Had a good two weeks of rest, horse racing fans? Because the second leg of the Triple Crown is almost upon us! On Saturday, the Preakness Stakes will return to the iconic Pimlico Race Course, marking the 150th edition of the prestigious race. While the Kentucky Derby flagged off a thriller, the upcoming weekend race will be the stage where more heroes will be made, and all eyes will be on Journalism.

The Michael McCarthy-trained thoroughbred had a disappointing start to the Triple Crown season. Despite being the clear favorite to win, Journalism finished second at Churchill Downs, succumbing to an incredible show by Bill Motto-trained Sovereignty. However, just days ago, Mott announced that due to a foot injury, Sovereignty will not be running in Baltimore. So, with the in-form colt out, how does Journalism’s chances of winning at Maryland look?

How much richer could Journalism get if it wins at Pimlico?

Eclipse Thoroughbred Partners, one of the co-owners of Journalism, posted on X on May 11, showcasing the colt’s condition ahead of the Preakness Stakes. “Journalism has been grand since the @KentuckyDerby and @mwmracing has green-lighted him to head to @PimlicoRC for the 150th @PreaknessStakes!” the social media update reads. The accompanying video shows the horse having a relaxed practice run around the racecourse with Umberto Rispoli on its back.

With 6-5 odds, Journalism is easily one of the favorites to win the contest. It was a similar scenario for the Kentucky Derby as well, but the wet conditions played a major spoilsport on that day. Thankfully, though, the weather predictions for the Preakness Stakes look better. So, considering McCarthy’s colt wins, how fatter is its purse likely to get?

The total prize amount for Saturday’s Preakness Stakes hasn’t been revealed as of now. However, we know that last year, the total purse was $2 million, and the 2024 winner at Pimlico was awarded $1.2 million from the prize pool. Judging by that, we’d wager that this year, the amount will be at least the same, or higher. But who will Journalism need to take down in order to bag the hefty amount?

Who are the competitors for the Preakness Stakes?

While there won’t be the 2025 Kentucky Derby winner to potentially spoil Rispoli and Journalism’s weekend, rest assured, there will be plenty of others who could pull off something similar. Granted, Journalism, the 2025 Santa Anita and the 2024 Los Alamos winner, isn’t a stranger to high-stakes races itself, but that’s the beauty of horse racing: One wrong move and you’re the last to cross the finishing line.

Pay Billy, winner of the Federico Tesio Stakes on April 19, will be among the horses that Rispoli should be worried about come Saturday. The Michael Gorham-trained horse boasts career earnings worth $234,475, and the trainer believes that with age, Pay Billy has become a more composed race horse. “He turned a corner when he turned 3. We always thought he had a lot of talent and wanted to go further, and that’s the way it turned out,” Gorham said.

On the other hand, Clever Again, son of Triple Crown winner American Pharoah, has a record of 2-1-0 in three starts, and will enter the Preakness Stakes in hopes of progressing the streak further. Clever Again won its last race in March at the $200,000 Hot Springs Stakes. Moreover, Sandman, the seventh-place finisher at this year’s Kentucky Derby, will also be there to take on Journalism. “We wanted to see how he came back. He’s an extremely happy horse right now. It looks like the race might set up nice for him,” said the horse’s Hall of Famer trainer Mark Casse, who already has a Preakness Stakes win to his name.

Two-time Belmont Stakes winning jockey Luis Saez will be coming in with the 3-year-old Gosger. Gosger comes off with a victory at the Lexington Stakes (G3) in April. So, which of these fierce speedsters is likely to give Journalism a run for its money? We’ll have to wait to see!