Preakness 150: McCarthy: Journalism Thriving Leading Up to 150th Preakness Stakes

By David Joseph —-
Journalism
MJC provided photo
McCarthy: Journalism Thriving Leading Up to 150th Preakness Stakes

BALTIMORE – It didn’t take long for trainer Michael McCarthy to approve the proposal to run Kentucky Derby (G1) runner-up Journalism in the 150th Preakness Stakes Saturday at Pimlico.

McCarthy flew back to Louisville, Ky. from his base in Southern California to take a look at Eclipse Thoroughbred Partners, Bridlewood Farm, Don Alberto Stable, Robert LaPenta, Elayne Stables 5 LLC, Mrs. John Magnier, Michael Tabor and Derrick Smith’s colt Sunday morning at Churchill Downs. By late afternoon, the ownership group headed by Aron Wellman announced that the son of Curlin was headed to the Middle Jewel of the Triple Crown.

After Journalism went out for another gallop at Churchill Downs Monday morning, McCarthy said that he liked what he found during the Sunday inspection and was convinced that the colt had come out of the Derby well and was ready for another test in the Triple Crown series.

“I just wanted to make sure. I hadn’t seen the horse for a few days,” he said. “Wanted to come and make sure everything was as I would have expected it to be, and all good here. He’s had a couple of good mornings since I’ve been here. Very pleased what I’ve seen so far. He’s a horse that’s doing well. He’s thriving in his environment.”

Journalism was officially entered in the Preakness Monday. He will ship from Kentucky to Baltimore Tuesday. His regular rider, jockey Umberto Rispoli, will be aboard for the Preakness.

With four consecutive victories in California, topped by the Santa Anita Derby (G1) and San Felipe (G2), Journalism was sent off as the 3-1 favorite in the Derby. He encountered trouble right away leaving from Post 4 when speedy Citizen Bull bore out dramatically from his rail post position to set off a chain reaction of contact on the inside of the 19-horse field.

McCarthy said he has not been interested in watching replays of the Derby.

“I saw enough in real time. I’m pretty sure I know what was going on,” he said. “I think if I can have anything over again, I’d like to have the first 100 yards over. I thought the start was a bit unfortunate. I wanted to be five lengths off the lead. I think (track announcer) Travis Stone called him about 12 lengths off the lead going into the first turn.”

Journalism and Rispoli were able to recover, moved into contention on the second turn and surged to the lead early in the stretch. Sovereignty, who was following Journalism, pulled even in the stretch and won the race to the wire by 1 ½ lengths.

The Preakness is 110 yards shorter than the Derby at 1 3/16 miles, which McCarthy said is not a factor for him and his horse.

“I don’t think it makes any difference,” he said. “I thought his mile and a quarter here was very good after getting pinched back at the start. He came with a big run around the turn and was still finishing at the wire.”

Sovereignty is skipping the Preakness and being prepped for the June 7 Belmont Stakes (G1) at Saratoga. McCarthy said he welcomes another crack at Sovereignty, who he had considered a top contender in the Derby.

“I thought when (Journalism) worked on Sunday on a very good race track it would take a very big effort to beat him on Derby Day,” McCarthy said. “The horse that I thought could beat him or thought we had to beat did.”

Lukas Back at Pimlico

By his own recollection, Hall of Fame trainer D. Wayne Lukas has been coming to Baltimore for the Preakness for 45 straight years.

“Might have missed a year,” Lukas said.

The 89-year-old rolled into town Sunday afternoon – the first Preakness trainer on the grounds – and he’ll have six horses to run this weekend. He is hoping that American Promise, who was set to arrive Monday afternoon, can give him his eighth Preakness win. That would tie him with fellow Hall of Famer Bob Baffert for the most Preakness wins.

“All of my thoughts here are pleasant,” Lukas said, sitting on a bench outside his office at the Pimlico Stakes Barn. “I have always enjoyed every minute I have been here. This has always been one of my favorites and I speak for the other trainers, too. I have never talked to a trainer who worked through the Preakness that did not enjoy this one the most.”

When pressed to take a walk down his personal Preakness memory lane, Lukas came up with the 1994 victory with Tabasco Cat.

