Preakness Stakes (G1) winner Journalism was made the slight 8-5 morning-line favorite over Kentucky Derby (G1) winner Sovereignty for Saturday’s $2 million Belmont Stakes (G1) at Saratoga Race Course.
Whatever the odds, the showdown is set: Sovereignty, who outdueled Journalism in the Derby on May 3 and skipped the Preakness, is 2-1 as the star 3-year-old colts go at it again in the final leg of the Triple Crown.
Sovereignty drew the No. 2 post in a field of eight going 1 ¼ miles rather than the traditional 1 ½ miles due to the layout of the Saratoga track. Hall of Fame trainer Bill Mott said an inside post won’t be an issue for a deep closer since the field is a small one.
Journalism drew the No. 7 post on Monday (June 2), a spot which trainer Michael McCarthy said won’t be an issue for a horse that stalks the pace.
“Looking at where we’re drawn, there’s a little bit of speed inside us, and obviously the horse outside us (Heart of Honor) was a little rambunctious in the Preakness. I see us running into the first turn -- all these Triple Crown races have a very honest pace -- and I think we’ll be forwardly placed.”
While most of the attention will focus on the rematch, there are quite a few strong challengers, starting with Baeza (4-1), who rallied for third in the Kentucky Derby for trainer John Shirreffs. Baeza will be ridden by Flavien Prat from post 6.
Also entered are Wood Memorial Stakes (G2) winner Rodriguez (6-1), who missed the Derby and Preakness with a foot injury; Peter Pan Stakes (G3) winner Hill Road (10-1), a pair of longshots for four-time Belmont winner Todd Pletcher in Crudo (15-1) and Uncaged (30-1), and Heart of Honor (30-1), who ran sixth in the Preakness Stakes.
“He’s very light on his feet. Everything he does is effortless. I think he’s earned respect in his races, he ran a terrific race in the Kentucky Derby,’’ Shirreffs said. “He didn’t get the best of trips, had a little trouble and was stuck behind, didn’t get out soon enough. He would have had, I think, a little bit better run at the end.”
Mott couldn’t be more pleased with Sovereignty leading up to the race.
“We’ve been very lucky with everything going good since we’ve been here,’’ Mott said. “He’s moving well over the track and eating the bottom out of the feed tub and carrying his weight well. I hope he’s doing as good Saturday as he was this morning.”
Post time for the Belmont Stakes is approximately 7 p.m. ET (FOX Sports).
The 157th Belmont Stakes is the centerpiece of NYRA’s Belmont Stakes Racing Festival, which runs from June 4-8 and featured 27 stakes races with purses totaling $11,275,000.
The last time there was a Belmont Stakes field smaller than eight horses was 2007, when the filly Rags to Riches won for Pletcher. A year ago, eight horses ran when Dornoch won over Derby winner Mystik Dan and Preakness winner Seize the Grey.
A win by Journalism would make him the first to complete the Preakness-Belmont double since Afleet Alex in 2005. A win by Sovereignty would make him just the second to complete a Derby-Belmont double since Thunder Gulch in 1995.
1 Hill Road (Irad Ortiz, Jr., Chad Brown), 10-1
2 Sovereignty (Junior Alvarado, Bill Mott), 2-1
3 Rodriguez (Mike Smith, Bob Baffert), 6-1
4 Uncaged (Luis Saez, Todd Pletcher), 30-1
5 Crudo (John Velazquez, Todd Pletcher), 15-1
6 Baeza (Flavien Prat, John Shirreffs), 4-1
7 Journalism (Umberto Rispoli, Michael McCarthy), 8-5
8 Heart of Honor (Saffie Osborne, Jamie Osborne), 30-1
