Preakness Weekend
PREAKNESS WEEKEND NEWS AND NOTES
Journalism installed as Preakness favorite
Journalism, beaten favorite in the Kentucky Derby, has been installed as the 8-5 morning line favorite for Saturday’s 150th Preakness Stakes.
Preakness: John Velazquez to ride Sandman
With his Derby rider headed elsewhere, Sandman will partner with John Velazquez in Saturday’s 150th running of the Preakness Stakes.
Preakness 2025 contenders
| HORSE | OWNER | TRAINER | NOTES |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pay Billy | RKTN Racing LLC | Michael Gorham | Earned automatic spot via win in the Federico Tesio Stakes and is expected to run in Baltimore |
| American Promise | BC Stables LLC | D. Wayne Lukas | Virginia Derby winner made a middle move to near-even terms with the leader after six furlongs in the Kentucky Derby before fading to 16th; his trainer loves the Preakness |
| River Thames | Winstar Farm LLC et. al. | Todd Pletcher | Connex skipped the Derby despite having the points to go; second in the Fountain of Youth and third in the Blue Grass |
| Heart of Honor | Jim and Claire Limited | Jamie Osborne | British-bred Honor A. P. colt has been second in four of six starts, including last out when runner-up to Admire Daytona in the UAE Derby; that runner finished last in Louisville |
| Journalism | Eclipse Thoroughbred Partners et. al. | Michael McCarthy | Beaten favorite when runner-up in the Kentucky Derby hasn't put a foot wrong yet; connections on the fence in Derby aftermath |
| Rodriguez | SF Racing et. al. | Bob Baffert | WITHDRAWN FROM CONSIDERATION; The Wood Memorial winner was scratched from the Kentucky Derby in the week before with a foot bruise |
| Clever Again | Winchell Thoroughbreds LLC et. al. | Steve Asmussen | Lightly raced sort didn't debut until April but won the one-mile Hot Springs Stakes at Oaklawn with ease last out |
| Gosger | Harvey A. Clarke Racing Stables LLC | Brendan Walsh | Nyquist colt was an easy winner of the Lexington for his second win in three career outings |
| Goal Oriented | SF Racing et. al. | Bob Baffert | Undefeated (2-for-2) Not This Time colt, a $425,000 yearling, won an allowance on the Kentucky Derby undercard |
| Sandman | DJ Stable and others | Mark Casse | Grade 1 Arkansas Derby winner finished seventh in the Kentucky Derby |
Preakness: McCarthy “very pleased” with Journalism
Trainer Michael McCarthy recent flew from his California base to Churchill Downs to see Preakness entrant Journalism and said he is “very pleased.”
Lukas “enjoying every minute” of Preakness 150
Trainer D. Wayne Lukas, a Preakness lover through and through, is back at age 89 with Virginia Derby winner American Promise.
Evenly matched field set for G2 Black-Eyed Susan
A field of nine will contest Friday’s Grade 2 Black-Eyed Susan at Pimlico, and it’s a wide-open group that could be a linemaker’s nightmare.
Journalism to run in Preakness
Kentucky Derby runner-up Journalism has been cleared for a run in the Preakness, his owners said Sunday.
The pianist, the racetracker, the dog: Pimlico’s ghosts
Pimlico, a one-mile dirt oval bounded by generations of our collective memory, serves as the final home for racetrackers, bettors, even a dog.
Preakness: Sandman may try his luck
Sandman, seventh in the Kentucky Derby and previously headed to the Belmont, is now under consideration for the Preakness Stakes.
Kentucky Derby Top Five
| Finish | Horse | Trainer | Jockey |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Mystik Dan | Ken McPeek | Brian Hernandez, Jr. |
| 2 | Sierra Leone | Chad Brown | Tyler Gaffalione |
| 3 | Forever Young | Yoshito Yahagi | Ryusei Sakai |
| 4 | Catching Freedom | Brad Cox | Flavien Prat |
| 5 | T O Password | Daisuke Takayanagi | Kazushi Kimura |
PREAKNESS WEEKEND NEWS AND NOTES
Preakness: A Baltimore-bred’s Pimlico memories
Longtime handicapper Gary Quill has been going to Pimlico for more than 60 years. Here’s what he’ll remember as a new facility replaces the old.
Rodriguez now out of Preakness
Rodriguez, the Bob Baffert trainee who won the Wood Memorial but was forced to skip the Kentucky Derby, now is also out of the Preakness.
Preakness: Journalism not yet in, not yet out
The connections of Journalism, beaten favorite in the Kentucky Derby, said Thursday they are keeping the Preakness “in play” for his next start.
Preakness: Dave Rodman to receive Award of Merit
Longtime Pimlico and Laurel track announcer Dave Rodman will receive the Special Award of Merit at this year’s Preakness Alibi Breakfast.
Preakness: Goal Oriented added to fray
Goal Oriented, two-for-two in his career, will join Rodriguez as a Bob Baffert-trained Preakness starter, the trainer said.
Preakness: Pletcher “happy” with River Thames
Trainer Todd Pletcher bypassed the Kentucky Derby with the lightly raced River Thames and is happy with his charge heading into the Preakness.
Preakness: Sovereignty a no-go
Kentucky Derby hero Sovereignty will not contest the Preakness, 1/ST Racing announced Tuesday.
Preakness: $100,000 trainer bonus returns
For a ninth straight year, $100,000 in bonus money is on the table for trainers that run at least five horses in stakes races Preakness weekend.
Kentucky Derby runners mull Preakness possibilities
Sovereignty won Saturday’s 151st Kentucky Derby with a stirring run. Now comes the waiting game: who’s coming to the Preakness?
