Journalism returns to Santa Anita work tab, Met Mile looms next

Journalism was back breezing at Santa Anita, and that is the kind of update that tells bettors more than a race result ever could. Michael McCarthy’s Curlin colt emerged from his April 18 seasonal debut in the GII Oaklawn Handicap in good order, and the next stop now appears to be the GI Metropolitan Handicap at Saratoga Race Course.

That matters because Journalism is already one of the defining older horses in the country. He turned 4 off a 2025 campaign that included victories in the GI Santa Anita Derby, GI Preakness Stakes and GI Haskell Stakes, plus runner-up finishes in the Kentucky Derby and Belmont Stakes. Breeders’ Cup noted he was the only 3-year-old to contest all three legs of the Triple Crown in 2025, a résumé that made his return to the work tab feel less like routine maintenance and more like the opening of a new phase.

His Oaklawn start backed that up. He finished third in Hot Springs, Arkansas, in 1:47.49 for 1 1/8 miles, and DRF said that was the fastest Oaklawn Handicap clocking since Cigar ran 1:47.22 in 1995. Equibase lists Journalism at 12 starts with 6 wins, 3 seconds and 2 thirds, with career earnings of $4,470,755. For a horse with that kind of record, the key detail after a comeback run is not just where he finished, but whether the engine still hums. Saturday’s Santa Anita work answered that part cleanly.

The Met Mile makes sense because it changes the question from survival to speed. At one mile, the race asks for the same class Journalism already showed at longer trips, but it leans harder on that sharp, efficient turn of foot that made him such a dangerous colt at 3. If McCarthy stays that course, Journalism would be stepping into one of the most respected one-turn Grade 1 tests for older horses, a place where proven class and fitness usually separate the contenders from the name horses.

There are other ways to map out a 4-year-old campaign, including staying in longer dirt routes, but the Met Mile is the more meaningful read on where Journalism stands right now. A strong one-mile effort at Saratoga would confirm that his Oaklawn return was the launch point, not the peak, and it would push him right back to the center of the older-horse division. With Eclipse Thoroughbred Partners, Bridlewood Farm, Don Alberto Stable, Robert LaPenta, Elayne Stables Five and the Coolmore partners behind him, McCarthy has options. The work tab says he is aiming high.