Journalism digs deep to win Del Mar’s San Diego Handicap
Journalism shook off a rough break and won Del Mar's Grade 2 San Diego Handicap in 1:42.65, turning a messy trip into a statement for Umberto Rispoli.
Journalism turned a rough start into a Grade 2 win at Del Mar, grinding out the San Diego Handicap in 1:42.65 for Umberto Rispoli over 8 1/2 furlongs on dirt. The $300,000 race, run as Race 8 on the July 18 card, gave him another important summer stakes victory at a meet that measures horses by what they can survive as much as what they can display.
That was the point of this one. Journalism did not get a clean trip, and he did not need one. He was left behind at the break, then had to rally from well off the pace to get back into contention, the sort of adversity that separates a visually easy stakes win from one that actually says something about a horse’s ceiling. With Full Serrano part of the pre-race conversation, the San Diego Handicap became a real test of whether Journalism could absorb trouble and still finish the job.
He did more than survive it. The victory in a Grade 2 at Del Mar matters because the San Diego is one of the track’s most useful summer markers for older horses, especially on the opening weekend of the 32-day meeting. It is where a runner can show whether he handles the Del Mar surface, the pressure of a competitive pace, and the demand of finishing strong in a race that is meant to sharpen the season ahead. Journalism’s time, 1:42.65, was solid but not close to Del Mar’s 8 1/2-furlong track record of 1:40, which fits the way this race was won: on grit, not on a flashy clock.
Rispoli’s ride was part of the story as well. The veteran kept Journalism in reach after the bad beginning and got him moving when it mattered, turning a compromised setup into a result that strengthens the horse’s case for the bigger summer targets still ahead. A stakes win is one thing. Doing it after a rough break, against meaningful company, is the kind of performance that tells Del Mar whether a horse belongs on its biggest stages.
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