That was the horse that ran over Lukas’ late son and assistant, Jeff, in December of 1993.

“We were trying to make something positive out of that,” Lukas said. “Jeff was pretty much in a coma recovering during that Preakness. And the ownership was wonderful, two of my dear friends, (the late) David Reynolds and W. T. Young.”

A year ago, Lukas provided one of the feel-good stories in racing when Seize the Grey took the lead in the Preakness from the start and never gave it up.

Seize the Grey won the race at odds of nearly 10-1.

“Some of my best wins over the years have been with some real, real big longshots,” Lukas said. “Last year, with Seize the Grey, I don’t think anyone was figuring on him until about the eighth pole.”

American Promise, owned by BC Stables LLC, is coming off a 16th place finish in the Kentucky Derby after a less than desirable trip.

Lukas, who has saddled a record 48 Preakness starters, said he will be aboard his pony Bucky and will accompany American Promise to the Pimlico surface, probably starting on Tuesday.

“He has had good days since the Kentucky Derby,” Lukas said. “He is really doing well. I might let him catch his stride through the stretch or I may not. I feel good about American Promise.”

Clever Again Goes Easy Half

Clever Again, who may turn out to be the horse to catch in the Preakness, had a typical Steve Asmussen easy half-mile in 50.40 seconds at Churchill Downs Monday morning.

“Just a maintenance work,” said assustant Scott Blasi, who oversees Hall of Fame trainer Ssteve Asmussen’s Churchill Downs division. “We really like how he’s doing. We thought a lot of him the whole time. We’re excited about running him.”

Of the work, he said, “The horse is happy. His ears are forward, moving fluidly.”

Clever Again, who is owned by Winchell Thoroughbreds LLC, Mrs. John Magnier, Michael Tabor and Derrick Smith, will be making his fourth start and his graded-stakes debut in the 1 3/16-mile Preakness. The son of 2015 Triple Crown winner American Pharoah finished a close second going 4 ½ furlongs in April of his 2-year-old year at Keeneland, then was off until winning a 1 1/16-mile Oaklawn Park maiden race in February. He came back to win Oaklawn’s $200,000 Hot Springs Stakes at a two-turn mile.

Enter John Velazquez

Sandman, the popular gray colt, has his partner for the Preakness.

Hall of Fame trainer Mark Casse said he would have a Hall of Fame jockey John Velazquez on the team for the second leg of the Triple Crown, and Velazquez certainly is just that.

He replaces Jose Ortiz, who rode Sandman to a seventh-place finish in the Derby and a win in the Arkansas Derby (G1). Ortiz is riding Clever Again in the Preakness for Hall of Fame trainer Steve Asmussen.

“Johnny is a strong rider, and Sandman needs a strong rider,” Casse said. “I think he will fit hm perfectly. One thing you will find about the good riders – the Irads (Ortiz), the Joses, the Juniors (Alvarado), the (Joel) Rosarios, the Johnnys … they all know what every horse is going to be doing. That is what they do. The only thing I can do by giving instructions is mess it up.”

Velazquez won his first Preakness in 2023 when he was aboard National Treasure. Sandman will be his 14thcareer mount in the Preakness.

Casse gave Sandman, who has been at Churchill Downs since the Derby, the morning off on Monday, He was scheduled to board a van Monday afternoon at 3 p.m. and arrive in Baltimore between 4 and 5 a.m., Casse said.

Casse will arrive at Pimlico from his base in Ocala, Fla. sometime Tuesday afternoon. He said his New York assistant, Shane Tripp, will also be in Baltimore. He will be Sandman’s exercise rider here.

“We decided to give Sandman an easy day because it’s a ship of 12 hours or so,” Casse said. “He is doing great.”

Once he arrives, Sandman, owned by D.J. Stable LLC, St. Elias Stable, West Point Thoroughbreds and CJ Stables, will walk on Tuesday and then train the next three days at a time to be determined.

Sandman is one of three horses running in the Preakness from the Kentucky Derby. The other two are runner-up Journalism, the expected Preakness favorite, and American Promise, who finished 16th at Churchill.

“Obviously, Journalism is the horse to beat,” Casse said. “He ran really well in the Derby and you know Wayne (Lukas, trainer of American Promise) is always tough. It looks like there will be a decent amount of speed in the race, and that is good for us.”

