As far as the possibility of a tantalizing rematch between Kentucky Derby (G1) winner Sovereignty and Preakness Stakes (G1) victor Journalism goes, no news will be good news.
In the aftermath of the May 17 final Preakness at the "old" Pimlico Race Course, when Sovereignty skipped the race to target the June 7 Belmont Stakes (G1) and Journalism, the Kentucky Derby runner-up, posted a jaw-dropping win in the middle jewel of the Triple Crown, interest in Round Two between the 3-year-old stars is at a fever pitch.
With Sovereignty training for the June 7 Belmont at Saratoga Race Course, the ball is now in the court of Journalism's trainer, Michael McCarthy. He will monitor his colt and decide if the son of Curlin is ready to run in all three legs of the Triple Crown in a five-week period and face Sovereignty, who will have five weeks rest between races.
So far, the signs are good but much can change between now and June 1 when entries close for the mile-and-a-quarter Test of the Champion.
WATCH: Witkowski Reacts to Journalism's Preakness Victory
"It would be three races in five weeks but if the horse is doing as well as he's doing now it would be hard to offer up any excuses," McCarthy said May 18 about the possibility of running in the Belmont. "Now it's two races in two weeks. He ate up last night and he seems pleased with himself. So, we'll weigh the pros and cons.
"I think it would be great for the sport if these horses stay healthy and whether it's for the Belmont, Travers (G1, Aug. 23 at Saratoga), or Breeders' Cup Classic (G1, Nov. 1 at Del Mar), we get a rematch," he added. "It would be great for racing. Period."
Should Team Journalism follow the process they employed for the Preakness, the final decision on the Belmont will not come until late next week so that Journalism be can monitored until the last minute for signs about his ability to race.
"We'll go through the same analysis as we went through between the Derby and the Preakness. That horse in stall 33 will tell us whether he's ready to go back in three weeks. It's something we'd like to do. It's something we are going to prepare for logistically in the event he does gives us the green light. While we had a week between the Derby and Preakness to decide we have two-plus-weeks to decide now," said Eclipse Thoroughbred Partners' Aron Wellman, managing partner of the ownership group that also includes Bridlewood Farm, Robert LaPenta, Elayne Stables 5, breeder Don Alberto Stable, and Coolmore, which secured the colt's breeding rights.
The next step in the process will come in about a day when a decision is made on shipping Journalism. With Pimlico now in a deconstruction phase, Journalism has to leave the grounds soon with two possible destinations: Churchill Downs or Saratoga.
McCarthy said it wouldn't make sense to ship to Kentucky and then Saratoga, so heading there would not bode well for an appearance at the Spa. Yet McCarthy and Wellman both said shipping to Saratoga was not a guarantee that Journalism would run in the Belmont.
"The next race will likely be on the East Coast whether it's the (Belmont) or the Haskell (G1, July 19 at Monmouth Park) or Jim Dandy (G2, July 26 at Saratoga)," Wellman said.
Until the decision is made, the connections will have time to savor an amazing Preakness win in which Journalism was sandwiched between horses at the three-sixteenths pole and then made up five lengths on Gosger in the final furlong to win by a half-length.
"It really defied logic. What he did there as a matter of guts and courage and bravery to begin with, and to then to have the physical ability to accelerate and mow down a good horse like Gosger," Wellman said, "you just don't see it happen. I hate to use the term 'impossible' but it was impossible what he did."
As for the other Preakness starters, trainer Brendan Walsh said runner-up Gosger was doing well and is heading back to Churchill Downs.
"No decision on the Belmont yet," he said. "We'll take a few days to assess him and make a decision."
Mark Casse, trainer of third-place finisher Sandman, said the son of Tapit exited the race fine and is shipping to Saratoga but will not run in the Belmont. He will be pointed to the Jim Dandy.
Bob Baffert, trainer of fourth-place finisher Goal Oriented, said his 3-year-old looked fine and that he was heading back to California to prepare Wood Memorial (G2) winner Rodriguez for the Belmont.
Trainer Todd Pletcher said sixth-place finisher River Thames came back fine and a decision on the Belmont status for any of his horses would not be made for at least a week.
Heart of Honor is shipping to Saratoga and could be a possibility for the Belmont after finishing fifth in the Preakness in his United States debut.
The only other strong possibilities for the Belmont at the moment are Baeza, who was third in the Kentucky Derby, and Peter Pan Stakes (G3) winner Hill Road.
Trainer Steve Asmussen said Clever Again, who took the worst of the bumping in the stretch and finished ninth, came out of the incident with only superficial cuts and is shipping back to Churchill Downs.
"(He was) a little excited when he came back from the race. Did take a little time to settle down and be his normal self, but cooled out well. Ate up last night, traveled good this morning," Asmussen said. "He did make contact with the fence and he did get superficial cuts. One on the left front and both hinds. But like I said, I expect them to be superficial and was very happy with how he traveled this morning."
Sean Collins contributed to this report
