Hall of Fame trainer Bob Baffert notified Pimlico Race Course officials May 8 of his intention to enter undefeated Goal Oriented, as well as Wood Memorial Stakes (G2) winner Rodriguez in the $2 million Preakness Stakes (G1) May 17.
Goal Oriented debuted April 6 at Santa Anita Park with an off-the-pace 3 1/4-length victory in a six-furlong maiden special weight event. The son of Not This Time returned May 3 at Churchill Downs, where he registered a front-running three-quarter-length triumph in a 1 1/16-mile optional claiming allowance.
Goal Oriented, a $425,000 purchase at the 2023 Keeneland September Yearling Sale, is owned by SF Racing, Starlight Racing, Madaket Stables, Stonestreet Stables, Dianne Bashor, Determined Stables, Robert Masterson, Tom Ryan, Waves Edge Capital, and Catherine Donovan, who also campaign Rodriguez.
Rodriguez and Goal Oriented both galloped at Churchill Downs Thursday morning.
Baffert, seeking to break his own record of eight Preakness victories, has said Rodriguez will work this weekend and ship to Pimlico May 12. Baffert said decisions on other horses he might bring for Preakness week stakes will be made after those horses work.
Tom Ryan, head of SF Racing, was out to watch the colts train. He was asked who Rodriguez's namesake was.
"Rodriguez is named for lots of things. His groom is Mr. Rodriguez," he said about the son of Authentic . "He's named for (singer-songwriter) Sixto Rodriguez because of the movie 'Searching for Sugarman.' Watch the movie, and you'll see where the name comes from. It's a good movie."
So, the horse is not the namesake of A-Rod, Alex Rodriguez?
"It can be if you want it to be," Ryan said. "All the Rodriguezes should feel part of the family."
Connections Keeping Preakness In Play for Journalism
With the deadline for a decision a comfortable few days away, Journalism, a game second in the May 3 Kentucky Derby (G1), remains a candidate for the 150th Preakness Stakes.
Sent off as the 7-2 favorite in the Derby, Journalism had a troubled trip early and surged to the lead coming off the second turn. He ended up 1 1/2 lengths behind Sovereignty following a rousing battle between the two colts in the stretch.
Journalism, a son of Curlin , is owned by the partnership of Eclipse Thoroughbred Partners, Bridlewood Farm, Don Alberto Stable, Robert V. LaPenta, Elayne Stables 5, and the Coolmore partners of Mrs. John Magnier, Michael Tabor, and Derrick Smith, who have acquired the breeding rights for the colt.
Journalism, trained by Michael McCarthy, remains at Churchill Downs. McCarthy's staff said that he has come out of the race well. He returned to the track Wednesday and was sent out for his daily exercise Thursday morning.
"We're not going to rush into any determination right now. We're going to keep the Preakness in play," Eclipse president and founder Aron Wellman said. "It's an important American classic that, whether there's a Triple Crown on the line or not, holds with it an extreme amount of prestige. We're going to monitor Journalism to the best of our ability and then make the best decision for the horse at the end of the day. But we're not saying we're in and we're certainly not shutting the door."
Wellman noted that success in the Preakness has, through the decades, helped lift horses to championships.
"We think that this is a classic-caliber colt," Wellman said. "Even though we're going back 18 years—which isn't exactly ancient history—his sire was arguably a less-inspiring third in the Kentucky Derby and came back two weeks later and beat Street Sense in the Preakness. Then he ran incredibly well in the Belmont, came back to run the table, and ultimately won the Breeders' Cup Classic and was named Horse of the Year.
"Obviously, those are extremely large shoes to fill. But, Journalism is by Curlin, and history has a funny way of repeating itself," he added. "We're certainly not going to close our minds to the possibility that he's capable of that. We hold him in in the highest esteem imaginable. We're just going to take the next handful of days that we have the luxury of being able to do before entries on Monday and really assess what's in the best interest of the horse."
Saez Named to Ride Gosger in Preakness
Gosger, winner of Keeneland's Lexington Stakes (G3), is on course to make his next start in the Preakness. While Brendan Walsh added the standard trainer's qualifier that running hinges on the colt continuing to do well, jockey Luis Saez has been lined up to ride Gosger in the middle jewel of the Triple Crown.
Saez would be Gosger's fourth jockey in four career starts. After an initial second at Gulfstream Park, Gosger won a mile maiden race at the Florida track before winning his two-turn debut in the 1 1/16-mile Lexington.
Saez, who has won the Belmont Stakes (G1) twice, is seeking his first Preakness victory. He finished second on Bravazo by only a half-length in 2018 behind Kentucky Derby winner Justify , who would then complete the Triple Crown in the Belmont. Gosger would be Walsh's first Preakness starter.
