Leaving aside what happened at the top of the stretch, I suspect that one of the reasons that Rispoli was in that spot (going inside rather than around) was that he was less than confident about how much horse he had. I have watched both race calls, so I don't remember which one, but someone mentioned that Journalism was having to be niggled along on the backstretch. (I also suspect that the incident may have pissed the horse off enough to motivate his final surge.) That need for motivation on the backstretch may suggest that the gas tank is being drained and that he's a bet-against if he shows up in Saratoga in three weeks.