Los Alamitos, California witnessed an extraordinary horse race on Saturday. Journalism, ridden by Umberto Rispoli, emerged victorious by a remarkable 3 1/2 lengths, leaving behind three entries from the renowned Hall of Fame trainer Bob Baffert. This was Baffert's eighth attempt to win the Grade 2 race at the Orange County track.

Impressive Performance and Earnings

Journalism covered the 1 1/16 miles in an astonishing 1 minute, 43.04 seconds. The 2-year-old colt had been added to the race by trainer Michael McCarthy three days earlier for a mere $7,500. As the 5-2 second choice, it paid $7.60 to win. With this victory, its career earnings soared to $158,880. McCarthy expressed his satisfaction, stating, "We gave this horse every opportunity not to run today, but he had two wonderful works and was very cool and composed in the paddock. He’s picking things up fast."

Stretching to Victory

In the stretch, Journalism overtook the pacesetter Getaway Car. Umberto Rispoli described the ride, saying, "He broke very well and was nice and relaxed. I started to wind him up on the turn. He’s so smart and changed leads perfectly and then gave me a real nice finish." This victory not only brought glory but also significant points on the Kentucky Derby leaderboard. It determines the 20-horse field for the Triple Crown opener next May.

Close Races and Baffert's Entries

Getaway Car, the 7-2 third choice and one of Baffert's three entrants, finished second. Stablemate Gaming, the 1-2 favorite for Baffert, was another three lengths back in third. It was a surprising turn of events as Gaming had been runner-up in the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile last month. Baffert's third entry, Mellencamp, unfortunately finished last.