BALTIMORE — When jockey Umberto Rispoli rose from his stirrups, first to cross the wire in the 150th Preakness Stakes by a hair, it wasn’t just a metaphorical win for any reporter armed with a press pass. Journalism prevailed for the sanctity of the Triple Crown.

Trainer Michael McCarthy saddled the 3-year-old colt to a masterful win Saturday in 1 minute, 55.47 seconds. Journalism was the Kentucky Derby favorite, finished second, and arrived at Pimlico Race Course again projected to finish first.

He became the first favorite to win the Preakness since Triple Crown winner Justify in 2018 and first Derby-losing favorite to reclaim glory at Old Hilltop since 2010. It was McCarthy’s second Preakness win after Rombauer pulled the upset as an 11-1 long shot in 2021.

It wasn’t easy, by any means. Good journalism never is.

Steven Asmussen’s Clever Again made a strategic jump out of the starting gate, pinning the rest of the field to his hindquarters for much of the 1 3/16-mile race. Gosger, a long shot named after journeyman outfielder Jim Gosger, surged around the bend. So much so that NBC analyst Mike Tirico said later, “You’re thinking, Gosger’s got this. It’s over.” McCarthy said he “resided myself to another fantastic effort,” mentally accepting another frustrating defeat.

Journalism’s patience paid off. Rispoli was sandwiched near the rail between Bob Baffert’s Goal Oriented and Clever Again. Goal Oriented jabbed inside. Jockeys exchanged elbows. Rispoli thought, “It’s now or never,” giving the stallion an encouraging smack on the shoulder. Journalism sprung forward, tracking down Gosger past the 16th pole to win by a half-length. Sandman was third and Goal Oriented fourth.

“That’s the best race I’ve won in my life,” Rispoli said, fighting to spit out those words through a wave of post-race emotions. It’s his first victory in a Triple Crown race. And he’s the first jockey from Italy to do it. “I’m crying like a kid,” Rispoli said.

There was an air of reverence for Journalism entering the Triple Crown’s second jewel, prominently from a few Hall of Fame trainers.

Mark Casse called Journalism the horse to beat. D. Wayne Lukas told McCarthy earlier this week, “It’s your race to lose.” “Yeah, Mike,” Baffert jabbed, “it’s your race to lose.”

Some chalk up Journalism’s Derby loss to sloppy conditions. The son of 2007 Preakness winner Curlin had never raced on a wet track until Churchill Downs earlier this month. He’s also used to a smaller field. Both were advantages for Journalism in this one, even after just two weeks of rest.

He paid out $4.00 to win, $2.80 to place, and $2.40 to show.

Kentucky Derby winner Sovereignty did not compete in the Preakness, an act of reasonable caution from Hall of Fame trainer Bill Mott. Pimlico Race Course, the Triple Crown’s middle child situated in Baltimore’s Park Heights neighborhood, had the next best thing in Journalism.

McCarthy isn’t buying what others are selling about a reworked coordinated calendar. “It’s demanding,” he said recently. And more importantly, “it captivates the average observer for the five weeks.” He reiterated Saturday from the winning podium, “You certainly need the vehicle, and we certainly had it with him.”

Of the 67 combined horses that ran in the Derby from 2022 to 2025, only 10 (14.9%) opted into Baltimore. There are various factors at play, most prominently guarding a horse’s health from a tight turnaround in favor of other high-money stakes.

“It seems like this is going to be happening more and more,” 1/ST Racing president Aidan Butler told The Baltimore Sun. “And if it keeps on happening, well then I believe the Triple Crown in its entirety is in jeopardy.”

No Derby winner present sparked two weeks of discourse from all corners of the sport. For the second jewel specifically, Saturday marked the end of a longstanding era. It was the last time the Preakness would be run in the current edition of Pimlico, which is set to undergo massive renovations that will push the race to Laurel Park for at least a year.

On its final major race weekend in this iteration, a Friday night thunderstorm muddied the track. An 80-degree glare softened the dirt in time for the main event — a captivating lap under cirrus clouds that, even with a relatively light crowd, brought folks in funky hats right up to the railing for an instant classic.

Now, the horse racing world turns to the Belmont Stakes (in Saratoga, N.Y., this year) for the first Saturday in June for a potential rematch between Journalism and Sovereignty in upstate New York. Time will tell if Journalism will be ready. The powers that be have two weeks to evaluate the horse now having placed in consecutive Triple Crown races 14 days apart.

“He ran a very taxing race in the Kentucky Derby under very difficult circumstances,” said Aron Wellman, a partial owner from Eclipse Thoroughbred Partners. “He came back today and defied logic. Doing what he did was a very physical effort. As I said before, and as will always be, the horse will always come first. … We would love to go.”

Belmont or not, McCarthy feels, “it’s blue skies ahead for him.”