“Oh my goodness! Journalism has won the Preakness Stakes in a performance like you read about!” screamed the announcer at the top of his lungs as the pre-race favorite crossed the finish line first. Yet, the announcer didn’t scream just because he was a Journalism fan. Quite frankly, we all are. No, he screamed because of what had happened to the colt earlier in the race when Goal Oriented bumped hard into the Kentucky Derby runner-up.

Yes, in a dramatic turn of events, the Bob Baffert-trained horse suddenly jolted to the left, bumping Journalism, pushing him into another contender. Trainer Michael McCarthy must have been in disbelief. “He got pinched,” McCarthy recalled after the Kentucky Derby, and this one was even worse. However, in a display of sheer will and grit, the horse made up several body lengths to catch and beat Gosger down the stretch. Two decades after Alfeet Alex, the Preakness Stakes witnessed magic.

Horse racing analyst Kevin Blake recalled the 2005 race vividly while posting the clip of Journalism’s epic run. “20 years on from Afleet Alex getting up from his knees to win the Preakness, Journalism somehow recovers from horrendous interference to pull victory from the jaws of defeat. Wild drama!” Blake captioned the X post.

If the three-year-olds’ team hadn’t considered the Belmont Stakes before, this win may have just changed their minds. It would be quite fitting, as Alfeet Alex did go on to win the Belmont Stakes after his epic win 20 years ago. Yet, for a while, Michael McCarthy thought the race was over when Goal Oriented bumped into Journalism.

“A lot of bouncing around there. When I saw that, I kind of resigned myself to the fact it was another fantastic effort and maybe come up a little bit short,” Michael McCarthy said as per Associated Press. But just when McCarthy thought it was all over, Journalism tapped into a gas tank even his trainer didn’t know he had, beating Gosger by half a length. Meanwhile, this historic effort has done more than prove that Journalism doesn’t just win on paper.

Journalism vs. Sovereignty rematch on the cards at Belmont?

The Kentucky Derby runner-up’s trainers and jockey had been talking about the rematch with Derby winner Sovereignty even before the Preakness 150. “If Sovereignty stays healthy, Journalism stays healthy, and somewhere down the road we can hook up, it would be great for the fans and sport,” said the Derby runner-up’s trainer.

McCarthy believed that it was the initial pinch that hampered journalism just as much as the slop at Churchill Downs. While the scenario may have been similar owing to the rainy weather in Baltimore, things cleared up just in time. That’s when the Preakness 150 champion’s jockey’s words rang true. Umberto Rispoli was confident the Eclipse Thoroughbred Partners-owned horse would do better on a dry track.

“Let’s say then I lost the battle, not the war,” Rispoli told FanDuel after the Kentucky Derby. And after the Preakness Stakes win, these words have even more weight on them. Bob Baffert wasn’t kidding when he showered praise on the colt ahead of the race at Pimlico. “Journalism is the horse to beat. He’s a really good horse,” Baffert told FOX Baltimore’s AJ Gersh.

“He could have easily won the Derby and be going for the triple crown,” added Baffert. While some may have been skeptical of that assessment, it’s safe to assume the 2025 Preakness champion lived up to the praise and more. Talking about Baffert, Goal Oriented finished fourth. Meanwhile, McCarthy and his team couldn’t be happier. “It just goes to show the testament that this horse has. Couldn’t be prouder of him,” he added. Now we’ll have to wait and see if the Triple Crown’s first spot, and ‘Middle Jewel’ winners, clash at the final stop.