“It really defied logic,” said Aaron Wellman, founder and president of Eclipse Thoroughbreds, on Journalism‘s incredible victory at the Pimlico Race Course last Saturday. The colt managed to pull off an incredible sprint during the last stretches of the 1 3/16 mile race to win the 150th Preakness Stakes. And now, all eyes are on Saratoga.

The third and final leg of the Triple Crown will be held at the iconic Saratoga Race Course on June 7. With Journalism showing its emphatic mettle at the Preakness, fans now can’t wait to see if Curlin’s son will be back on the field to give Wellman another reason to smile about. However, let’s hold on to our horses, literally! First, let’s find out for sure: Will Journalism run at the Belmont Stakes?

2-for-2 for Journalism in the Triple Crown campaign off the table?

Daily Racing Form‘s New York correspondent, David Grening, shared Journalism’s current status via a post on X from May 18. “In a you don’t have to go home but you can’t stay here type of scenario, Preakness winner Journalism could ship to Saratoga early in the week while his connections decide whether or not to run in Belmont,” writes Grening in his post. Worried already? Understandable. However, all might not be as bleak!

“They want to run, they hope the horse shows them all the right signs,” Grening noted that Journalism shouldn’t be scratched from the race just yet. Moreover, as per an article by Paulick Report from Sunday, the horse is also marked as “TBD” for the June race. “He could go back to Churchill Downs and hang out for a week or two and then make his way to Saratoga,” the article also quotes Michael McCarthy, trainer of the 2025 Preakness Stakes winner, as he noted that Journalism is still in a position to run. In a later social media update underscored that Journalism’s fate could take a while to be decided as the Pimlico Race Course announced that the participants could stay back at the stables till May 31.

However, McCarthy has also previously noted his eagerness to make every opportunity that comes their way count. While other trainers like Bill Mott claimed that a horse’s life should be more meaningful than just running for the Triple Crown, Journalism’s trainer seemed to hold a very different opinion on the matter. However, the only thing left to see is if the horse returns to action in Saratoga in order to make up for the Kentucky heartbreak in the best way possible.

But as per sources, Journalism won’t be the only one who could be sitting out on this year’s Belmont Stakes.

More tough pills to swallow for the horse racing community

Just hours ago, Mark E. Casse, trainer of Sandman, the third-place finisher of this year’s Preakness Stakes, announced that the 2025 Arkansas Derby (G1) winner might also sit out the upcoming race in Saratoga. Noting how jockey John Velazquez faced difficulties controlling the horse at the Pimlico Race Course last weekend, Casse was quoted on social media claiming that Sandman is “unlikely” to run at the Belmont.

However, in case Journalism doesn’t get to run the third jewel of the Triple Crown, fans shouldn’t feel the blues. After all, the horse and jockey, Umberto Rispoli, had to show incredible control over their nerves to win the Preakness race. While many fans were frustrated at how the Bob Baffert-trained Goal Oriented almost took out Journalism at Pimlico, everyone agreed that Michael McCarthy’s horse put up some incredible speed skills.

However, the speculations over Sandman and Journalism’s participation would once again, invariably, give rise to the debates as to whether the current schedule for the Triple Crown is detrimental to the horses’ ability to keep coming back. What do you think? Tell us below!