“I feel the normal pressure of wanting to win and just the pressure of keeping him out of trouble,” said horse trainer Bill Mott on his priorities for the 157th Belmont Stakes. However, while Mott looks to make the most of his return to Saratoga, among his competitors will be Journalism.

In the absence of Sovereignty, Journalism and jockey Umberto Rispoli picked off a thrilling win at the Preakness Stakes. And now, with the third and final leg of the Triple Crown inching closer, the colt’s trainer, Michael McCarthy, is feeling confident ahead of the rematch between the two incredible horses.

In a post by the official Belmont Stakes X account from June 3, McCarthy’s words before the June 7 race were shared. “I thought the last six or seven weeks here, his energy has been the same throughout. Obviously, Saratoga is very good for horses. He seems reenergized up here,” the trainer said on how Journalism has been getting used to the environment and surroundings of Saratoga Park.

His statements aren’t baseless, either. Journalism arrived at the venue of the Belmont Stakes in May and has since made a number of acquaintances, which we firmly believe has helped him to ease into the iconic racecourse. Obviously, McCarthy is excited to see how things unfold when his star horse takes to the field on the weekend. “I’m looking forward to a wonderful renewal of the Belmont Stakes on Saturday,” the trainer said.

Over the past few days, Mott, too, has sounded confident about Sovereignty ahead of the Belmont Stakes. Claiming that Sovereignty is looking in his best form, the trainer said yesterday, “He’s improved – as many of these horses have.” Just a week before that, Mott also mentioned that the Derby winner has been more aggressive ever since triumphing at Churchill Downs.

Looking at the recent stats of the two horses, one would even claim that the Preakness winner is just faring better than the Derby winner. On June 1, both Journalism and Sovereignty paced down the four furlongs of Saratoga Park, with the former clocking 47:54 compared to the latter’s 48.84. But numbers seldom can be the decisive factor. If there’s anything that horse racing fans have come to realize, it’s that everything considered “logical” is thrown out of the window when the race actually takes place. And logic will have plenty of chances of getting hammered come Saturday.

Journalism has the momentum on his side, but the weather God could play foul

After announcing the decision to scratch Sovereignty from the Preakness, Mott claimed it was a move that was prompted by the focus on the horse’s health. “We want to have a career that’s longer than five weeks,” Mott said, underscoring that the Triple Crown shouldn’t be the only thing that defines a horse’s life. A commendable thought indeed. However, that break could be the thing that costs the pair the upcoming race. After all, Journalism has run both the races of the Triple Crown so far, and will be the morning-line favorite with 8-5 odds as he stands in Post 7.

Sovereignty, on the other hand, is the second favorite to win the race (2-1 odds). While some would argue that the data isn’t reflective of how the Derby is arguably the more difficult race than the Preakness, trainer McCarthy thinks the numbers aren’t flawed. “I think they got it right,” Journalism’s trainer told Blood Horse.

But then again, we also remember how the muddy conditions at Churchill Downs were what jockey Umberto Rispoli attributed his defeat to Sovereignty. With similar rainy weather on the table for the upcoming race in Saratoga, it’s not too far-fetched to speculate that Journalism could once again be in for a bumpy ride. Do you think the horse can overcome the troubles this time? Or will Sovereignty’s Kentucky luck prevail once again? Tell us what you think in a comment.