Goal Oriented, winner of a 1 1/16-mile optional claiming allowance race on the Kentucky Derby undercard, walked the shedrow Monday on the morning after he worked a half-mile in 47.60 seconds. Goal Oriented, who won a sprint maiden race at Santa Anita in his only other start, is scheduled to ship to Pimlico Tuesday.

Hall of Fame trainer Bob Baffert is attempting to break his own record of Preakness victories, shooting for a ninth with Goal Oriented, who is owned by SF Racing LLC, Starlight Racing, Madaket Stables LLC’s, Stonestreet Stables LLC, Diane Bashor, Determined Stables, Robert E. Masterson, Tom J. Ryan, Waves Edge Capital LLC, and Catherine Donovan.

Jim and Claire Limited’s Heart of Honor, the UAE Derby (G2) runner-up who was cleared quarantine Sunday following a trans-Atlantic trip from Great Britain, had a light training session at Churchill Downs Monday morning prior to vanning to Pimlico.

WinStar Farm LLC, CHC Inc., Pantofel Stable LLC and Wachtel Stable’s River Thames -is scheduled to van from Belmont Park to Pimlico Tuesday.

RKTN Racing’s Pay Billy, who earned an automatic entry into the Preakness for his victory in Laurel Park’s April 19 Federico Tesio, galloped Monday at Delaware Park for trainer Mike Gorham. The Improbable colt is scheduled to train at Delaware Tuesday morning and ship to Pimlico, arriving around noon with stablemates Moon Cache, entered to run in Friday’s $300,000 George E. Mitchell Black-Eyed Susan (G2) for 3-year-old fillies, and Chipotle for Saturday’s listed $150,000 Chick Lang for 3-year-old sprinters.

“[Pay Billy] galloped a mile and a half, just a regular gallop to kind of stretch his legs a little bit. Everything is good,” Gorham said. “It’s going to be an exciting week. We’re looking forward to it.”

About The Stronach Group and 1/ST

The Stronach Group is a world-class technology, entertainment and real estate development company with Thoroughbred racing and pari-mutuel wagering at the core. The Stronach Group’s 1/ST business (pronounced “First”) is North America’s preeminent Thoroughbred racing and pari-mutuel wagering company and includes the 1/ST RACING & GAMING, 1/ST CONTENT, 1/ST TECHNOLOGY and 1/ST EXPERIENCE businesses, while advocating for and driving the 1/ST HORSE CARE mission. 1/ST represents The Stronach Group’s continued movement toward redefining Thoroughbred racing and the ecosystem that drives it. 1/ST RACING & GAMING drives the best-in-class racing operations and gaming offerings at the company’s premier racetracks and training centers including: Santa Anita Park and San Luis Rey Downs (California); Gulfstream Park – home of the Pegasus World Cup and Palm Meadows Thoroughbred Training Center (Florida); Laurel Park, The Preakness Stakes, Rosecroft Raceway and Bowie Training Center (Maryland). 1/ST CONTENT is the operating group for 1/ST’s media and content companies including: Monarch Content Management, Elite, TSG Global Wagering Solutions (GWS) and XBTV. 1/ST TECHNOLOGY is racing’s largest racing and gaming technology company offering world-class products via its AmTote, Xpressbet, 1/ST BET, XB SELECT, XB NET, PariMAX and Betmix brands. 1/ST EXPERIENCE blends the worlds of sports, entertainment and hospitality through innovative content development, elevated national and local venue management and hospitality, strategic partnerships, sponsorships, and procurement development. As the advocate for critical industry reforms and by making meaningful investments into aftercare programs for retired horses and jockeys, 1/ST HORSE CARE represents The Stronach Group’s commitment to achieving the highest level of horse and rider care and safety standards in Thoroughbred racing on and off the track. The Stronach Group’s TSG Properties is responsible for the development of the company’s live, play and work communities surrounding its racing venues including: The Village at Gulfstream Park (Florida) and Paddock Pointe (Maryland). For more information, visit www.1st.com or follow @1ST_racing on Twitter or @1stracing on Instagram and Facebook.