LOUISVILLE, Ky. - It was a whirlwind 36 hours for jockey Umberto Rispoli, who, in his attempted travels between California and Kentucky, wound up experiencing more about the Atlanta airport than he would have liked. “I walked all around the Atlanta airport for 5 1/2 hours,” Rispoli said. “I know all about terminal B and C. I couldn’t get lost in Atlanta.” Michael McCarthy, the trainer of Kentucky Derby favorite Journalism, doesn’t want Umberto to get lost at Churchill Downs next Saturday. McCarthy felt it was important to have Rispoli get on Journalism for the horse’s final pre-Derby workout. Delayed one day due to track condition, Rispoli on Sunday morning guided Journalism through a five-furlong move in 1:01.24 over a fast Churchill main track. Daily Racing Form clocker Mike Welsch caught Journalism’s first three furlongs in 37.42 seconds, meaning he got his last quarter in 23.82 seconds. Journalism, galloped out six furlongs in 1:13.52 and seven-eighths in 1:26.73. “I have to be honest, I don’t want to find an excuse, he moves very well, but on race day the track is going to be different,” Rispoli said. “If the track is going to be this way, I don’t think we’re going to have any problem with the track.” :: KENTUCKY DERBY 2025: Point standings, prep schedule, news, and more Hopefully, Journalism next Saturday has a better trip than Rispoli himself had last Saturday. Rispoli, after riding at Santa Anita on Friday, took a red-eye from Los Angeles to Cincinnati. He arrived at 4:55 a.m. Saturday and drove to Louisville, getting there in time to work Journalism, which was scheduled to happen at 7:15. The main track on Saturday was wet from Friday rain and ultimately McCarthy opted to postpone the work to Sunday, when he figured to catch a better track. Rispoli, who was scheduled to fly back to California to ride Saturday at Santa Anita, attempted to do that. He flew from Louisville to Atlanta, where he had one flight canceled and a second delayed more than five hours. He wouldn’t have arrived back in California in time to keep his commitments. Thus, Rispoli flew back to Louisville so he could get on Journalism Sunday morning. McCarthy was glad to have Rispoli work the horse, in part to get reacquainted with Churchill Downs. Rispoli’s last mount here was last year’s Kentucky Derby when he guided Endlessly, trained by McCarthy, to a ninth-place finish. Journalism will be Rispoli’s third Derby mount. “Umberto, obviously, he’s ridden this race a few times, but I just wanted him to have a good look around,” McCarthy said. “Horse and rider today.” McCarthy wasn’t necessarily looking for a whole lot from a time perspective. “Just a nice leg-stretcher,” McCarthy said. “He got to see the whole place. Umberto seemed like he was very happy.” Rispoli hung around for a little while after the breeze before heading back to California, where he was scheduled to ride on Sunday at Santa Anita. This time, his flight was going through Houston. “Hopefully, we get better luck than Altanta,” Rispoli said. “Fingers crossed I can get to Santa Anita for the races.” Journalism was one of six Kentucky Derby contenders to put in workouts during a 10-minute period Sunday morning on a dry, crisp morning in Louisville. Rodriguez, the Wood Memorial winer trained by Bob Baffert, went a solid five furlongs in 59.72 seconds out in 1:12.82, per Welsch. “It was just a fluid work, picked it up down the lane a little bit,” Baffert said on FanDuelTV after the work. “You want a horse to look like that. I could tell he was doing it with ease, loves the track. The horse is getting so mature now compared to the last few races.” Sovereignty, the Fountain of Youth winner, went five furlongs in 1:01.91, per Welsch. The move, in which he drew away from a workmate was, by design, a little slower than his previous move, which was timed in 1:00.93 and punctuated by a huge gallop out. “We purposely didn’t let him go as quickly as we did the other day,” Bill Mott, Sovereignty’s trainer, said. “We just wanted him in the rider’s hands today, which he was.” East Avenue, expected to be on the lead in the Derby, worked five furlongs in 59.05 seconds, per Welsch. He began the work sitting slightly off a stablemate who dictated the early pace before East Avenue ran away from his workmate late. “I just wanted him to sit off early on so they wouldn’t go too fast,” trainer Brendan Walsh said. “I thought they picked up really well. I had him coming home in 11 and change. He’s a good worker and rarely has a bad day.” Trainer Steve Asmussen’s pair of Derby closers Publisher and Tiztastic each worked a half-mile by themselves. Publisher, the Arkansas Derby runner-up who remains a maiden, went a half-mile in 48.86 seconds while Tiztastic, the Louisiana Derby winner, went an easier half in 50.40 seconds. “Both horses have been beautifully relaxed in the morning, nice and loose, traveling extremely well, handling well, feel good about themselves,” said Asmussen, still in search of that first Derby win. “All those things make everyone around the barn smile.” :: Want to learn more about handicapping and wagering? Check out DRF's Handicapping 101 and Wagering 101 pages.