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The best element of Marc Witkowski’s cherished time with Journalism is the opportunity to enjoy it with others.
The 44-year-old exercise rider from Tucson, Ariz., has done everything possible to share every step of his journey with his gravely ill mother, Mary, and his twin brother, Michael.
Getting a glimpse of her son on television galloping the nation’s best 3-year-old after Sovereignty has provided some solace to Mary as she struggles with inoperable cancer. She never imagined her son would one day play a role in developing a colt good enough to reach the Kentucky Derby and place second there, one good enough to produce Grade 1 victories in the Santa Anita Derby, the Preakness at Pimlico Race Course and the Haskell at Monmouth Park for trainer Michael McCarthy.
There appears to be no hope for Mary to recover. “A miracle might have to happen for her to beat it,” Witkowski said.
That is why his calls to his mother mean so much. the conversation after the Preakness, a race in which Journalism extricated himself from a world of trouble, was particularly emotional. He had never imagined being part of a team that prepared a horse capable of winning a Triple Crown race.
“She knows how much I love it. She was really, really happy for me,” the veteran rider said.
His twin brother is over-the-moon happy for him. “It’s been our dream, man, and he’s living it, which is amazing,” Michael said, adding, “We’ve always wanted this since we were kids and he’s actually doing it.”
When Witkowski was growing up in Tucson, he was drawn to Ramon Bazurto’s nearby ranch. Thoroughbreds and Quarter Horses were trained there. Over time, Bazurto became “like family.”
Bazurto seemingly possessed knowledge about everything and, observing the eagerness of his understudy, he was only too happy to mentor him. “He had a lot of good information about horses and life in general,” Witkowski said. “He was like a dictionary for horses.”
The boy never hesitated to consult that dictionary even as he learned by doing. He was cleaning stalls when he was eight or nine and began riding soon after that. He was breaking babies by the time he was 14.
“I loved it. I could never be away from it,” he said of the buzz of activity at the ranch.
Witkowski began galloping horses at old Rillito Park in Pima County, Ariz., at 16. He learned painful lessons there.
“I got on the nastiest horses that people brought to the racetrack to train,” he recalled. “I mean they brought horses that were half broke or had a saddle on them once or twice. I bought a piece of every part of that track.”
Over the years, he built on the foundation laid at Bazurto’s ranch. His skills have reached such a high level that West Coast-based McCarthy entrusted him with Journalism early on. The son of Curlin strongly hinted in the morning that he would be special in the afternoon.
Witkowski delighted in the power he felt even before Journalism debuted. “You could feel underneath you that there was horse there,” he said.
He thought the youngster might be worthy of the Kentucky Derby and was thrilled when McCarthy told him he would be part of the team traveling from California to Louisville. Assistant trainer Felipe Rivera and groom Rolando Navas also do their share of fussing over the carrot-loving Journalism.
“Should I pack for a week, two weeks?” Witkowski asked McCarthy.
“If everything goes well,” the trainer replied, “we could be out for a month.”
In a testament to the sporting nature of the connections, Journalism was the only horse to compete in all three legs of the Triple Crown, surrounding runner-up efforts to Sovereignty in the Derby and Belmont with a nerve-wracking Preakness that will be forever savored.
As it happened, Witkowski watched the middle jewel of the Triple Crown trackside with the exercise rider and groom for Gosger. They started jumping when their colt took the lead turning for home and began widening his advantage, seemingly on his way to victory.
Journalism, meanwhile, appeared to be hopelessly trapped on the rail before jockey Umberto Rispoli and his courageous mount essentially forced an opening when there appeared to be none and launched into hot pursuit of Gosger.
Now, Witkowski was doing the jumping, his pulse racing as Journalism closed ground on his foe with every powerful stride and blew past him by half a length.
“Oh, my God, a miracle just happened!” Witkowski exclaimed when the escape artist barely got up in time.
While Sovereignty has yet to be tested against older horses, Journalism showed he can keep such company by rallying to be second to 4-year-old Fierceness in the Aug. 30 Pacific Classic at Del Mar. That Grade 1 race set the stage for rematches with the likes of Fierceness, Sovereignty and other four-legged stars in the $7 million Breeders’ Cup Classic (G1) at the same track on Nov. 1.
“I pray for a safe trip and may the best horse win,” Witkowski said.
There is a footnote to this story. Witkowski’s twin, who learned the same lessons about horses as a boy, has been so moved by his brother’s ride that he plans to leave his sales position and return to an industry he also loves as soon as his financial circumstances allow.
This story was originally reported by Paulick Report on Sep 21, 2025, where it first appeared in the Features section. Add Paulick Report as a Preferred Source by clicking here.