00:00The second leg of the Triple Crown this weekend, tomorrow evening at Pimlico, it is the 2025 Preakness Stakes.
00:08Helping us get set for the second leg of the Triple Crown is Alexa Zepp, who is live right now in Baltimore with Daily Racing form to close out this week on the early line with a Preakness handicap.
00:20Alexa, as always, we appreciate the time.
00:22Thanks for being here on the early line.
00:25Yeah, thanks for having me anytime.
00:27It's an exciting weekend.
00:29We don't have a potential Triple Crown winner, but still a great race.
00:34It will be a great race, no doubt.
00:36Nine horses in the field.
00:37But Alexa, as you mentioned, let's start with that.
00:40No Triple Crown at stake in 2025 because Sovereignty, the winner of the 2025 Kentucky Derby, will not run this weekend in Baltimore.
00:49I think the natural question for a lot of fans getting ready to tune in for the Preakness, Alexa, is why.
00:56So can you provide that answer?
00:57Why is Sovereignty not running in the 2025 Preakness Stakes?
01:01Yeah, they've chosen to point towards the Belmont, which is the third jewel of the Triple Crown.
01:08And I think they're just – they said he's totally fine.
01:13He's doing well.
01:14His trainer generally doesn't do great with running horses back on short rests.
01:19So I think they're just paying attention to the horse and saying they want a long career for him.
01:24They're talking about running him internationally next year, keeping him going, not retiring him for stud or anything.
01:29And so they said in order to see the long game and have the best career outcome, they're not going to run him back in two weeks.
01:35And they're going to do the Belmont and then aim for just a long, good career.
01:40So I respect it.
01:41You know, they're owners.
01:42They don't need the money.
01:44Like, you know, they're big owners.
01:45So I get it.
01:49I got to respect it.
01:50Yeah, absolutely.
01:51So the horse that finished runner-up at the Kentucky Derby in the pre-derby favorite is also the favorite now entering the Preakness tomorrow evening.
02:00That would be journalism at an 8-5 price.
02:03A runner-up for the run for the Roses.
02:05What can we expect out of journalism, Alexa, this weekend in Baltimore?
02:10Yeah, he's a very valid favorite.
02:11So we have three horses out of the nine that are coming back from the Kentucky Derby.
02:17So we have journalism, Sandman, and American Promise.
02:20Journalism is my top selection in here.
02:23If he runs his race, the race is for second place.
02:27I truly believe that.
02:29You do have the risk of, you know, coming back on short rest in two weeks.
02:33Is he going to be at his peak?
02:35But he's by far the classiest, most accomplished, most consistent horse in this race.
02:40The only shade I could throw is that he's coming back on that short rest.
02:45The race is going to set up pretty nicely for him.
02:49You know, he's a closer, kind of like Sandman.
02:51They're really only two closers in here.
02:52The pace shouldn't be blazing fast, but it should be contentious.
02:55So it should set up where some of those early horses might burn each other out,
02:58and he can come, you know, snag it at the end.
03:02Sandman is also coming back.
03:04He didn't – he kind of disappointed in the derby.
03:08You know, he was 6-1 or plus 600.
03:10He got seventh place.
03:11I mean, seventh in the derby is still incredible, right?
03:14But I don't think he loved the mud.
03:18Like, the derby was so wet and sloppy and gross.
03:20I don't think he loved that.
03:22And when you think about it, like, you're a closer like Sandman.
03:26I mean, you're getting so much kickback in your face.
03:29I don't think he loved it.
03:29And, like I said, it's going to be really rainy here this week.
03:33It's going to dry out a little bit tomorrow, but it's definitely – it's rained all week.
03:36It's going to rain today.
03:37It's not going to be, like, a hard and fast track by any means.
03:40So I think it's going to be a little bit of a tough spot.
03:44We have one Baffert horse in here.
03:46There are going to be two, but now that it's down to one,
03:47and he's won this race a record of eight times.
03:49I know for people who aren't huge racing fans,
03:52you probably still recognize Bob Baffert's name, and that's goal-oriented.
03:56He started his career really late.
03:58He's only run two times, but he's undefeated.
04:01He looks really good.
04:03This is going to be a big class test.
04:04He's never run against this caliber of horses before.
04:07But I think goal-oriented, that's the number one in here.
04:11He's my second pick in here – or third pick, sorry, goal-oriented.
04:14So that's the one Baffert in the race.
04:17A 6-1 price currently on goal-oriented on FanDuel.
04:21Alexa, in this final minute of this segment,
04:23if you had a best bet for the Preakness tomorrow,
04:26whether a straight wager or an exotic,
04:28what would that be for the 2025 Preakness Stakes?
04:32Yeah, I would play a straight exacta with journalism on top
04:35over the number six, River Thames,
04:38who's probably going to be the pace setter in here.
04:40So I think he can lead the way.
04:42And he got second to sovereignty in the Fountain of Youth by a neck.
04:46So he's obviously right up at the caliber there with the horse
04:49that did win the Kentucky Derby.
04:51So I would play a straight exacta, journalism over River Thames.
04:56I love it, Alexa.
04:57Thank you so much for your time.
04:58Alexa Zett with Daily Racing Forum, live in Baltimore,
05:02getting ready for tomorrow's Preakness Stakes.
