Overview

• Journalism enters as the 8-5 morning-line favorite for Saturday’s Belmont Stakes, narrowly ahead of Sovereignty at 2-1 and Derby third-place finisher Baeza at 4-1.
• The race will be run at Saratoga Race Course for a second straight year over 1¼ miles due to ongoing renovations at Belmont Park.
• Trainer Bill Mott opted to skip Sovereignty’s Preakness start to freshen the colt, and he reports that Sovereignty has continued to improve since winning the Kentucky Derby.
• Journalism will make his third start in five weeks as he bids for a second Triple Crown win, having prevailed in the Preakness despite midrace traffic troubles under Umberto Rispoli.
• The eight-horse field also features Baeza, who skipped the Preakness after placing third in the Derby, and Bob Baffert’s Rodriguez, who is expected to set the early pace.