Is everyone excited about the $2 million Preakness Stakes?
In some ways, yes.
So what if Kentucky Derby (G1) winner Sovereignty is a no-show; runner-up Journalism is in, and he’s the popular choice to win the second leg of racing’s Triple Crown.
“He’s a wonderful athlete. He’s got the looks and size,” trainer Michael McCarthy said. “He’s got the mechanics of a very good horse. His resume speaks for itself. He’s a special, special talent.”
And for a bit more excitement: The 150th Preakness will be run at decrepit Pimlico Race Course in Baltimore for the final time – demolition begins after the race and a new training/racing center will replace it.
It’s also a fitting finale as it brings together five Hall of Fame trainers with a combined 18 Preakness wins sending out challengers to take on Journalism, the 8-5 favorite in a field of nine 3-year-olds going 1 3/16 miles.
Bob Baffert, with a record eight Preakness wins, sends out Goal Oriented (2-for-2) at 6-1; D. Wayne Lukas, with seven Preakness wins, sends out American Promise (15-1); Mark Casse saddles Sandman (4-1), Todd Pletcher goes with River Thames (9-2); and Steve Asmussen has Clever Again (5-1).
Journalism is clearly the horse to beat. He won four in a row, including the Santa Anita Derby (G1), prior to the Derby. Oh. And McCarthy owns a Preakness win with Rombauer in 2021.
“(Journalism) is a really good horse. Watching him, it was a great Derby,” said Baffert, whose Citizen Bull led early but finished 15th. “These are important races ... He ran a big race in the Derby. Horses with good Derby form run good in the Preakness.”
It’s rained much of Preakness week, and that might not change on Saturday. The forecast is calling for high temperatures in the mid-80s most of the day with a 50% chance of rain, possibly thundershowers, and wind gusts up to 29 mph. A year ago, Seize the Grey won over a muddy, sealed track. Post time for the Preakness, the 13th race on a 14-race card is 7:01 p.m. ET.
For those who bet horse racing, the three Derby entries – Journalism (second), Sandman (seventh), and American Promise (16th) ran over a sloppy track on May 3. Also, Goal Oriented won a race on the Derby undercard.
The other new shooter to run in the slop is Pay Billy (third in his career debut last Aug. 7 at Delaware Park).
The grandstand at Pimlico has been falling apart at the seams for decades. The stable area is small, and most of the Preakness runners are stabled in the same barn. There’s been talk about tearing it all down for years, but it never came to fruition.
Last year, though, Maryland lawmakers passed a bill to take the track out of private ownership and into public stewardship. And there’s $400 million in bond funding now available for the rebuilding.
The 151st Preakness will remain in Maryland and run at Laurel Race Course; the 152nd is scheduled to be run at the new racing facility.
Asmussen owns two Preakness wins, one in 2007 with Curlin, a two-time Horse of the Year, the other in 2009 with Rachel Alexandra, who held off Derby winner Mine That Bird and became the first filly in 85 years to win the race.
Asked if he’d miss the old place, Asmussen said: “Oh, very much so. Just the great memories from having there. What a special place it is for me.”
Lukas, now 89, won last year’s Preakness with Seize the Grey, and will look to make it two in a row with his front-running American Promise. The last trainer to win it twice in a row was Baffert in 2001-02 with Point Given and War Emblem.
“I'm going to really miss it. It's the easiest one and Baffert and I talked time to time about this,’’ Lukas said. “The most fun, believe it or not, of all the three Triple Crown races ... we had the most fun there all being in one locker room and sharing that stakes barn like we do. And Pimlico just makes it awful easy.”
Baffert’s chance for a ninth looks like a tough ask. Especially from the No. 1 post, although he’s won twice from the rail, with American Pharoah in 2015 and National Treasure in 2023.
“He is not as fast as these other horses on paper, but I think he is a good horse,’’ said Baffert of his colt.
Pletcher, meanwhile, is seeking his first Preakness win with his 11th starter. River Thames (9-2) skipped the Derby after running second in the Fountain of Youth (G2) to Sovereignty and third in the Blue Grass (G1).
“I think any time you have the opportunity to win a Classic that’s definitely something you’d like to achieve,” Pletcher said. “It would be something we’d love to get done.”
There’s probably no one more excited to be involved in racing than Griffin Johnson, the popular internet influencer who co-owns the striking gray Sandman.
“It’s been a whirlwind in a nutshell, getting with Sandman,” said Johnson. “When you own a piece of a horse, you never know what you’re going to get. That’s part of the fun, right? Obviously, Sandman has been a fantastic horse with a supreme amount of talent, and he has taken me on arguably the best journey that I could ever experience. I’m really just glad to be here. I’m soaking it in.”
