Horse racing is getting a Kentucky Derby rematch in the Belmont Stakes at Saratoga Race Course on Saturday to close out the Triple Crown.
Derby winner Sovereignty and runner-up Journalism, who won the Preakness two weeks later, headline the field of eight in the Belmont. Add in Baeza, and the top three finishers from the first Saturday in May are involved.
“We’re delighted to have the first three horses out of the Derby challenging each other again,” said Michael Banahan of Godolphin, which owns Sovereignty. “It’s a quality race. … It should set up well, and may the best horse win.”
Journalism opened as the 8-5 morning-line favorite with Sovereignty the second choice at 4-1. Journalism won the Preakness run without Sovereignty after owners and trainer Bill Mott opted to give their horse extra rest.
The intent was to focus on the Belmont rather than chase the chance for Sovereignty to become the sport’s 14th Triple Crown champion and first since Justify in 2018.
“We felt that the best thing for him and to have a career through the whole season, and maybe into next year as well, was spacing his races a little bit,” Banahan said. “Bill Mott, who’s trained horses for us for a long time, is very judicious about where he wants to place his horses. And we put a lot of faith in the recommendations that he would give us.”
Michael McCarthy-trained Journalism is the only horse running in all three legs of the Triple Crown this year. And he is the favorite for a reason.
“Journalism is a very tough horse,” said John Shirreffs, who trains Baeza. “One thing about Journalism, (if) he runs his race (like in) Kentucky, Pimlico, he’s very tough. He’s solid. So, it’s going to be a very difficult horse to beat.”
Shirrefs said Baeza is emerging and developing, hoping the half-brother of last year’s Belmont winner, Dornoch, can stride along and get past Sovereignty and Journalism this time.
“Hopefully we get out of the gate well and get a nice pace,” Shirrefs said. “It’s just the how the race unfolds and him not getting into any trouble.”
Long shot Heart of Honor is running again after finishing fifth in the Preakness three weeks ago. New to the Triple Crown trail are Hill Road, Uncaged, Crudo and Rodriguez, who was scratched from the Derby with a minor foot bruise that also caused him to miss the Preakness.
Banahan expects Rodriguez to go to the lead, as so many of Hall of Fame and two-time Triple Crown-winning trainer Bob Baffert’s top horses do, and provide the main speed.
“That horse is going to be ready,” Chad Brown, trainer of Hill Road, said of Rodriguez. “You can be assured of that. And it sure looks like he’s by far the fastest horse in the race.”
Brown has won the Preakness twice but never the Belmont. After going to Saratoga with his parents while growing up and getting into horse racing as a result, he’s hoping to end his drought at his home track.
“We have a very unique time in history where there’ll be three Belmont Stakes run total at Saratoga before you’ll never see another one again,” Brown said. “So, to be part of history with that, that would be extra special.”
