Derby Runner-Up Journalism Possible for Middle Jewel of Triple Crown
River Thames, Gosger Pointed to May 17 Preakness at Pimlico Race Course

BALTIMORE – While the Preakness Stakes (G1) is a possibility, Hall of Fame trainer Bill Mott said a decision has yet to be made about the next start for Godolphin’s Sovereignty, who scored a 1 ½-length victory over favored Journalism in Saturday’s Kentucky Derby (G1) at Churchill Downs.

The Preakness Stakes, the 1 3/16-mile Middle Jewel of the Triple Crown, will be held for the 150th time on May 17 at Baltimore’s Pimlico Race Course.

Executive Vice President of 1/ST Racing Mike Rogers made the traditional Sunday morning phone call to formally invite the Derby winner to the 150th Preakness. Rogers spoke with Mott and Godolphin’s director of bloodstock Michael Banahan.

“We’re in discussions about that now,” said Mott, who addressed the media outside his Churchill Downs barn Sunday morning alongside Banahan. “Michael and I have already had a brief discussion. We’re just tossing back the options. We want to do what’s best for the horse. Of course, you always think about a Triple Crown, and that’s not something we’re not going to think about. But I think we’ve got to come to a conclusion probably in the next few days. It’s not going to be this morning.”

Mott, whose main base is New York, said Sovereignty will remain with his Churchill Downs division while a decision is being made.

Mott won the 2019 Derby with Country House, who crossed the finish line in second but was awarded the victory upon the disqualification of Maximum Security for impeding several horses. Country House missed the Preakness after coming down with a temperature. After a series of setbacks, he never ran again.

Asked about the possibly of having another chance to attempt the second step of the Triple Crown, Mott said, “Look, it’s good to have that option… I’m not downplaying the Triple Crown. We want to do what’s best for him, as we would with any other horse.”

Said Banahan: “Give Bill a few days with his team to assess him, see how he’s doing. If he’s in a great shape, we’d certainly have a look at everything…. It’s a quick turnaround, as we all know. That’s what makes the Triple Crown so special. We’ll just do what’s right for him. He’ll tell us, ‘Yea’ or ‘Nay.’”

Mott reported that Sovereignty, the second betting choice who rallied from 17th under Junior Alvarado, came out of the Derby in fine order.

“He looks great,” he said. “He ate up [Saturday] night. I was really flabbergasted when I saw him. By the time I got back to the barn, he’d eaten up. His tub was already out of the stall. He must have eaten his dinner in 20 minutes, which is pretty unusual for a horse that’s run that hard. He jogged good this morning. He looked good.

“He did sustain a little scrape on the outside of his pastern, most likely leaving the gate,” Mott added. “He broke and the horse outside of him was trying to get over, and it looked like maybe that horse caught him on the outside of his right front pastern. It’s more of a scrape, it’s not a cut, a scrape about four inches long. Right now, it looks to be a superficial thing, but everything else on him looks good: knees, ankles, jogging good. I can’t be happier with everything else…. On a normal day with a horse that’s not him, you wouldn’t be concerned about it, really.”

Santa Anita Derby (G1) winner Journalism, second as the Derby favorite, is possible for the Preakness, said trainer Michael McCarthy.

“We’ll get with everybody and talk it over in the next day or so, come up with a plan that’s best for Journalism,” McCarthy said. “We’ll give him a day or two to get his feet underneath him and see where we’re at with him. He’s run well back off a quick rest before.”

Journalism, who is owned by Eclipse Thoroughbred Partners, Bridlewood Farm, Don Alberto Stable, Robert Lapenta, Elayne Stables 5 LLC, Mrs. John Magnier, Michael Tabor and Derrick Smith, closed from 11th over the sloppy Churchill Downs surface, going head-and-head with Sovereignty through much of the stretch before grudgingly giving way in the final strides.

“I thought he ran very well,” McCarthy said. “Unfortunately, he got pinched there a little bit leaving the gate. I was a little bit farther back underneath the wire for the first time than I’d have liked. But he made a wonderful run around the turn, was beaten by the horse I thought he had to beat.”

McCarthy won the 2021 Preakness with Rombauer, who did not run in the Kentucky Derby.

C R K Stable LLC and Grandview Equine’s Baeza, who rallied to finish third, a neck behind Journalism, will return to Southern California, said trainer John Shirreffs.

Whitham Thoroughbreds LLC’s Burnham Square, who closed to finish sixth in the Derby after encountering trouble at the half-mile pole, is not a candidate for the Preakness, reported trainer Ian Wilkes.

Hall of Fame trainer Bob Baffert is expected to shoot for a record-extending ninth Preakness victory with Wood Memorial (G2) winner Rodriguez, who was scratched from the Derby two days out with a foot bruise. Rodriguez continued to train at Churchill Downs. Rodriguez is a son of Authentic, the 2020 Kentucky Derby winner who finished second behind filly Swiss Skydiver in the Preakness.

Hall of Fame Trainer Steve Asmussen will try to win his third Preakness, this time with the very fast Clever Again. The son of 2015 Triple Crown winner American Pharoah finished second at 4 ½ furlongs in April of his 2-year-old season before returning to capture his 2025 debut in a Feb. 23 maiden race at 1 1/16 miles and scoring a six-length victory in the mile Hot Springs Stakes March 30, both wins coming at Oaklawn Park.

Asmussen won the 2007 Preakness with Kentucky Derby third-place finisher Curlin and again two years later with the filly Rachel Alexandra, who had been purchased by wine magnate Jess Jackson after her record 20 1/4-length Kentucky Oaks (G1) victory. Both horses are in the Hall of Fame.

WinStar Farm LLC, CHC Inc., Pantofel Stable LLC and Wachtel Stable’s River Thames and Harvey A. Clarke Racing Stables LLC’s Gosger, both of whom bypassed the Kentucky Derby, are strong candidates for the Preakness. River Thames, trained by Hall of Famer Todd Pletcher, was beaten by a neck while finishing second behind Sovereignty in the March 1 Fountain of Youth (G2) at Gulfstream Park. The son of Maclean’s Music finished third in the April 8 Blue Grass (G1) at Keeneland. Brendan Walsh-trained Gosger, a son of Nyquist, captured the April 12 Lexington (G2) at Keeneland by two lengths after breaking his maiden at Gulfstream in his second career start.

RKTN Racing’s Pay Billy is Preakness-bound, having earned an automatic berth for his victory in Laurel Park’s Federico Tesio April 19. The Mike Gorham trainee returned to the work tab with a half-mile move in 51.60 seconds Saturday at Delaware Park.

“Everything’s good,” Gorham said. “He worked fine, just nice and easy, and galloped out strong. It went the way we wanted, just kind of easy and then probably toward the end of the week we’ll let him get a good decent work and he’ll be ready to go.”

A nose shy of being unbeaten in four starts at 3, rebounding from a second in the Miracle Wood to win the Private Terms and Tesio, all at Laurel, Pay Billy will have his final work at Delaware before shipping to Pimlico.

“I worked him by himself yesterday because he does go a lot easier and you can do what you want; in company he gets way more competitive,” Gorham said. “Next time he’ll probably work in company and get a good work under him.”