The Kentucky Derby was a roaring success this year, despite the bad weather and the mud. The fans were eager to see a rematch between the winner, Sovereignty, and pre-race favorite Journalism at Preakness. So you can guess the disappointment when Sovereignty trainer Bill Mott announced the 2025 Kentucky Derby champion wouldn’t compete in the Preakness. What’s more? Even runner-up Journalism’s participation remained undecided as recently as May 11. But one practice changed it all.

While Sovereignty wasn’t part of the field, the hype was back on when the Kentucky Derby runner-up’s team announced their horse would run. “We wanted him to tell us that he was ready to go to Baltimore,” Eclipse Thoroughbred Partners President, Aron Wellman. And the three-year-old colt showed them he was ready after Sunday’s practice. Monday morning, Journalism opened as an 8-5 favorite for the Preakness Stakes. Then again, it was a similar scenario such as the one ahead of the Kentucky Derby.

Yet, on the day, the favorite couldn’t close out the race. Instead, Sovereignty beat him on the stretch and crossed the finish line first on the incredibly sloppy Churchill Downs track. Yet, despite the disappointing defeat just two weeks ago, trainer Michael McCarthy is supremely confident in his horse. “I’ve lost zero confidence in him… He got pinched at the start in the Kentucky Derby. I wanted to be five lengths off the lead at one point, and I’d say we were closer to 10,” McCarthy said on May 14 as per America’s Best Racing.

While Journalism’s jockey, Umberto Rispoli, pushed him back to the lead, the Grade-1 race winner’s inexperience on a muddy Churchill Downs track made the difference. “It came down to a muddy track or a clean trip. I’d rather have the clean trip,” said McCarthy. While the trainer didn’t think the mud would become such a huge hurdle, he was wrong.

With that being said, even the horse’s owners reciprocated the trainer’s confidence. Aron Wellman said that after the Sunday morning practice, he thought the three-year-old looked great in every way. Journalism has been “giving us all the right signs out of the Kentucky Derby,” explained Wellman. The resident believes their horse is in top shape, whether it’s energy, attitude, appetite, or mindset. In fact, the team is also doing some wishful thinking.

Could Journalism get a rematch?

While Sovereignty snapped the Kentucky Derby runner-up’s four-race win streak, he didn’t do it by much. That’s why many fans wanted to see the two horses rematch at the Preakness Stakes after their Derby clash. Though that won’t happen, winning at the second stop for the Triple Crown could set up an epic showdown between the 2025 Kentucky Derby and Preakness champions.

Michel McCarthy even made a bold statement about a possible future rematch. “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. I would love it. We are certainly not going to duck him,” McCarthy added. This isn’t the first time we’re hearing someone from Journalism’s team talk about a rematch either.

Remember jockey Umberto Ripsoli’s post-Derby interview? The jockey also thought that the mud hindered the Santa Anita Derby winner, as he hadn’t raced in such conditions before. “Just to swallow the pill better, I would fight him on the better ground,” Ripsoli told FanDuel Racing’s Scott Hazelton. “Let’s say then I lost the battle, not the war,” Ripsoli added.

However, winning the Preakness Stakes won’t be easy. Besides Journalism, two other Kentucky Derby contenders are also making the two-week turnaround. Sandman (7th at the Kentucky Derby) and American Promise (15th at the Kentucky Derby) are no slouches. Then there’s Bob Baffert. The Preakness winning record holder is returning to the field with the undefeated Goal Oriented. The 2025 Preakness Stakes is shaping up to be quite the contest.