Champions Collide: Sovereignty and Journalism Headline Star-Studded Oaklawn Handicap
Hot Springs, Ark. — April 13, 2026.
Horse racing fans will be treated to a clash of modern champions this Saturday when Sovereignty, the reigning 2025 Horse of the Year, meets Journalism, last year’s Preakness Stakes winner, in what promises to be a thrilling renewal of the Grade 2, $1.25 million Oaklawn Handicap.
The highly anticipated Oaklawn feature has drawn a compact but elite six-horse field, blending established stars with rising graded performers. Both front-line contenders bring glittering résumés — and unfinished business — into one of the spring season’s marquee events.
Sovereignty, trained by Todd Pletcher, returns to Oaklawn for his second start of the year following a campaign that defined greatness. The son of Into Mischiefcaptured both the Kentucky Derby and Belmont Stakes last season en route to Horse of the Year honors. Saturday’s test marks a key stepping-stone on his path toward a potential defense of his title in major summer events.
Across the gate will be fierce rival Journalism, trained by Bob Baffert, who etched his name into racing history with a powerful win in the 2025 Preakness Stakes. The colt has shown top-class form through his 4-year-old campaign, and connections are optimistic he’s peaking at the right moment.
“You couldn’t ask for a better lineup coming out of the classics,” said one Oaklawn racing official. “When two horses of this caliber meet, it’s more than a race — it’s a championship-level showdown.”
Other notable entrants include Speed Runner, a multiple graded stakes winner with tactical early speed; Sun Creed, a reliable closer consistently hitting the board in top-tier company; and Rock Justice, who earned his spot with a strong allowance effort earlier in the meet. The field is rounded out by Bold Meridian, a late-blooming gelding whose recent form hints at a breakthrough performance.
The Oaklawn Handicap will be contested at 1 1/8 miles on the main track, and with both Sovereignty and Journalism coming off strong workouts, the race shapes up as a pivotal early-season measuring stick for the division.
Post time for the Oaklawn Handicap is set for 5:52 p.m. local, and the race will headline Saturday’s stakes-rich card, expected to draw a crowd eager to witness two champions renewing their rivalry.
