Journalism secured victory in the 150th Preakness Stakes on Saturday, making a remarkable comeback down the stretch to fulfill the high expectations of being the odds-on favorite. This win in the middle leg of the Triple Crown came two weeks after Journalism placed second to Sovereignty in the Kentucky Derby.

Triumphing in a race featuring nine horses, excluding Sovereignty but showcasing some of the finest competition in the nation, Journalism earned trainer Michael McCarthy his second Preakness title. This victory marks Umberto Rispoli’s first win in a Triple Crown race, making him the first Italian jockey to achieve this feat.

Gosger finished second by a half-length, overtaken by Journalism just before the finish line. Sandman secured third place, and Goal Oriented came in fourth. Journalism completed the 1 3/16-mile race in 1:55.37.

Journalism thrived on a warm day that dried out the track after torrential rain fell at Pimlico Race Course for much of the past week. Those conditions suited him better than the slop at Churchill Downs in the Derby.

Sovereignty did not take part after his owners and trainer Bill Mott decided to skip the Preakness, citing the two-week turnaround, and aimed for the Belmont on June 7. That made this a fifth time in seven years that the Preakness, for various reasons, was contested without a Triple Crown bid at stake.

But Journalism staked his claim for 3-year-old horse of the year by winning the $2 million American classic race run at the old Pimlico Race Course for the last time before it’s torn down and rebuilt. The Preakness is set to be held at nearby Laurel Park, between Baltimore and Washington, D.C., next year before a planned return to the new Pimlico in 2027.

Journalism is the first horse to win the Preakness after running in the Kentucky Derby since Mark Casse-trained War of Will in 2019. Only two others from the 19 in the Derby participated in the Preakness: Casse’s Sandman and fellow Hall of Famer D. Wayne Lukas’ American Promise.

Lukas, the 89-year-old who has saddled the most horses in Preakness history, referred to McCarthy once this week as “the new guy.” This was just McCarthy’s second, and he’s 2 for 2 after Rombauer sprung the upset as an 11-1 long shot in 2021.