Sovereignty, Journalism to meet again Saturday in Oaklawn Handicap

White Abarrio, shown winning the 2024 Whitney, takes on Journalism and Sovereignty in Saturday's Oaklawn Handicap. Photo by Coglianese Photography, courtesy of NYRA

White Abarrio, shown winning the 2024 Whitney, takes on Journalism and Sovereignty in Saturday's Oaklawn Handicap. Photo by Coglianese Photography, courtesy of NYRA

Sovereignty and Journalism met twice during the 2025 Triple Crown series, with Sovereignty prevailing both times and Journalism second. Sovereignty skipped the middle leg, the Preakness Stakes, and Journalism stepped right up to win that.

After winning the Jim Dandy and the Travers, Sovereignty then was slated to contest the Breeders' Cup Classic, but was withdrawn with a fever.

Journalism moved on from the Belmont to win the Grade I Haskell at Monmouth Park and finished second in the Grade 1 Pacific Classic before reporting fourth in the Classic. He has not raced since.

The Oaklawn Handicap has a third major player -- 7-year-old White Abarrio, the 2023 Classic winner who most recently finished second in the Grade I Pegasus World Cup. He was ticketed for the Breeders' Cup Dirt Mile last November, but was ordered scratched on race day on the advice of the veterinary team assembled at Del Mar.

Sovereignty arrived by van from south Florida on Tuesday and went to the track for a Wednesday morning gallop under the watchful eye of trainer Bill Mott.

"Easy day," Mott said. "He was ready to do something. He was happy that he was able to do something."

A trio of long shots fills out the six-horse field. What's missing? Magnitude, who missed the 2025 Triple Crown races but ended the year by winning the Grade II Clark Stakes at Churchill Downs.

He started 2026 with a victory in the Grade III Razorback at Oaklawn and then defeated the world's top-ranked dirt horse, Forever Young, in the Group 1 Dubai World Cup last month.

Oh, and maybe Skippylongstocking, third in last year's Oaklawn Handicap and this year's Pegasus winner, will compete, too.

Certainly, Saudi Arabia and Dubai would be happy to see all of them assemble in early 2027 in the desert.

Meanwhile, rather than take on the big guns in the Oaklawn Handicap, Batten Down ships to Kentucky to try his luck in Saturday's $350,000 Grade III Ben Ali at Keeneland.

The Tapit colt was last seen winning the Pig Trail Stakes at Oaklawn, a race that, despite its name, was good enough to make him the 2-1 favorite in the Ben Ali.

Second on the morning line is 2022 St. Louis Derby winner Rattle N Roll, who won the Tinsel Stakes at Oaklawn in December before finishing ninth in the Saudi Cup -- so there's that international thing again.

The Triple Crown

Saturday's $150,000 Federico Tesio at Laurel Park, the local prep for the Preakness, has the cream of the local crop, including the 1-2-3 finishers from the March 21 Private Terms Stakes -- Wild Warrior, Code of Silence and Let's Go Lando -- and undefeated Miracle Wood Stakes winner Taj Mahal.

The morning-line favorite, however, is Volendam, a Vekoma colt from the Mike Maker barn who won his only previous start at Turfway Park.

Saturday's $200,000 Bathhouse Row at Oaklawn Park also looks like a tryout for the Preakness. Trainer Mark Casse gives Western Warrior a chance in his first stakes start and the oddsmaker pegs him as the 8-5 favorite after three straight local wins.

Three-year-old fillies

Miss Fulton Gal, second in the Grade II Demoiselle last December at Aqueduct, makes her 2026 debut as the 7-5 morning-line favorite in Saturday's $150,000 Weber City Miss at Laurel Park, a potential launching pad for the Black-Eyed Susan on Preakness weekend.

Sticker Shock, Scott's Law and Knickleandime are bunched at the top of the morning line for Saturday's $200,000 Valley of the Vapors at Oaklawn Park.

Distaff

Gin Gin and Alpine Princess are the 1-2 oddsmaker picks in Friday's $400,000 Grade II Baird Doubledogdare for fillies and mares at Keeneland. Gin Gin won last year's Grade I Spinster at Keeneland, but was eased through the stretch in the Breeders' Cup Distaff. Alpine Princess exits a runner-up finish in the Grade III Royal Delta at Gulfstream Park on Valentines Day.

Simply Joking and Nafisa top a field of five for Sunday's $100,000 Grade III Santa Maria at Santa Anita. They were last seen finishing fourth and fifth, trailing the field, in the Grade I Beholder Mile on March 7. Splendora won that, and this will be an easier task. Lemon Muffin also looks tasty.

Turf

Saturday's $400,000 Grade II VisitLEX Elkhorn at Keeneland has a full field and an also-eligible. Burnham Square is the 4-1 favorite on the morning line, but the 1 1/2-mile race really is wide open.

Turf mile

Chad Brown saddles three in Friday's $150,000 Plenty of Grace for fillies and mares at Aqueduct but the morning-line pick is the Mark Casse-trained And One More Time.

Saturday's $100,000 Henry S. Clark at Laurel Park has 11 entries, with the Graham Motion-trained Cruise the Nile up from Florida to take the favorite's role. In the companion $100,000 Dahlia for fillies and mares, Summerintahoe and Ribaltagaia, both coming off layoffs, are the favorites in a field of nine.

Seven signed on for Saturday's $100,000 Grade III American Stakes at Santa Anitam and the oddsmaker likes Almendares best of all at odds of 2-1.

Turf sprint

Sunday's $300,000 Palisades for 3-year-olds at Keeneland has a full field of 12 with two also-eligibles and good luck sorting them out. Good handicapping -- and a little racing luck -- should be rewarded here.

Saturday's $100,000 King T. Leatherbury at Laurel Park also is a puzzle with 13 pieces in the box. Pick 'em and win.

Around the world, around the clock

Japan

Sunday's Grade1 Satsuki Sho, or Japanese 2,000 Guineas, the first leg of the Triple Crown series, features the winners of last December's two big Grade 1 events for 2-year-olds -- Cavallerizzo and Lovcen.

Cavallerizzo was voted 2-year-old colt champion after winning the Asahi Hai Futurity and Lovcen won the Hopeful Stakes a week later.

The Futurity was 1,600 meters and the Hopeful 2,000 meters. The Satsuki Sho is contested at 2,000 meters at Nakayama Racecourse, which would seem to play into Lovcen's strong suit. His pedigree also is tilted more to distance than Cavallerizzo's.

A full field is expected for the race with no shortage of improving contenders to challenge the top two.

Australia

The autumn season rolls on with two Group 1 events.

The Moet & Chandon Champagne Stakes is for 2-year-old prospects. Chris Waller trains the favorite, Campione D'italia. The Schweppes All-Aged Stakes is appropriately, for 2-year-olds and up. Jimmysstar, Angel Capital and Beiwacht rate.