Preakness Winner Journalism Breezes Three Furlongs in :36.8 at Santa Anita

Journalism had his first official workout of the 2026 season on Feb. 22 at Santa Anita Park, turning three furlongs in approximately :36.8 in a move reported by Santa Anita Park and BloodHorse. The drill was the first timed breeze for the 2025 multiple Grade 1 winner after a campaign that included the Preakness Stakes, the Santa Anita Derby and the Haskell.

"Journalism, the multiple Grade 1 winner last year who captured the Preakness Stakes, the Santa Anita Derby and the Haskell, had his first official workout of the 2026 season on Feb. 22 at Santa Anita Park, the track and BloodHorse reported. The three‑furlong drill was clocked in approximately :36.8" is the exact wording issued with the timed work, confirming the date, distance and approximate clocking.

The 2025 Preakness winner remains a headline sire-line story. Brisnet's pedigree notes from May 2025 highlighted that Journalism is by Hall of Famer Curlin and pointed to a layered female family, writing, "Journalism has another Preakness champion close up in his ancestry: his mother Mopotism, a Grade 2-winning daughter of Uncle Mo, is out of a mare by Bernardini (2006)." Brisnet also flagged the pre-race significance that "Hall of Famer Curlin would achieve another historic milestone as a stallion if his son Journalism prevails in Saturday’s $2 million Preakness (G1)."

Trainer Michael McCarthy’s stock rose with Journalism’s classic success and remains a storyline as the colt resumes. Horseracingnation framed McCarthy’s record plainly: "Trainer Michael McCarthy has now achieved the remarkable feat of winning with both of his Preakness starters. His first victory came with Rombauer in 2021, and now Journalism has given him a perfect two-for-two record in the middle jewel of the Triple Crown." Horseracingnation’s table "McCarthy's Preakness Runners" lists Rombauer 2021 (1st, odds 11.8-1) and Journalism 2025 (1st, odds 1-1).

Jockey Umberto Rispoli’s role in the 2025 classic also drew attention. Horseracingnation ran the heading "Umberto Rispoli: First Preakness Mount, First Win" and noted the broader impact: "For the connections, this win solidifies their place in Preakness history: Curlin as an increasingly important sire of classic winners, Michael McCarthy as a perfect two-for-two in the Preakness, and Umberto Rispoli as a jockey who made the most of his first opportunity in the middle jewel of the Triple Crown."

Horseracingnation’s performance table places Journalism’s Preakness Beyer at 98 with odds of 1-1 in the "Curlin's Preakness Legacy" series, a statistical snapshot that remains part of his formline heading into 2026. That Beyer and the Santa Anita drill provide concrete baselines: the :36.8 breeze on Feb. 22 and a 2025 peak that included three G1 scores define Journalism as a high-profile older-horse project for McCarthy and his team.

The Feb. 22 work, documented by Santa Anita Park and BloodHorse, is the opening public note of what McCarthy and connections will build on this year; with Curlin on the papersheet and a Preakness in the résumé, that baseline :36.8 will be the first measurable step toward whatever classic targets the stable sets for Journalism in 2026.