Journalism the Horse Shows How Some Winners Come From Behind

Opinion|Forget Speed. Finish Strong.

Before the field had hit the far turn at the Preakness Stakes last month, most eyes had moved on from a colt named Journalism. He broke out well enough, but trapped on the rail, boxed in tight, the favored horse faded in the pack just as the race began to burn.

The fastest surged forward. Journalism didn’t flinch. He waited, holding back, hunting space with coiled patience.

Then something shifted. There was no sudden explosion of speed, no frantic scramble. Just a patient, defiant unfolding. Trying to split horses near the quarter pole, Journalism took a hard bump from the right, faltering into another horse, then somehow squeezed through a seam in the chaos. When he finally found daylight, he had five lengths to make up and just seconds to do it.

Surging down the track, stretching his strides, he reeled in the leader and won by a half length.

It was a throwback, a reminder that patience isn’t weakness and that some victories are earned not by charging to the front but by knowing exactly when to move.

Journalism is now headed to the Belmont Stakes on Saturday at Saratoga, N.Y. The Belmont race is shorter than usual this year, just 1¼ miles, because it’s at the Saratoga track while the 1½-mile Belmont Park in Queens gets a face-lift. Even without a Triple Crown on the line this year, the Belmont holds its weight — a final trial where most names fade and one is etched into memory.

In an era wound tight with urgency, Journalism is the horse we forgot how to ride. He did not chase the breakneck pace. He moved with patience, let the chaos pass and proved capable of charging through gaps no wider than a saddle horn.