Journalism set for Oaklawn Handicap rematch with Sovereignty in spring showdown

Journalism is headed to Oaklawn Park with the kind of profile that can change a race overnight. The 1 1/8-mile Oaklawn Handicap on April 18 was already a major older-horse target, but the confirmed presence of the 2025 Preakness winner, with Sovereignty potentially waiting on the other side, gives the Grade 2 far more weight than a normal spring comeback spot.

Journalism will arrive in Hot Springs for his first start since finishing fourth in the Breeders’ Cup Classic on Nov. 1 at Del Mar. Eclipse Thoroughbred Partners said he worked five furlongs in 1:00 3/5 at Santa Anita Park and Michael McCarthy has Jose Ortiz booked to ride. That matters because Journalism was one of the country’s top 3-year-olds in 2025, winning the Preakness, Santa Anita Derby and Haskell Stakes while finishing second to Sovereignty in both the Kentucky Derby and Belmont Stakes.

That rivalry is the hook. Sovereignty is scheduled to make his 4-year-old debut if he runs, and Oaklawn says he has never faced older horses. He won five of six starts in 2025 for Bill Mott and Godolphin, including the Kentucky Derby, Belmont Stakes and a 10-length Travers Stakes romp on Aug. 23 at Saratoga Race Course. If he does show up, Oaklawn says he would be only the fourth reigning Horse of the Year to run there, following Favorite Trick, Azeri and Thorpedo Anna.

The race would then answer a question horseplayers have been waiting on since the Triple Crown season: who is the division’s real anchor when these two meet away from classic distances? Journalism has the recency and the resume, but Sovereignty has the title and the visual domination that came with the Belmont and Travers. A win by either colt would not just be another graded score. It would move the conversation toward the top tier of the older-horse division and sharpen the path to the next major stakes.

Oaklawn’s probable field also includes millionaire White Abarrio and Grade 3 winner Liberal Arts, with the racing office projecting five to eight starters. Entries and post positions are due Sunday, and the track has branded the day Oaklawn Handicap Day as part of a season that runs from Dec. 12 through May 2 and features more than 60 stakes races and more than $18 million in purses.