He emerged victorious by maneuvering between horses at the top of the stretch and then guiding Journalism to an impressive surge in the final stretch during the Preakness race.
BALTIMORE — Umberto Rispoli took quite a path to make history.
Rispoli, the first Italian jockey to claim victory in a Triple Crown event on Saturday, deftly navigated between horses at the top of the stretch before executing a phenomenal rally aboard Journalism in the stretch phase of the Preakness.
Although Rispoli’s colt was the odds-on favorite, the journey to victory was no walk in the park. By staying close to the rail with Journalism, he capitalized on saving ground but had to adeptly thread through a tight gap between Goal Oriented and Clever Again, even encountering some contact, before launching his challenge against the 15-1 contender, Gosger.
“I got in trouble at the quarter pole and, look, he make himself keep going,” said Rispoli, who came over from Italy in 2020. “It’s all about him. It’s a privilege to ride a horse like him.”
Journalism’s win brought to mind Afleet Alex’s victory in this same race 20 years ago, when the horse and jockey Jeremy Rose nearly went down when they were cut off by another horse at the top of the stretch.
Journalism’s anxious moment was around the same spot at Pimlico, and although he didn’t stumble the way Afleet Alex did, he had to deal with horses on both sides of him.
“Jeremy Rose almost fell off from the horse. That was for me probably the most spectacular Preakness that I ever see,” Rispoli said. “But even what we saw today. This horse, coming back after two weeks from a tough trip in the (Kentucky) Derby … it was an amazing effort. I wish I would have give him a softer race, but this is a part of horse racing.”
After working his way through traffic, there was still the matter of catching Gosger.
“At the 16th pole, I say OK, I think I’m going to be late but probably on time,” Rispoli said.
With one final surge, Journalism pulled ahead and won by a half-length.
“When I cross the line, it’s all 20 years of my career that pass in front of me,” Rispoli said. “I had to wait so long to ride a champion like that.”
Journalism acquitted himself well in finishing second in the Kentucky Derby, and when Derby winner Sovereignty skipped the Preakness, Journalism was the clear favorite.
He would have to win from behind, though. Rispoli credited Hall of Fame jockey Jerry Bailey with the advice to save ground in this race.
“Umberto, all credit to him, he chose to save ground. That’s what it takes to win these races like this,” trainer Michael McCarthy said. “Obviously found himself in a little bit of a conundrum there for six or eight jumps. Thankful that he and the horse came out of it unscathed. That’s the most important thing, win, lose or draw.”
When Rispoli was asked about being the first jockey from Italy with a Triple Crown win, there were shouts of “Viva Italia!” before he answered. He said his idol was top Italian jockey Frankie Dettori, who was expected to retire at the end of 2023 but continued racing.
“I think you have to ride a couple of more years to get one of the winners of the Triple Crown to equal me,” Rispoli said. “It’s even difficult to describe the feeling when you cross the wire in those races. You just dream about that.”
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