By Jill Williams
The overriding question going into Saturday's GII DK Horse San Felipe Stakes at Santa Anita was whether unbeaten GII San Vicente Stakes winner and $3.2-million Fasig-Tipton Saratoga star Barnes (Into Mischief) could win at two turns. He very well may have if it weren't for another horse who also sold at that 2023 Fasig-Tipton Saratoga sale: $825,000 Eclipse Thoroughbred Partners buy and Denali Stud-consigned Journalism (Curlin). The GII Los Alamitos Futurity winner made his 3-year-old debut in the San Felipe with a powerful finish that will likely propel him near the top–or to the top–of many handicappers' lists on the Road to the Kentucky Derby. With the scratch of Berlin Wall (Practical Joke) Saturday, only 75% of the Kentucky Derby points originally available in the San Felipe were awarded as the field fell below the threshold for maximum points. Journalism earned 37.5 Derby qualifying points in the San Felipe to go along with his 10 in the Los Alamitos Futurity.
Journalism and Barnes broke side by side from the San Felipe gate, with Barnes, favored at 2-5, the quicker of the two. He set the pace as Journalism eased off it, biding his time back in fourth as the 3-1 second choice. Barnes was doing it easily, getting his first quarter in :23.71 and the half in :47.31. Journalism stayed in touch but not prominent, in no hurry and moving smoothly. Jockey Umberto Rispoli began asking Journalism at the top of the final turn as Barnes sprinted for home and quickly put distance on 'TDN Rising Star' Rodriguez (Authentic), who had been sitting off his flank for much of the way. With a couple of right-handed taps in the lane, jockey Umberto Rispoli encouraged Journalism, who took the cue with gusto, not only reeling in Barnes and sailing right by, but looking stronger with every stride. Journalism finished 1 3/4 lengths on top, while Rodriguez was a distant 9 1/2 lengths behind Barnes. The final time for the 1 1/16 miles was 1:42.24.
“He broke really sharp,” said Rispoli. “He is the kind of horse that for the first furlong he needs to adjust himself. The trip was perfect. I couldn't ask for anything better. Once I took him out and pressed the button, he put on the beast mode. He ran really strong.”
Trainer Michael McCarthy added, “It is always great to have a horse that can take you places and he looks like he is taking himself and everybody else with him. I was fairly confident today. I wouldn't say I was overly confident but I thought he was doing well enough to make some noise today. It is a little overwhelming to think of where this horse could go.”
Owned by Bridlewood Farm, Don Alberto Stable, Eclipse Thoroughbred Partners, Elayne Stables 5 LLC, and Robert V. LaPenta, Journalism was third on debut when sprinting six furlongs at Santa Anita last October. Upped in distance to a mile at Del Mar in November, he won easily and then made another trip to the winner's circle in December in his first stakes try in the Los Al Futurity. Second and third to him that day were GSW, GISP, and TDN Rising Star' Getaway Car (Curlin), since the winner of the Sunland Park Derby, and GISW Gaming (Game Winner). After a brief sickness and a little break, Journalism has been working steadily since late January.
“He was certainly ready,” said McCarthy. “With a horse like Barnes, and how good he is, you wonder if he is good enough. Certainly, today it looked like he was.”
Pedigree Notes:
With an embarrassment of Eclipse champions and Breeders' Cup winners among his progeny, as well as a GI Preakness winner and a GI Belmont Stakes winner, Hill 'n' Dale's Curlin has very few holes in his CV. Two of Curlin's sons have hit the board in the GI Kentucky Derby; the question for the next two months will be if Journalism can fill out the Classic trifecta for his sire. Curlin, perennially one of the sport's leading sires, has 64 graded winners among his 108 black-type winners. Journalism is his first stakes winner out of an Uncle Mo mare. That late stallion is the damsire of 25 stakes winners, including 2024 Horse of the Year Thorpedo Anna (Fast Anna).
Journalism's dam Mopotism, winner of the 2018 GII La Canada Stakes and placed in a number of Grade I events, was a $1.05-million Don Alberto Corp. purchase at the 2019 Fasig-Tipton November sale. Journalism is her first foal. Her 2-year-old, Nitro Tap (Tapit), was a $1.5-million Fasig-Tipton Saratoga yearling last year on a ticket signed by Flying Dutchmen. She has a yearling Into Mischief filly and was covered by both Flightline and Tapit for this spring.
🌹 #2 JOURNALISM ($8.20) adds 37.5 @KentuckyDerby points to his total with a strong victory in the $300,000 San Felipe Stakes (G2) at @santaanitapark. The Curlin colt is trained by @mwmracing. @umbyrispoli was in the irons.
This is Journalism's third consecutive win! pic.twitter.com/fVjRnRSqxo
— FanDuel Racing (@FanDuel_Racing) March 1, 2025
Saturday, Santa Anita
DK HORSE SAN FELIPE S.-GII, $300,000, Santa Anita, 3-1, 3yo, 1 1/16m, 1:42.24, ft.
1–JOURNALISM, 124, c, 3, by Curlin
1st Dam: Mopotism (GSW & MGISP, $876,090), by Uncle Mo
2nd Dam: Peppy Rafaela, by Bernardini
3rd Dam: Peppy Lapeau, by French Deputy
($825,000 Ylg '23 FTSAUG). O-Bridlewood Farm, Don Alberto Stable, Eclipse Thoroughbred Partners, Elayne Stables 5 LLC and Robert V. LaPenta; B-Don Alberto Corporation (KY); T-Michael W. McCarthy; J-Umberto Rispoli. $180,000. Lifetime Record: 4-3-0-1, $338,880. Werk Nick Rating: A++. Click for the eNicks report & 5-cross pedigree or free Equineline.com catalogue-style pedigree.
2–Barnes, 120, c, 3, Into Mischief–All American Dream, by American Pharoah. ($3,200,000 Ylg '23 FTSAUG). O-Zedan Racing Stables, Inc.; B-Jeff Drown and Don Rachel, LLC (KY); T-Bob Baffert. $60,000.
3–Rodriguez, 120, c, 3, Authentic–Cayala, by Cherokee Run. ($485,000 Ylg '23 KEESEP). 'TDN Rising Star'. O-SF Racing LLC, Starlight Racing, Madaket Stables LLC, Stonestreet Stables LLC, Dianne Bashor, Determined Stables, Robert E. Masterson,Tom J. Ryan, Waves Edge Capital LLC and Catherine Donovan; B-Kingswood Farm & David Egan (KY); T-Bob Baffert. $36,000.
Margins: 1 3/4, 9HF, 4HF. Odds: 3.10, 0.40, 3.80.
Also Ran: Mellencamp, Smooth Cruisein. Scratched: Berlin Wall.
Click for the Equibase.com chart or the TJCIS.com PPs. VIDEO, sponsored by FanDuel TV.
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