Journalism Wins A Sovereignty-Less Preakness Stakes In Jaw-Dropping Fashion
Journalism's win comes after a second place finish in the Kentucky Derby
I think we were all bummed when we heard that there would be no Triple Crown attempt after news broke that Kentucky Derby winner Sovereignty was going to skip the 150th Running of the Preakness Stakes, but there was still a race to be run.
Plus, Journalism had an opportunity for redemption after falling to Sovereignty in the Derby despite being the favorite.
SIGN UP for The Daily OutKick. New Look, Same Attitude.
Well, that was the same situation on Saturday with Journalism going into the race as a heavy favorite.
To get us underway, Bruce Buffer gave us the "Riders Up" command in his own inimitable style.
That was good, but I like his brother's "Let's get ready to rumble!" catchphrase…
After Buffer did his thing, the nine horses were loaded into the starting gate, and then before you knew it, they were off.
Journalism spent most of the race in the middle of the pack, but as they rounded the final turn for the homestretch, he turned on the jets and wound up getting squeezed by a pair of horses while Gosger — named after former Big Leaguer Jim Gosger — appeared to have it in the bag.
I don't know if horses can have the mythical clutch gene, but if they can, journalists might have it, because the horse's final push to the line, just getting his head past Gosger was nothing short of mind-boggling.
Despite an inquiry into the rough stuff at the start of the stretch, the result held and Journalism — ridden by Umberto Rispoli and trained by Michael McCarthey — was the winner, with Gosger coming in second, and Sandman mounting a charge of his own to come from the back of the pack to take third.
Attention will now turn to the 157th Running of the Belmont Stakes, which will take place at Saratoga Race Course on June 7 and will be televised on Fox.