Journalisms jockey readies for Triple Crown rematch with Sovereignty at Belmont Stakes

SARATOGA SPRINGS — Journalism is the lead story in horse racing in the days leading up the Belmont Stakes.The Preakness champion is the 8-5 favorite for Saturday’s 157th running of the third jewel in the Triple Crown, just slightly more expensive than Kentucky Derby winner Sovereignty, who is 2-1 on the morning line.As with any juicy tale, Journalism’s comes with a helping of controversy after his rock-’em, sock-’em dash to the wire at Pimlico on May 17.As the field turned for home, Journalism was on the rail and in a box, behind Gosger and Clever Again with Goal Oriented on his outside.Connections on all sides would run with their own accounts of what happened next.According to the industry publication Paulick Report, Journalism’s right shoulder appeared to bump Goal Oriented’s left hip, which caused Goal Oriented to turn inward, thus sending Journalism bouncing into a collision with Clever Again.Jockey Umberto Rispoli muscled Journalism between the two horses and came out the other side only to see Gosger running away with the race.

But then the bumper car turned into a top-fueled dragster and chased Gosger down.The pull quote from Clever Again’s trainer Steve Asmussen was that Rispoli rode Journalism “like a rented mule.” But Rispoli and Journalism’s trainer Michael McCarthy tell it differently.“That’s part of horse racing.Sometimes you can have an easy trip, sometimes it gets a little crowded, you can have some bounce around.

We came out of there pretty good,” Rispoli, the 36-year-old Italian who scored his first Triple Crown victory, told The Post as he watched Journalism work out on Saratoga’s main track Tuesday morning.“When I saw Gosger open up four lengths in front of me, it puts you in a tough situation to think that you can go and get him.But [Journalism] got the job done.”“Very brave effort, horse and rider,” McCarthy said.

“To do what they did inside the 16th pole is certainly something special.I read somewher...