Journalism wins the 150th Preakness Stakes in swift last-second push

Journalism has made a comeback... on the race track.

After falling just short at the Kentucky Derby two weeks earlier, 3-year-old colt Journalism won the 150th Preakness Stakes in a photo finish at the old Pimlico Race Course in Baltimore, Maryland.

"A REMARKABLE RECOVERY BY JOURNALISM!"

JOURNALISM WINS THE 150TH PREAKNESS STAKES!

— 온라인카지노사이트 Sports (@온라인카지노사이트Sports)

The victory marks the second Preakness win for trainer Michael McCarthy.

"A lot of bouncing around there," McCarthy said after the race. "When I saw that, I kind of resigned myself to the fact it was another fantastic effort and maybe come up a little bit short. But it just goes to show the testament that this horse has. Couldn’t be prouder of him."

Gosger was second by a half-length. Internet favorite Sandman, who also made a last minute push to the front, rounded out the top three, and Bob Baffert-trained Goal Oriented came in fourth. Journalism went 1 3/16 miles in 1:55.37.

Goal Oriented and Derby favorite Journalism were the betting favorites in the days leading up to the race.

Clever Again took a commanding lead from the jump and held on through much of the race, but the early push proved too much for the young colt, who was overtaken by Gosger in the final seconds.

Journalism seemingly struggled in the early part of the race, sitting at sixth through much of the course. But just as Gosger came within reach of the finish line, Journalism used a last burst of energy to pull ahead by a half-length at the post.

"I still can’t realize what this horse did,” jockey Umberto Rispoli said after the race. "It’s all about him. It’s a pleasure and privilege to ride a horse like him."

For Rispoli, the win holds a special meaning. Not only is it his first in a Triple Crown race, he's also the first Italian jockey to ever take home a trophy in either of the three legs.

"When I crossed the wire, the first things that comes up to my mind, it’s all of the 20 years of my career that pass in front of me," Rispoli said. "I had to wait so long to be on a champion like that."

Sovereignty, who won the first leg of the Triple Crown May 3, opted out of the Preakness just three days after his last-second victory at Churchill Downs, ending the bid for a potential Triple Crown winner for the seventh consecutive year. This was the fifth Preakness to not feature the reigning Kentucky Derby winner since Justify's Triple Crown triumph in 2018.

The race featured a $2 million for the second year in a row — the highest purse in Preakness history, though still less than half of what the Kentucky Derby offered.

At last year's 149th Preakness, Seize the Gray pull ahead by 2 1/4 lengths for a commanding victory over then-reigning Kentucky Derby champion Mystik Dan.

Journalism's victory marks a historic moment for the The Middle Jewel of the Triple Crown as it will be the last win earned in the old Pimlico Race Course, which is set to be demolished and renovated .