“You can’t realize what this horse did today,” said a beaming Umberto Rispoli after winning the 150th Preakness Stakes last Saturday. The jockey’s emotions weren’t misplaced. At the iconic Pimlico Race Course, Journalism pulled off the stuff that dreams are made of, despite Goal Oriented bumping into the former at one point of the 1 3/16 mile race. And now? Onward and upward! Or at least, that’s the idea.

Journalism’s participation in the upcoming Belmont Stakes is yet to be confirmed. Only yesterday, social media was rife with speculations about whether the 2025 Santa Anita Derby winner would run for the final jewel of this year’s Triple Crown. However, it looks like trainer Michael McCarthy’s reluctance to head back to Churchill Downs before traveling to Saratoga is already deciding the colt’s itinerary. But we doubt the horse has anything to complain about.

Just hours ago, Journalism was seen getting off his transport bus and arriving at the iconic Saratoga Race Course. And now, in a post on X from May 19, the official Belmont Stakes handle shared how Journalism is already getting to know fellow equine stars at the stables there. Captioned, “Journalism is settling in at Saratoga and already making friends with his neighbor,” the post shows an inquisitive Journalism, with an extended neck, trying to get to know its next-door resident.

The Preakness Stakes winner has found its stable right next to a young and unnamed 2-year-old sired by Morning Dream. In the Belmont Stakes video, the two horses can be seen getting a whiff of each other. The whole meet-up also seemed to be quite pleasing for Journalism, as the horse made it abundantly clear by showing its teeth after the two put an end to their congregation.

Last Saturday, Journalism proved its worth in all its glory for the world to witness. During the final stretches of the Preakness Stakes, the colt got caught in a scuffle between Clever Again and the Bob Baffert-trained Goal Oriented. However, both Rispoli and his horse retained their calm and tore away from the other two to chase down Gosger and finish the race in first place. It was electrifying.

“What a heartful effort out of Journalism. He’s extremely special. He is equally as mentally brilliant as he is physically, which is so rare to find in this game,” said Aron Wellman, one of the co-owners of Journalism, after the scintillating race came to an end. Rispoli, too, was overwhelmed with emotions. “I’m crying like a kid,” the Italian said, nodding his hat at his four-legged partner.

Naturally, after such a thumping win, one would argue that the horse deserves a break. Even more so because it did manage to redeem itself after the Kentucky heartbreak. Despite being the favorite to win the Derby two weeks ago, Journalism was outwitted by Sovereignty and Junior Alvarado at Churchill Downs, and Rispoli could barely hide his disappointment. Now, with the $2 million race in the rearview mirror, the horse just might look forward to making more friends than running the last race of the Triple Crown. But it might not be the only one doing so.

Journalism is not the only one who could skip Belmont

Along with the son of Curlin, another top-three finisher from the Preakness Stakes could also be looking to sit out on the upcoming June 7 race. Sandman, the horse that came in third at Pimlico, might also be among the horses that are absent from the starting lineup in Saratoga. Only yesterday, trainer Mark E. Casse noted that the thoroughbred is “unlikely” to show up for the Belmont. “I don’t like doing it, but we may put blinkers on,” the veteran trainer said.

Well, things did look a little off for John Velazquez and his horse at the Preakness Stakes itself. “When we got to the quarter pole I thought I was home free but he got to looking around and stopped concentrating,” the jockey recalled how Sandman didn’t look its otherwise normal self last weekend. While such news only makes things sadder for the horse racing connoisseurs, this wouldn’t be the first time in this year’s Triple Crown.

After winning the Kentucky Derby, Bill Mott announced that Sovereignty would pull out of the Preakness to focus on the Belmont. The trainer noted that the decision came as a result of prioritizing the colt’s health instead of winning the Triple Crown. “I think over the years people realize spacing these horses out a little bit gives you the opportunity to make them last a little longer and I think we’re looking at a career. We want the career to last more than five weeks,” Mott said flatly in a statement.

While such news also makes it evident how beloved the horses are by their human colleagues, it also raises questions about how impactful such decisions to pull out of a race are. What do you reckon? Tell us!