Triple Crown tracker: Catch up with 9 top sophomores
The Triple Crown Tracker checks in with the horses who raced in the 2025 Kentucky Derby, Preakness and Belmont, keeping up with what they have done since the classics.
2025 Kentucky Derby
Six horses from the Kentucky Derby saw action in recent weeks. Citizen Bull scored for the first time since the Grade 3 Robert B. Lewis in February. Sent off favored in a field of three in the Shared Belief Stakes at Del Mar on Aug. 31, Citizen Bull led at every call and pulled well clear in the lane, winning by 5 1/2 lengths over Smooth Cruisein.
Journalism faced older foes for the first time Aug. 30 at Del Mar, lining up for the Pacific Classic (G1). He was sent off the odds-on favorite and fired with a rally from last. But he could not reel in the more forwardly placed Fierceness and had to settle for second, 3 1/4 lengths back.
Another foursome from this year's run for the roses turned up on the turf for the Nashville Derby (G3) at Kentucky Downs on Aug. 30. Among them the star of the day was Burnham Square, who tried grass for the first time and took to it beautifully. He made a strong rally in the lane and missed by a head to favored Wimbledon Hawkeye, who already was a Group 2 winner on grass in England.
Final Gambit also made a credible appearance in the Nashville Derby, rallying from last and finishing fifth, only a neck out of third. Ninth-place Sandman and 10th-place Tiztastic both were well off the early pace, and neither found a bid in the lane.
| Derby | Horse | Last race | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Sovereignty | 1st Travers (G1) | No works since last race |
| 2 | Journalism | 2nd Pacific Classic (G1) | No works since last race |
| 3 | Baeza | 2nd Jim Dandy (G2) | Worked 6f Fri at DMR |
| 4 | Final Gambit | 5th Nashville Derby (G3) | No works since last race |
| 5 | Owen Almighty | 8th Robert Hilton Memorial | No works since last race |
| 6 | Burnham Square | 2nd Nashville Derby (G3) | No works since last race |
| 7 | Sandman | 9th, Nashville Derby (G3) | No works since last race |
| 8 | East Avenue | 5th West Virginia Derby (G3) | No works since last race |
| 9 | Chunk of Gold | 1st West Virginia Derby (G3) | Worked 4f Sept. 2 at TP |
| 10 | Tiztastic | 10th Nashville Derby (G3) | No works since last race |
| 11 | Coal Battle | 2nd Indiana Derby (G3) | Worked 4f Sat. at ELP |
| 12 | Luxor Cafe | 12th Kentucky Derby | No works since last race |
| 13 | Neoequos | 2nd Robert Hilton Memorial | Worked 3f Sun. at SAR |
| 14 | Publisher | 4th Indiana Derby (G3) | Worked 5f Sun. at SAR |
| 15 | Citizen Bull | 1st Shared Belief | No works since last race |
| 16 | American Promise | 8th Preakness | Worked 4f June 10 at CD |
| 17 | Render Judgment | 17th Kentucky Derby | Worked 4f June 5 at SAR |
| 18 | Flying Mohawk | 18th Kentucky Derby | Worked 4f at June 28 at CD |
| 19 | Admire Daytona | 19th Kentucky Derby | No works since last race |
| SCR | Grande | 2nd Wood Memorial (G2) | Worked 5f April 25 at KEE |
| SCR | Rodriguez | 4th Belmont | Worked 4f July 14 at SA |
2025 Preakness Stakes
One horse from the Preakness field other than Journalism was in action recently as Clever Again has found a home on the lawn. He was well bet in the Gun Runner on Saturday at Kentucky Downs off of his last-out second in the National Museum of Racing Hall of Fame (G2) at Saratoga. But he dropped further off the pace than usual, and though he did improve in the late stages, it was only good enough for fifth, 2 1/2 lengths behind the winner Plensa. Still, it suggests he has taken to the grass. That comes as no surprise, as Clever Again is by American Pharoah out of a full sister to Love, a five-time Group 1 winner on turf, including the 2020 Oaks at Epsom.
| Preakness | Horse | Last race | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Journalism | 2nd Pacific Classic (G1) | No works since last race |
| 2 | Gosger | 2nd Haskell (G1) | Worked 5f Fri. at CD |
| 3 | Sandman | 9th, Nashville Derby (G3) | No works since last race |
| 4 | Goal Oriented | 3rd Haskell (G1) | Worked 7f Fri. at DMR |
| 5 | Heart of Honor | 6th Belmont | No works since last race |
| 6 | River Thames | 6th Preakness | Worked 4f June 12 at CD |
| 7 | Pay Billy | 7th Preakness | No works since last race |
| 8 | American Promise | 8th Preakness | Worked 4f June 10 at CD |
| 9 | Clever Again | 5th Gun Runner | No works since last race |
2025 Belmont Stakes
A pair of horses who made their only Triple Crown appearances in the Belmont Stakes raced recently. Hill Road, who started his career on the lawn, switched back to the turf for the Nashville Derby on Aug. 30. He settled well off the pace as usual and made a run in the lane, finishing third beaten 3 3/4 lengths behind Wimbledon Hawkeye and Burnham Square.
Crudo also surfaced on the lawn, in the Saranac on Sept. 1 at Saratoga. The race was his turf debut. He prompted the pace set by Leon Blue and led in upper and mid-stretch but could not hold off the cavalry late. He finished fourth, 1 3/4 lengths behind winner Stars and Strides but beaten by only a half-length for the place.
| Belmont | Horse | Last race | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Sovereignty | 1st Travers (G1) | No works since last race |
| 2 | Journalism | 2nd Pacific Classic (G1) | No works since last race |
| 3 | Baeza | 2nd Jim Dandy (G2) | Worked 6f Fri at DMR |
| 4 | Rodriguez | 4th Belmont | Worked 4f July 14 at SA |
| 5 | Hill Road | 3rd Nashville Derby (G3) | No works since last race |
| 6 | Heart of Honor | 6th Belmont | No works since last race |
| 7 | Uncaged | 7th Belmont | Worked 4f Wed. at SAR |
| 8 | Crudo | 4th Saranac | No works since last race |