would sweep the Triple Crown. While his chances to become the 14^th Triple Crown winner ended with a Kentucky Derby runner-up finish, his tough-as-nails victory in the Preakness Stakes provided a touch of validation. My thinking entering the Derby was that Journalism was the fastest contender on paper, arguably the best finisher of the 3-year-old crop, and showed consistent excellence in a four-race winning streak that featured two Grade 2 wins and a Grade 1 victory in the Santa Anita Derby.

Sovereignty was the other 3-year-old entering the Derby with a compelling argument as the best finisher on dirt, and the Into Mischief colt indeed outkicked Journalism in deep stretch at Churchill Downs to win by 1 ½ lengths.

Journalism ran well in defeat in the Derby in his first try on “off” track, his first start at 1 ¼ miles, and in spite of a wide trip after dropping back to 10^th of 19 early. The Derby is a testing race with a huge field, a massive crowd, and all sorts of new variables for a racehorse, and Journalism showed fight but got beat by the better racehorse on that day.

Journalism’s ability to overcome adversity was further tested in the Preakness Stakes – he was angry before the race even began because of a halter issue – when he was trapped in behind horses entering the stretch. Jockey Umberto Rispoli urged Journalism to go through a very narrow opening between Clever Again to his inside and Goal Oriented to his outside, a window that closed almost immediately. Most racehorses would have been intimidated by that convergence into their space but Journalism bulled his way through, showing significant grit to emerge from the jostling with a shot at a top-three finish.

Journalism did not just settle for a minor award and a moral victory. He ran his final eighth of a mile in :12.30 to make up five lengths on runner-up Gosger for a remarkable half-length win.

“It really defied logic,” said Aron Wellman, founder and president of Eclipse Thoroughbred Partners and the managing partner of the ownership group. “I think anybody that’s watched any number of races and has any appreciation for what these magnificent animals can do, what he did there as a matter of guts and courage and bravery to begin with, and then to have the physical ability to accelerate again and mow a good horse down like Gosger, you just don’t see it happen.”

Speed Figures: Journalism’s Preakness win is a reminder that what you see in the past performances and the speed figures racehorses earn do not paint a full picture. Journalism earned a 109 Equibase Speed Figure, one point off the career-best number he earned in March when winning the DK Horse San Felipe Stakes. The 98 Beyer Speed Figure given to Journalism for the Preakness win was 10 points slower than the 108 he earned in the San Felipe and four points below the 102 he earned in both his Santa Anita Derby win and Kentucky Derby second. Most people who watched the Preakness, I think, would agree that was a victory that can’t be quantified by a number and it was his best race to date.

Running Style: Trainer Michael McCarthy said Journalism was still under consideration for the Belmont Stakes on Sunday, a day after the Preakness win, and on May 19 he was shipped from Baltimore to Saratoga Race Course. That’s no guarantee he will compete in the Belmont, but it qualifies as a promising sign. In terms of his chances in the Belmont Stakes, Journalism has some tactical speed for a stalker/closer – certainly, more speed than he showed in his last two races – and that’s a positive for the Belmont Stakes as deep closers are at a disadvantage in dirt routes at Saratoga. Journalism would very likely improve his Belmont Stakes chances, especially over a deep closer like Sovereignty, by settling in early within a few lengths of the pace.

Pedigree Notes: Journalism’s sire, Hall of Famer Curlin, was a gritty, determined racehorse who was always up for a fight, Racing fans saw those traits in Journalism in the Preakness. Curlin also is an elite sire with standouts like 2023 Horse of the Year Cody’s Wish and champions Vino Rosso, Malathaat, Elite Power, Idiomatic, Good Magic, Stellar Wind, and Nest to his credit.

Grade 2 winner Mopotism, by champion Uncle Mo, is the dam (mother) of Journalism. Mopotism earned $876,090 and placed in four Grade 1 races in four seasons on the racetrack.

Belmont Stakes chances and what we learned: Let’s start with what we learned about Journalism in the Preakness … in addition to the mental toughness he showed in the face of adversity. He proved he is a stout racehorse capable of coming back on two weeks of rest and running a huge race. He looked in this BloodHorse+ video like he came out of the Preakness in terrific shape. Racing fans frequently bemoan that they don’t make (or train) horses like they used to, and in this regard Journalism is a throwback.

A happy Umberto Rispoli with Journalism after the win. (Bill Denver/EQUI-PHOTO)

I’ve mentioned throughout the 2025 Triple Crown trail that Journalism has the ability to track a solid pace and still finish strongly, as his final eighth of a mile in :12.30 in the Preakness demonstrates. I never viewed Journalism as explosive, however, before the Preakness, but he really showed me something when surging from five lengths behind Gosger to win by a half-length. That was eye-catching – he has a better turn of foot than I thought.

So, what should we expect from this mentally and physically strong 3-year-old on three weeks of rest should he compete in the Belmont Stakes? There obviously is a chance that he regresses in his third U.S. classic race in five weeks and fourth Grade 1 race in eight weeks. Trainers have become increasingly mindful of spacing races and rest to optimize the chances of a peak performance, and Derby winner Sovereignty and third-place finisher Baeza will be fresh and ready for Journalism in the Belmont.

I think it’s also important to note here that if Journalism does compete in the Belmont Stakes, the race will be billed as a “rematch” and a “showdown” with Sovereignty, but Baeza must be regarded in that tier. He finished three-quarters of a length behind Journalism in the Santa Anita Derby in his stakes debut and a neck behind him in the Kentucky Derby. The half-sibling to 2023 Kentucky Derby winner Mage and 2024 Belmont Stakes winner Dornoch is eligible to improve in his sixth start on five weeks of rest for trainer John Shirreffs.

Likewise, Sovereignty’s Hall of Fame trainer, Bill Mott, did what he thought was right for his 3-year-old and he’s among the best horsemen on the planet. Sovereignty should be breathing fire.

I picked Journalism to sweep the Triple Crown three weeks ago. I’m not turning back now regarding his chances in the third jewel. I strongly believe he is the best horse in the 3-year-old male division and I think he can and will prove that in the Belmont Stakes.