CNN
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The Triple Crown may not be in danger this year, but the stage is set for the two champions to compete in this year’s Belmont Stakes.
Journalism, the winner of both the Kentucky Derby, Sovereignty and Governance Preakness Stakes Champion, will both be taking part in the final leg of this year’s Triple Crown.
In many ways, it will be this year’s Kentucky Derby rematch. There, Sovereignty thwarted the pre-race favorite journalism challenge of writing his name into a “2-minute sport” history book.
The decision was made by the sovereignty owners and skipped the prequels that race journalism could win to focus on the Belmont Stakes this weekend.
Who is your favorite of the year, and what can you expect from the final leg of this year’s Triple Crown?
The Belmont Stakes’ 157th run will be held again at the Saratoga race course in Saratoga Springs, New York, with a $2 million share for the grab.
Those without tickets can watch the action live on Fox and FS1, with a race set to begin on Saturday at 7:04pm. If you want to watch online, you can stream the races on the Fox Sports app.
The final stretch of this year’s Kentucky Derby could be a perfect preview of the Belmont Stakes, with both journalism and sovereignty heading towards the head with a sprint finish.
The pair came out from the final bend together, and journalism initially led. But Sovereignty looked more comfortable on the wet truck, past his rivals and earned a long victory.
But the next day, sovereignty trainer Bill Mott said the horse was worn out by the pasttern in front of the right.
Mott said the next day’s decision to stop sovereignty was from cutting off the heels with another horse when leaving the gate, and to end the first triple crown dream since 2018.
That meant that journalism was once again a favorite in “Middle Jewel” and managed to seize victory from the wonders of defeat on the Pimlico race course in Baltimore.
Trained by Michael McCarthy on a Humberto Rispoli, journalism appears to have hit a dead end as he attempted to find the horse’s passing by fading its horse in the final stretch, then bumped into the gap badly as he tried to sneak in.
Despite being hampered by line-in, journalism regained momentum and passed the runaway leader Gosgar just before crossing the line.
“Deep inside, we thought we were going to be two in two here, but what you know, I’m happy to get one of these. They’re a very difficult race to win,” McCarthy said after the prayer.
Now, the Saratoga race course is gaining attention in the second showdown between the two.
Journalism is a favorite to win, according to recent odds, but sovereignty is not far from bookmakers’ estimates.
“He’s been the same horse since last summer’s July,” trainer McCarthy said of the journalism in Belmont’s accumulation this year.
“He does everything you ask a good horse. He eats well, trains well, and acts well. I think his energy is generally the same for the past six weeks here.”
It’s also worth noting that Baeza, who finished third in the Kentucky Derby, and that finish may have improved.
Sovereign trainer Mott said he knows that anyone in eight fields can pose a threat.
“He’s improved, as many of these horses have,” Mott said of his own horse.
“If this whole group sees their form and the way they were developed over the course of this year, I think they’ve made steady progress. That should be an interesting race.”
2025 Runners and Odds
Below are the official betting odds for this year’s Belmont Stakes. The odds are accurate as of 6:10a ET on Saturday, June 7th.
1. Hill Road (17/1)
2. Sovereignty (9/2)
3. Rodriguez (8/1)
4. Caged (23/1)
5. Crude oil (15/1)
6. Baeza (7/2)
7. Journalism (1/1)
8. Heart of Honor (22/1)