Del Mar’s 87th summer racing season opened over the weekend at the seaside oval with all eyes on Journalism.
Not a reporter, but a 4-year-old bay colt who has become one of Thoroughbred racing’s biggest headline-makers.
“That horse won a couple big races last year,” Del Mar Thoroughbred Club Director of Events & Promotions Chris Bahr said. “Journalism will be the one to watch here.”
The attention came after a breakthrough 2025 campaign in which Journalism captured three Grade I races, winning the Santa Anita Derby, Preakness Stakes and Haskell Stakes while finishing second in both the Kentucky Derby and Belmont Stakes.
The spotlight followed him into Saturday’s Grade II San Diego Handicap at Del Mar Racetrack, where Journalism faced an early challenge after stumbling out of the starting gate and falling several lengths behind the five-horse field.
Ridden by jockey Umberto Rispoli, the 4-year-old closed the gap before passing The Goat in the stretch to win the $300,000 race by three-quarters of a length. Journalism completed the 1 1/16-mile race in 1:42.65.
Rispoli said the slow start never changed his confidence in the colt.
“He was leaning forward, then he took a step back just as they popped the gate. He was away a little slow; I think he might have spotted those other horses maybe five or six lengths. But by the time we got to the first turn, I was comfortable. He had picked it up and I knew I had the horse under me. This horse has the class. You’ve always got to be careful in a race; anything can happen. But he was the best horse by far today. When it came time, he was there,” Rispoli said in remarks distributed by the Del Mar Thoroughbred Club.
Trainer Michael McCarthy said Journalism’s ability to recover after the start showed the colt’s quality.
“He didn’t look like he was totally set behind. Looked like he kicked the doors a time or two. Looked like he had one foot in front of the other. When the doors opened he went to reset and it caused him to drop down. But Umberto (Rispoli) did a good job of getting him to recover and his class won out,” McCarthy said in remarks distributed by the Del Mar Thoroughbred Club.
While Journalism delivered the weekend’s signature performance, Opening Day provided a strong start to the meet.
Friday’s Opening Day attracted 21,422 fans to the Del Mar Fairgrounds for the first of 32 racing days scheduled through Sept. 7. Total wagering reached $21,021,373, including $3,011,802 bet on track, according to the Del Mar Thoroughbred Club.
The day’s featured race, the $150,000 Oceanside Stakes, saw Proletariat cover one mile on the turf in 1:33.54, matching the stakes record set in 2004. Strident Miss also made headlines by winning the fifth race at 40-1 odds, creating an $80,363.10 Pick 6 carryover for Saturday.
The weekend concluded Sunday with King of Gosford taking the $131,000 Wickerr Stakes, grabbing the lead early under Rispoli and holding it throughout the one-mile turf race. The 5-year-old, trained by Phil D’Amato, finished 1 1/4 lengths ahead of the field while completing the race in 1:34.48 for the eighth win of his career.
“When the speed horse next to me at the break stumbled, I said, ‘Ah.’ I put my horse on the lead and he went well from there,” Rispoli said in remarks distributed by the Del Mar Thoroughbred Club. “At the top of the lane I asked him and he had a good kick home.”
D’Amato said the front-running trip was not the original plan.
“Our plan was to stalk, but he broke really sharp and Umberto didn’t see anyone else wanting the lead,” D’Amato said in remarks distributed by the Del Mar Thoroughbred Club. “This is exactly what we needed — a confidence booster.”
Looking ahead, another familiar name will add to the meet’s star power: Hall of Fame jockey Mike Smith.
“Our jockey colony is one of the best in the world,” Bahr said. “Mike Smith’s the guy that kind of stands out, and most people now recognize. He doesn’t quite race as much anymore, but he still rides the biggest races.”
Live racing resumes Thursday, with Del Mar continuing its schedule of racing Thursday through Sunday before closing on Labor Day, Sept. 7.
