Breeders' Cup Classic watch: Journalism jets to Haskell

This is the first installment of a weekly feature on Horse Racing Nation that tracks Breeders’ Cup Classic horses all the way through the $7 million race on Nov. 1 at Del Mar.

As a win-and-you’re-in challenge race for the Breeders’ Cup Classic, all eyes will be on the Jersey Shore on Saturday when Preakness winner Journalism tops the field for the Grade 1, $1 million Haskell Stakes at Monmouth Park.

Journalism gets bonus points for being the only horse to run in all three legs of the 2025 Triple Crown series. And after a strong six-furlong workout at Santa Anita on Saturday morning, the handsome colt is showing no signs of fatigue.

Already a winner of the Santa Anita Derby (G1) and San Felipe (G2) earlier in the year, Journalism arrived on the first Saturday in May as the public’s top choice for the Kentucky Derby (G1) but was outfinished at Churchill Downs by Sovereignty.

Trained by Michael McCarthy, he bounced right back two weeks later to make amends in the Preakness. He burst through a tiny hole and then miraculously inhaled the leader in the final 100 yards to score a popular and stunning victory in Baltimore.

His Triple Crown odyssey ended when he ran a clear second at Saratoga behind the powerful finish of Sovereignty in the Belmont Stakes. A fresher horse, the winner had skipped the middle leg and was the only horse to finish ahead of Journalism in the series.

In fact, if it was not for his rival, Journalism would be perfect in six career graded-stakes attempts and a Triple Crown champion.

In the Haskell, he will make his first start since the Triple Crown and appears to be a clear and heavy favorite. Monmouth Park’s signature race traditionally has been kind to Southern California-based shippers, and there should be enough speed in the race to set the table for his rally.

A strong contender for the Breeders’ Cup Classic, the son of Curlin broke his maiden at Del Mar and has run twice this year at the 1 1/4-mile distance he will find in November. The Haskell should be a very good spot for him to kickstart the second half of a season after an excellent first half.

Among the leading challengers to Journalism in the nine-furlong Haskell are Gosger, Burnham Square, Goal Oriented and Bracket Buster. None of the four can be considered major candidates for the Breeders’ Cup Classic just yet, but the first three all ran against the Haskell favorite in one leg of the Triple Crown.

Gosger could be the most dangerous to Journalism on Saturday after giving the winner all he wanted in the Preakness. The gray son of Nyquist has made only four career starts, but he is improving every time out for trainer Brendan Walsh.

After rallying for second in a maiden sprint at Gulfstream Park late last year, he broke his maiden second time out going a flat mile at the same track in February. Gosger became a graded-stakes winner in his third career start when he beat Bracket Buster by two lengths in the Lexington Stakes (G3) at Keeneland in April.

The Harvey A. Clarke Racing Stable homebred was let go at 15-1 in the Preakness but outran his odds at Pimlico. He stalked the pace from his outside post and opened up a sizable lead in the stretch before succumbing to the big late kick of Journalism.

Burnham Square also merits serious consideration as an upset possibility in the Haskell. A nine-length winner of a maiden race at Gulfstream Park after adding blinkers for his third career start, he has run in nothing but graded stakes since then.

A late-running victory in the Holy Bull (G3) began his season, and two starts later he got up on the shadow of the wire to become a Grade 1 winner in Keeneland’s Blue Grass Stakes.

The Ian Wilkes trainee has had little luck since that victory in two starts at Churchill Downs. In the Kentucky Derby he was completely shut off at a key juncture and could only close for sixth, and then in the Matt Winn (G3), he found himself in a paceless race but still rallied up the rail for second.

The draw for Saturday's Haskell will be conducted on Tuesday.

The next Breeders’ Cup Classic Challenge series race on the schedule after the Haskell will be the Whitney (G1) on Saturday, Aug. 2. Early probables for the $1 million affair at Saratoga include the champion Fierceness as well as the last two winners of the Breeders’ Cup Classic, Sierra Leone and White Abarrio.

Here are the leading contenders for the Breeders' Cup Classic on Nov. 1 at Del Mar.