Let no one suggest Journalism’s path through the Triple Crown has been smooth. A beaten favorite in the Kentucky Derby undone by the slop at Churchill Downs, the star three-year-old finally got his Classic in the Preakness Stakes at Pimlico on Saturday [May 18].
However, the bare result – a last-gasp half-length success over outsider Gosger – hides a multitude after an extraordinary race for the 150th edition of the second leg of the Triple Crown.
As is already the stuff of Preakness folklore, Journalism had to overcome major trouble in running in the roughest of races after jockey Umberto Rispoli (#23 from #25, +37pt) found himself hemmed in by a wall of horses at the head of the stretch.
A barging match ensued as Rispoli went for a daring run between horses, elbows out as Flavien Prat leaned in on eventual fourth Goal Oriented. On the rail, Clever Again got the worst of the bout as Journalism pushed his way through before powering home, somehow making up a four-length deficit to the leader. He also survived the inevitable stewards’ inquiry.
“I can't believe what Journalism did today,” said an emotional Rispoli. “I got into trouble at the quarter-pole and he made himself keep going. It's all about him. It's a pleasure and a privilege to ride a horse like him.”
This really was a remarkable effort, but the level of the form means only a small move on Thoroughbred Racing Commentary’s Global Rankings, where Journalism now stands at #11 (from #14, +69pt).
That said, the son of Curlin is still clear as America’s top three-year-old: his Derby conqueror Sovereignty features at #24, with Kentucky Oaks winner Good Cheer not far behind on at #28. Preakness runner-up Gosger (#154 from #393, +145pt) gets a deserved boost, by the way.
Journalism also leads the way on the Beyer speed figure scale, where his 108 from Santa Anita remains the biggest number recorded by this year’s Classic generation (albeit jointly with sidelined Magnitude). Journalism has hit the magic three-digit Beyer figure three times already in 2025, and a 98 for the Preakness was hardly a disgrace in the circumstances.
The entire US racing community would love to see a rubber match between Sovereignty and Journalism in the Belmont Stakes – run again this year at Saratoga on June 7 while its traditional home is redeveloped.
However, Journalism’s trainer Michael McCarthy (#30 from #34, +34pt) is yet to commit. “It puts him in a position to run,” he said.
“I think I'd like to see what he's kind of telling us,” the trainer added, speaking to the Pimlico media team the morning after the race. “Now it's two races in two weeks. Ate up last night; seems like he's pleased with himself. We'll weigh the pros and cons.”
Aron Wellman of Eclipse Thorouhgbreds, who put together the winning owners’ partnership, admitted he thought the Preakness was lost as Journalism was put in a box by his opponents.
“I was just feeling hopeless and devastated for the horse and everybody,” he said.“I hate to use the term impossible, but it was impossible what he did.”
Last week’s most notable mover in Europe was Lead Artist (#26 from #101, +191pt), who justified market support to win a warm-looking edition of the Lockinge Stakes at Newbury. With Oisin Murphy (#24 from #28, +47pt) taking over in the saddle, the four-year-old regained the lead from favourite Dancing Gemini in the closing stages.
This was clearly the winner’s best-ever performance – he had been 13 lengths behind the runner-up on his previous start.
“He has a great deal of talent but got stuck in the mud at Sandown last time,” said co-trainer John Gosden. “The Queen Anne is the next obvious step, but we hope the weather doesn't get wet.”
Dancing Gemini also heads for Royal Ascot – as a “G1 winner waiting to happen,” according to trainer Roger Teal – while third- and fourth-placed Rosallion and Notable Speech will also strip fitter for the rematch.
Most eyecatching UK winner last week was See The Fire (#115 from #387, +186pt), who demolished her rivals by 12 lengths in the G2 Middleton Stakes at York – the race won 12 months previously by subsequent Arc winner Bluestocking.
Like Lead Artist, the filly put a downbeat run at Sandown behind her, as she had also been well-beaten on her previous start. “We were a little disappointed with her run at Sandown but she probably needed it as she travelled well but didn't quite get home,” said trainer Andrew Balding, who earmarked Goodwood’s Nassau Stakes as her principal target.
Meanwhile, a rarity towards the top end of the rankings where former world #1 Kyprios won his second race of the campaign – and lost points. The admirable seven-year-old retains his position at #7 in the charts – but a businesslike G3 win at Leopardstown on Friday night [May 16] wasn’t enough to embellish his status and he drops 22pts.
Not that connections will be unduly concerned by that as Kyprios never does more than strictly necessary, and this is his usual prep for the Gold Cup at Ascot. More worrying, though, was the fact that the horse walked off “a little bit gingerly in front” according to Aidan O’Brien, and his long-held status as market leader for the Ascot showpiece is now under threat from stablemate Illinois.
Evidently it was a false alarm, and following scans on his return to Ballydoyle, Kyprios was given a clean bill of health. “He was 100% the next morning,” reported O’Brien. “He’s probably the most scanned and x-rayed horse ever because of his history and obviously there will never ever be any chance taken with him.”
In Japan, a late charge from Ascoli Piceno (#35 from #75, +118pt) was just enough for the filly to record her second G1 success in the Victoria Mile at Tokyo racecourse on Sunday [May 18] under seven-time Japanese champion jockey Christophe Lemaire (stays at #6, +21pt).
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• Unlike traditional methods of racehorse rankings, TRC Global Rankings are a measure of an individual’s level of achievement over a rolling three-year period, providing a principled hierarchy of the leading horses, jockeys, trainers, owners and sires using statistical learning techniques. Racehorse rankings can be compared to similar exercises in other sports, like the golf’s world rankings or the ATP rankings in tennis.
They are formulated from the last three years of races we consider Group or Graded class all over the world and update automatically each week according to the quality of a horse’s performances and their recency, taking into account how races work out.