Washington (AFP) – Pre-race favourite Journalism stormed to victory in the 150th Preakness Stakes on Saturday, producing a devastating finish to claim the second leg of US horse racing’s Triple Crown. Journalism, ridden by Italian jockey Umberto Rispoli, looked set for more disappointment following his second-place finish in the Kentucky Derby after being boxed in coming down the stretch at Pimlico Race Course in Baltimore, Maryland.
But after clashing with the Bob Baffert-trained 6-1 shot Goal Oriented, Journalism burst through a gap and reeled in 20-1 outsider Gosger to claim a sensational win. Gosger and 4-1 shot Sandman finished second and third respectively. There was a brief delay as stewards reviewed footage of Journalism’s skirmish with Goal Oriented before the Michael McCarthy-trained horse was confirmed as the victor.
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The 36-year-old Rispoli, the two-time Italian Champion Jockey, said the victory owed everything to Journalism’s never-say-die approach. “I still can’t realize what this horse did today,” an emotional Rispoli said moments after crossing the line. “I got in trouble at the corner pole. But it’s all about him — it’s a pleasure and a privilege to ride a horse like him. It’s just unbelievable. I won one of the legs of the Triple Crown and I’m crying like a kid.”
Journalism’s triumph also marked a fairytale win for California-based trainer McCarthy, who lives in Altadena, one of the Los Angeles communities devastated by deadly wildfires in January. McCarthy said when he saw Journalism seemingly in a hopeless position, boxed in on the rails coming off the final turn, he had feared the worst.
“I guess when I saw that, I kind of resigned myself to the fact that it was another fantastic effort and that we were going to come up short,” said McCarthy, who had seen Journalism suffer an agonizing near-miss in the Kentucky Derby earlier this month. “I couldn’t be prouder of him. In the back of my mind I thought we’d be two for two coming here. But you know what — I’m just happy to get one of these. They’re very, very difficult to win,” McCarthy added.
While McCarthy’s home survived the wildfires earlier this year, the trainer and his family have been displaced from the property due to smoke damage. “We’ll get back there, everybody will get back there, we’ll rebuild. This is for Altadena,” he added.
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