DEL MAR — As expected, Journalism won the San Diego Handicap on Saturday.
However, nothing about the $300,000 race went off as expected.
After almost jumping the start and breaking through the starting gate, Journalism awkwardly broke late and immediately trailed by five lengths before rallying under jockey Umberto Rispoli for a three-quarter length victory over fast-closing longshot Shea Brennan in the Grade II prep for the Aug. 22 Pacific Classic.
Journalism, who won the 2025 Preakness while finishing second in both the Kentucky Derby and Belmont Stakes, went off Saturday as the 1-5 favorite in a field of five that was without second-favorite Full Serrano, who was an overnight scratch due to persistent foot issues.
The San Diego Handicap was the first of back-to-back Grade II features. In the $200,000 San Clemente Handicap 35-1 longshot Somerset West (Armando Ayuso) outran nine other 3-year-old fillies, including three formidable challengers who shipped in from the east.
Rispoli seemed not totally aware of what happened in the split seconds before the start of the San Diego Handicap.
“It was a bad start, obviously,” said Rispoli. “I’m not going to tell you the swear word I said.”
Rispoli said Journalism was moving forward when the gate opened, which “surprised” the 4-year-old son of Curlin, who then “moved back.”
Some observers thought Journalism hit the gate. Rispoli didn’t think so.
“It didn’t look like Journalism was totally set,” trainer Mike McCarthy said. “It looked like he kicked the doors a time or two, 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 did a good job of getting him to recover, and his class won out.”
Journalism trailed in last for just over half the race before making his move toward the end of the backstretch.
“He’s a special horse,” said Aron Wellman, the Rancho Santa Fe resident who heads Eclipse Thoroughbred Partners, which owns Journalism.
Wellman said Journalism’s first win in a year was “a long time coming.”
“He’s knocked heads with the best of them. Never shied away from any challenge, and to get him back in the winner’s circle today means a lot to everybody involved,” he said.
Rispoli was aboard Journalism for the first time since the Pacific Classic, where they finished second. After being replaced by Jose Ortiz for the Breeders’ Cup Classic, Rispoli suffered multiple right leg fractures in a January fall at Gulfstream.
Hernandez hot
Jockey Juan Hernandez, who is looking to win a fifth straight summer meeting riding title, won four races, riding Special Club ($15.40), Holmby ($7), 3-5 favorite Net Park ($3.20) and Koekkoek ($8) to victories.
Including two fall titles, Hernandez has joined Bill Shoemaker, Flavien Prat and Rafael Bejarano with a record-tying seven jockey titles at Del Mar. All seven of Shoemaker’s titles came before the inception of the fall meeting.
Earlier this year, Hernandez rode in his first Kentucky Derby and scored his 3,000th career win.
“Hitting 3,000 wins was an amazing feeling,” said Hernandez, who reached the milestone on May 24 at Santa Anita. “I’m really grateful for all the trainers and owners who support me. My agent (Craig O’Bryan) has been really good to me and has worked hard to get some good mounts for me.
“And the horses. I’ve had all this success because of them.”
Deep field
The opening weekend of the 87th summer meeting concludes today with an 11-race card highlighted by the $100,000 Wickerr Stakes, a one-mile turf event for nine older horses that serves as a prep for either the Grade II Del Mar Mile or Grade II Del Mar Handicap later in the season.
Seven of the scheduled starters have won stakes races in the past, with the Phil D’Amato-trained King of Gosford dropping down from graded stakes competition to be the 5-2 morning-line favorite under Rispoli. The 5-year-old British-bred King of Gosford ran third in the Grade I Shoemaker Mile at Santa Anita on May 25.
The next three morning-line choices in the field are all trained by Mark Glatt – First Peace (Mike Smith, 4-1), Freedom’s Not Free (Antonio Fresu, 5-1) and Mi Hermano Ramon (Joel Rosario, 5-1).
First Peace won the 2024 Wickerr. Freedom’s Not Free, a 4-year-old son of Omaha Beach, won the Grade III Daytona Stakes at Santa Anita on June 13 and has three wins, two seconds and two thirds in his last seven starts. Mi Hermano Ramon is winless in eight starts since winning the 2024 Grade II Seabiscuit Stakes at Del Mar.
Notable
The first 21 races of the summer meeting produced only three winning favorites. The average $2 winning ticket for the first 21 races paid $19.46.