Last Updated on August 15, 2026
Journalism will begin a new career at Ashford Stud in 2027 after being retired from racing because of a soft-tissue injury.
The son of Curlin retires with an American Classic victory, three Grade 1 wins and earnings of $4,770,755. He won seven of his 14 starts and finished outside the first three only once.
Those racing results will make him an interesting new stallion. His appeal, though, also rests on his pedigree, build, sale price and record across several distances.
The retirement was confirmed after Journalism injured a hind limb in the starting gate before winning the San Diego Handicap at Del Mar. Although he appeared sound afterwards, his connections chose not to risk bringing him back into training.
He will now join the Coolmore America stallion team at Ashford Stud in Kentucky. His opening stud fee has not yet been announced.
Bred for top-level dirt racing
Journalism is by Curlin, one of the most important dirt horses and stallions in the United States.
Curlin won the Preakness Stakes, Breeders’ Cup Classic and Dubai World Cup during a career that earned him two American Horse of the Year titles. As a stallion, he has produced leading runners across a wide range of distances.
Journalism’s dam, Mopotism, was also a proven racehorse. The daughter of Uncle Mo won the Grade 2 La Cañada Stakes and was placed in four Grade 1 races. She earned $876,090 from 26 starts.
Don Alberto Corporation bought Mopotism for $1.05 million in 2019. Journalism, foaled on February 6, 2022, was her first foal.
That made him an attractive sale prospect from the beginning. Eclipse Thoroughbred Partners paid $825,000 for him at the 2023 Fasig-Tipton Saratoga Sale.
Journalism therefore reached the track with a high price and major expectations attached to him. The fact that he went on to win a Classic and several other major races gives his pedigree much more commercial value.
Speed at two and stamina at three
A future stallion is often helped by winning as a two-year-old, particularly if he also trains on to perform in the Classics.
Journalism meets both requirements.
He won over six furlongs at Del Mar in November 2024 before stepping up to a mile and a sixteenth for the Los Alamitos Futurity. He handled the added distance well, winning the Grade 2 contest by three and a half lengths.
At three, he won from a mile and a sixteenth up to a mile and three-sixteenths. His victories included the San Felipe Stakes, Santa Anita Derby, Preakness Stakes and Haskell Stakes.
He also finished second over a mile and a quarter in the Kentucky Derby, Belmont Stakes and Pacific Classic.
This range matters for breeders. Journalism showed enough early pace to win over six furlongs, but his best results came in races requiring both speed and staying strength.
The presence of Curlin and Uncle Mo in his pedigree should add to his appeal. Curlin is linked with stamina and durability, while Uncle Mo has had a wide influence through both his sons and daughters.
Proven against his own age and older horses
Journalism’s three Grade 1 victories came against members of his own age group, but his record against older horses also adds value.
He finished second to Fierceness in the 2025 Pacific Classic and fourth in a strong Breeders’ Cup Classic. Returning at four, he finished third in the Oaklawn Handicap and Met Mile before winning the San Diego Handicap.
The Met Mile was a notable test because it asked Journalism to drop back to one mile against specialist older runners. He did not win, but third place showed that he retained enough pace to compete at that shorter distance.
His San Diego victory then came over a mile and a sixteenth. Journalism lost several lengths at the start, closed on the field and took control before holding off Shea Brennan.
It was not his most valuable victory, but it may become an important part of the case made to breeders. The race showed that Journalism had trained on at four and remained willing to fight after things went wrong.
The Ashford agreement
Journalism’s future at Ashford Stud had been arranged well before his retirement.
Coolmore became involved in his ownership before the 2025 Santa Anita Derby, with Derrick Smith, Mrs John Magnier and Michael Tabor listed as lessees. The agreement included plans for Journalism to stand at Ashford when his racing career ended.
It would have been easy to retire him following his three-year-old season. At that point, he had already won the Preakness, Santa Anita Derby and Haskell while placing in the other two Triple Crown races.
Instead, the owners kept him in training for 2026. That decision allowed Journalism to add another graded victory and prove that he could compete at four.
His retirement was not brought about by a major loss of form. It came after an injury in a race he won.
That allows Ashford to present him as a horse leaving the track while still capable of producing a high-level performance. Coolmore and the ownership group said he would enter stud at Ashford in 2027.
What happens next?
Journalism will be given time to recover fully before covering his first mares in 2027. His opening book is likely to contain a number of well-bred mares connected with Coolmore and other members of his ownership group.
The first foals from that book should arrive in 2028. If sold as yearlings, they would begin appearing at major sales in 2029, with their racing careers expected to start in 2030.
It will therefore take several years before there is firm evidence of Journalism’s ability as a stallion.
His own profile gives him a fair chance of receiving strong early support. He was a Grade 2 winner at two, a Classic winner at three and a graded winner at four. He was effective at several distances and performed at tracks across California, Kentucky, Maryland, New York, New Jersey and Arkansas.
There are no guarantees in breeding. Great racehorses do not always become successful stallions, while some less famous runners go on to have a major effect at stud.
Journalism at least begins with many of the points breeders look for. He has a leading sire, a high-class female family, strong sales history and a race record built around major dirt races.
His racing days ended sooner than expected, but he did enough in 14 starts to earn his place at one of Kentucky’s leading farms. The next test will come through his sons and daughters, with Ashford hoping they inherit the speed, stamina and competitive nature that made Journalism one of the leading American horses of his generation.
