The Breeders’ Cup is undoubtedly the next biggest thing after the Kentucky Derby for the horse racing community. “It’s like an All-Star game,” said legendary trainer Bob Baffert on the Grade 1 thoroughbred event. For the 2025 Preakness Stakes winner, Journalism, this year’s Breeders’ Cup could offer a shot at redemption. But hold on to your horses, literally!

For the Michael McCarthy-trained horse, the 2025 horse racing season has been a tale of ups and downs. While the Eclipse Thoroughbred-owned horse registered two massive wins at the Santa Anita Derby and the second jewel of the Triple Crown, the two defeats at the hands of Sovereignty at both the Kentucky Derby and the Belmont Stakes undoubtedly stung. But a rematch might not be on the table right now, McCarthy surmises.

An article from July 27 by Thoroughbred Daily News notes how Journalism’s trainer doesn’t have a clear idea of when the horse could face off against the Bill Mott-trained Sovereignty. With the Breeders’ Cup inching closer, every race would look like an opportunity to test the competition ahead of the October event. But McCarthy wishes to take a moment before arriving at a decision.

“From what I saw of the two 3-year-old races at Saratoga and the Haskell the week before, it’s the strongest 3-year-old crop I have seen in recent memory,” said McCarthy after watching Sovereignty run at the Saratoga racecourse on July 26. But the trainer from the Journalism camp didn’t exactly claim that a rematch between two of this season’s biggest horse racing stars is something that has a date on it.

Before the Breeders’ Cup, the horse racing community will converge at the Spa next month when the G1 Travers Stakes kicks off. After the win at the Jim Dandy, Bill Mott has already noted that he’s looking forward to the Travers. “ It is a race I’ve never won, and I’d really like to win it before I check out,” Mott said on the reason behind his determination to win the Spa race. For understandable reasons, reporters were looking for an answer from McCarthy on whether Journalism will clash against Sovereignty on August 23.

On being asked about a potential rematch, McCarthy slyly turned the question on its head, saying, “You mean between Sovereignty and Baeza?” However, he still underscored that whatever happens at the Travers, the Breeders’ Cup is very much a possibility where the two horses could cross paths once again.

“Everything is up in the air. Honestly, I am just going to watch my horse, see where we are at and go from there. It’s a long year and we’ve got a long second half of the year. We want to be at our best for the Breeders’ Cup Classic no matter what way we go,” Journalism’s trainer made at least one part of his intentions abundantly clear.

When Journalism lost to Sovereignty at the Kentucky Derby despite being the favorite, jockey Umberto Rispoli claimed it was the track’s wet conditions that led his horse astray. Thankfully, though, it won’t be a problem in October. Hopefully, Journalism will be able to replicate his Preakness-winning run once again. On the other hand, there will be more names other than Sovereignty waiting to make life difficult for the horse and Rispoli.

Strong competition awaits Journalism at the Breeders’ Cup

For Bob Baffert, despite all his accolades at the highest levels of the sport, 2025 has been pretty unremarkable. Returning to Churchill Downs after three years, the 72-year-old trainer didn’t make much of an impact. The trend haunted him throughout the entire Triple Crown season. At the Haskell Stakes, too, his horse Goal Oriented finished third. Thankfully, he finally put an end to his losing streak at the Del Mar last weekend with two massive wins. And now, he’s looking ahead with newfound optimism.

While Journalism might not be competing at the Travers, Bob Baffert’s Goal Oriented and Nevada Beach, winner of the Los Alamitos Derby, could be entering the August 23 race. Moreover, like Michael McCarthy, Baffert also has a score to settle with Sovereignty. And irrespective of what happens next month, the Hall of Fame trainer will wait eagerly to take on both the Triple Crown heroes when the Breeders’ Cup arrives.

Nysos, son of Nyquist and the horse that made Baffert smile with a victory at the San Diego Handicap on Saturday, could be the hidden ace up the trainer’s sleeve for the Breeders’ Cup. As per reports, Nysos is currently standing at 12/1 odds for the Classic event. Do you think Journalism will be able to subdue both his arch-nemesis, Sovereignty, and Baffert together when the gates to the October race open at the Del Mar?