What does Bob Baffert have left to prove at the Preakness Stakes? The 8-time winner is back at the Pimlico racecourse, and he is saying it’s because he has “”FOMO”—fear of missing out, as he told the LA Times. Well, maybe. He would also love to get a win here that would help him move on from his unsuccessful return to the Kentucky Derby. But that’s easier said than done. And it’s because of one horse. He was present at Churchill Downs. He is present here at the Preakness. And Baffert thinks he is the one. Well, what exactly is the legendary trainer saying?

The Preakness Stakes is just hours away. And talking to reporters, the 72-year-old gave his honest take on what he is expecting. “Journalism is the horse to beat,” went the Triple Crown winner in the Twitter clip posted on May 16 by Fox Baltimore reporter AJ Gersh. Continuing, Baffert further added, “He’s a really good horse. He could have easily won the Derby, be going for the Triple Crown.”

Well, Journalism did start the Kentucky Derby as the favorite. And he is also the best bet at the 1-3/16 mile Pimlico course. It’s probably because he has proved his mettle against the best. He had won the G1 Santa Anita Derby, beating Baeza and Westwood. Baeza incidentally also came in third in the Derby behind Sovereignty and Journalism.

When you add that Journalism thrives on sloppy tracks, obviously, it makes him a favorite for the Preakness as the forecast says rain is on the cards. In fact, it already rained days ago in Baltimore, and if it’s anything sloppy at Pimlico, expect jockey Ernesto Rispoli to guide home the San Felipe Derby winner for a Triple Crown race victory.

And if you think only Bob Baffert holds this view, you are wrong. The whole field at the Preakness has Journalism on their minds. 7-time Preakness Stakes winner D. Wayne Lukas thinks it’s Michael McCarthy‘s race to lose. Well, in all fairness, McCarthy himself isn’t shying away from the attention. “I have a lot of confidence in my horse,” the trainer of Journalism said to AP News on May 16.

And getting a start at Gate 2, the 2021 Preakness Stakes winner is hoping he can repeat it with Journalism, who incidentally is sired by Curlin, a Preakness Stakes winner in 2007. “We’ve brought a horse here who seems like he’s good enough to get the job done on Saturday.” And what do you know? His closest challenger, Sandman’s Hall of Fame trainer, Mark Casse, also thinks Journalism will be the target: “The horse to beat without a doubt is Journalism … Everybody’s got to beat Journalism.”

Well, that’s what Bob Baffert is surely planning. And he is relying on the element of surprise.

Bob Baffert wouldn’t miss the Preakness, and the Triple Crown

Thoroughbred trainers like Baffert have a special respect for tradition. The age-old Triple Crown of the Kentucky Derby, Preakness Stakes, and the Belmont Stakes that bestow glory on legendary trainers. If you win one, you are great. And if you win all three 3 races in a year, you become legendary. And then there’s Bob Baffert, who has won the Triple Crown twice, in 2015 and 2018.

That’s why he’s special. And he, in turn, knows how special these races are, the history intertwined with these century-old racing events. So, for him, the best horses shouldn’t be skipping the Triple Crown. “We’d love to have seen Sovereignty here, the Derby winner,” the 17-time Triple Crown race winner said to the reporters. William Mott, the trainer of Sovereignty and a Hall of Famer himself, has decided to skip the Preakness and aim for the Belmont in June.

Talking about the decision, Baffert shared how he sees it: “A lot of trainers nowadays, they want to give their horses extra time. I don’t blame him for that. But it’s a, I think the Triple Crown is still very important because it means so much and it’s so difficult.” Not speaking for himself, Baffert, it seems. He’s won the Preakness the most times. And for a 9th, he has chosen a rather unknown package in Goal Oriented.

“Oh, we don’t know, [how he’ll run],” Baffert told The Los Angeles Times on May 15. “We’re just going to throw him in there. He’s handled everything here.” But it’s not on a whim, too. “He handled the ship, and he handled Churchill, came back like it was nothing.” The trainer continued, “I can tell after they win. In the winner’s circle, he just stood there, stoic, didn’t even take a deep breath. He was like, ‘Hey, that’s it?’ I like that.”

Goal Oriented is also the horse in form, winning at Santa Anita on April 6, and on the Derby Day in an undercard race. Now, they want to test against a better field. “Some horses come back (after a race) and they’re blowing (breathing heavy), they’ll blow your hat off. He (Goal Oriented) wasn’t that. He handled it pretty well. We’ve always been very high on him,” Bob Baffert said.

But can Goal Oriented keep up with Journalism? Or is Goal Oriented the headline maker? We will soon know.