Walsh said the Keeneland-based Nyquist colt could work May 9 but more likely May 10, given the forecast for rain. Gosger, owned by breeder Harvey A. Clarke Racing Stables, worked five furlongs in 1:00 May 1 in company with graded stakes-placed 4-year-old San Siro.
"He worked with him and worked really well," Walsh said. "I was over there (at Keeneland) a couple of days this week. He looks like he's training good. He looks good physically. He's not giving me much reason not to go.
"Obviously the winner of the Derby is not going. The third horse (Baeza) is not going," he added. "If the horse has a realistic chance of being in the first three, then we've got to take a shot."
American Promise Returns to Track After Derby
Virginia Derby winner American Promise, who finished 16th in the Kentucky Derby, returned to the track at Churchill Downs Thursday, jogging two miles.
BC Stables' American Promise is headed to the Preakness after a troubled trip contributed to his finish in the Kentucky Derby. Trainer D. Wayne Lukas said that the Justify colt came out of the Derby in fine shape and is fit and ready for the 1 3/16-mile Preakness. The Derby was his fourth start of 2025 but his first since winning the Virginia Derby March 15.
"I might not do anything," Lukas said. "I'm going to just go the rest of week with light training, and then we're probably going to show up there (at Pimlico) Monday. I might let him just stretch his legs when we get there, but that'll be it."
Beginning with Codex's victory over Derby winner Genuine Risk in 1980, Lukas, 89, has won the Preakness seven times. Codex was one of Lukas' three Preakness winners to enter the race following victories. He won the Hollywood Derby (G1). Charismatic finished first at Pimlico in 1999 following his score in the Derby. Seize the Grey prepped for his Preakness win last year with a victory in the Pat Day Mile Stakes (G2) on the Kentucky Derby undercard.
Should American Promise win the Preakness, Lukas would be the first trainer to saddle back-to-back winners since Bob Baffert in 2001-02 with Point Given and War Emblem. Lukas is one of six trainers to win the Preakness in consecutive years. The others: Baffert, twice; Tom Bohannan, Horace "Jimmy" Jones, Thomas Healey, and R. Wyndham Walden. Bohannan is the only one who is not in the Hall of Fame.
Baffert's first double came in 1997 with Silver Charm and 1998 with Real Quiet. Lukas won the 1994 Preakness with Tabasco Cat and in 1995 with Timber Country, which followed consecutive wins by Bohannan with Prairie Bayou in 1993 and Pine Bluff in 1992. Jones won in 1947 with Faultless and with Citation in 1948. Healey's double was with Pillory in 1922 and Vigil in 1923. Walden won five straight Preaknesses beginning in 1878.
Pay Billy Breezes at Delaware Park for Preakness
RKTN Racing's Pay Billy breezed a half-mile in :49 Thursday at Delaware Park in his final tune-up for the Preakness.
It was the second work for the bay son of four-time grade 1-winning multimillionaire Improbable since earning an automatic berth in the middle jewel of the Triple Crown for his victory in the Federico Tesio Stakes April 19 at Laurel Park.
"He worked good," trainer Mike Gorham said "I worked him in company with another one of mine. I kind of let the other one start out in front of him and he ran after him, ran up to him, and went by him and galloped out strong. Everything went to plan."
Regular rider Raul Mena, who will be aboard in the Preakness, was up for the work, which ranked 10th of 34 works at the distance at Delaware.
"We just wanted him to finish up strong and gallop out strong. We're always looking for that, especially with the distance horses. Raul was happy. The track today was a little bit slower than it's been, but it was in good shape," Gorham said. "He's back in his stall, he's happy and he's ready for his lunch. Everything is good."
Gorham said Pay Billy would likely make the one-hour ship from Delaware to Pimlico May 13. The trainer may also be bringing 3-year-old filly Moon Cache for the $300,000 George E. Mitchell Black-Eyed Susan Stakes (G2) May 16 and 3-year-old colt Chipotle for the $150,000 Chick Lang Stakes on the Preakness undercard.
Clever Again, River Thames Plan Final Preparations
Winchell Thoroughbreds, Mrs. John Magnier, Michael Tabor, and Derrick Smith's Clever Again jogged at Churchill Downs Thursday morning after a day off following a workout. Hall of Fame trainer Steve Asmussen said Clever Again would school at the starting gate Friday. He is scheduled for a half-mile breeze May 12 before shipping to Pimlico Tuesday.
WinStar Farm, CHC, Pantofel Stable, and Wachtel Stable's River Thames, who finished second behind Kentucky Derby winner Sovereignty in the March 1 Fountain of Youth Stakes (G2) at Gulfstream, is scheduled to breeze at Belmont Park May 10 in preparation for a start in the Preakness.
This press release has been edited for content and style by BloodHorse Staff.
