Kentucky Derby 144
Justify
…only a very few shall fly
without wings
Greek
mythology teaches of the winged, white stallion Pegasus, he who was blessed
with the ability to fly the heavens, his unmatched speed, grace and august
beauty even to this day symbolizing freedom, majesty and power. Saturday past, on the wettest Kentucky Derby
in its very long history, a different version of mighty Pegasus emerged, not on
this occasion from the decapitated body of Medusa but, rather, from the sea of
mud which that day was Churchill Downs.
The famous race track announcer Trevor Denman had numerous colorful,
descriptive phrases in his repertoire when calling a race. Had he been the race caller for Saturday’s
Derby he undoubtedly would have bought forth his favorite line used in
recognition of a totally dominant, overwhelming performance: “They are going to have to sprout wings to
catch Justify.” No such Pegasus beguiler
emerged and, on this day, had such a magical creature burst forth from the
mire, mere wings would have likely proved most inadequate to the daunting task
of conquering racing’s newest superstar.
Record rains
fell continuously throughout the day over the venerable racing oval but could
do nothing to dampen spirits of nearly 160,000 fans who donned plastic of varying
shape and color to ward off the elements.
Festive dress of all imaginable nature was not in any apparent way
subdued by the foreboding weather forecast, with the ladies, young and old,
dressed in their celebratory best, while the men, being men, were most
complimentary and thankful for this fact!
The party early on appeared to reside under the shelter of the
grandstand but, as the liberating beverages took their anticipated effect, the
now raucous crowd moved outside and danced in tune with the rain drops.
This 144th
running of America’s first racing Classic saw a full field of 20 Thoroughbreds
face the starter for the 1 ¼ mile journey, a near two minute quest for fame and
fortune, the ultimate rose garland to be earned but by one on this day, with praiseworthy
recognition and continued hope for some, and harsh reality for others among the
vanquished. After each Kentucky Derby
there is but one horse for which the Triple Crown dream continues and the
racing public is not forgiving while analyzing this probability. In some renewals, perhaps most, there is a
hope, but little conviction, that the victor might prove so special as to
capture this most elusive of all racing prizes.
Within minutes the talk shifts from the Derby to the probability, or
improbability, that the winner might prove superior enough to capture the 2nd
and 3rd legs of the Crown. On
this particular day the near unanimous opinion was that this was a very good crop
of three year old colts, that there were at least ½ dozen of which could peak
on this day and go on to prove dominant over the remainder of the sophomore
class. While the inherent talent of
Justify was without doubt, serious reservations existed about the probability
that, on this specific day, such raw talent was sufficient to overcome his lack
of seasoning and that he, along with the well regarded Magnum Moon, could
overcome the so-called “curse of Apollo”, and win the Derby having never raced
as a two year old. Indeed, Justify
entered the gate undefeated and with but only three previous starts while
Magnum Moon, also undefeated, had faced the starter on only four occasions. These facts alone cast serious doubts on the
likelihood of victory, concerns only compounded by the extremely challenging
racing surface.
Any concerns
about Justify quickly proved for naught.
Breaking very alertly from the seven hole under Hall of Fame jockey Mike
Smith, Justify seemed to relish the off-going, and with massive strides quickly
swept to the fore, challenged to his inside by the speedy Promises Fulfilled
under Corey Lanerie. The early fractions
were rapid and challenging, especially for the tiring surface, with the first ¼
mile run in 22.24 seconds and the ½ mile in 45.77, a ½ mile time 1.80 seconds
faster than the immortals Secretariat and Spectacular Bid accomplished while
racing on fast racing surfaces. Fully
recognizing that it is how a horse finishes, not how he or she starts, that is of
paramount importance in racing, nonetheless such fractions on such a surface speak
volumes about the quality of the horse that not only perseveres but dominates
his competition from that point forth.
The challenge of Promises
Fulfilled was put to rest around the ½ mile marker at which junction he began a steady retreat to ultimately finish 15th, some twenty lengths behind the winner, and here one suspects
that future racing will find him shortened up considerably. Good Magic, the reigning two year old
champion and winner of Keeneland’s G2 Blue Grass Stakes in the first week of
April, closely stalked Justify throughout the race and launched his bid in
earnest at the top of the stretch with Justify holding a 1 ½ length advantage
at that time. Showing much courage, this
chestnut son of Curlin put forth great effort in his attempt to come to even terms with Justify but the
latter displayed fortitude becoming of his prodigious talent and kept finding more, the long stretch finding Justify pulling to defeat Good
Magic ultimately by 2 ½ lengths. Audible put in a commendable rail rally to
just miss second, with 85:1 longshot
Instilled Regard another 1 ¾ lengths back in fourth. Very impressive, and suffering a brutally
wide trip, was the fast closing My Boy Jack, winner of the G3 Lexington Stakes
at Keeneland in April. Some 15 lengths
back in the early going, and with but one horse beat as the leaders hit the ½
mile pole, his late closing style played to great disadvantage in this huge
field as he was forced to go eight horses wide turning into the stretch. While closing
with very good energy he never posed any threat to the winner and finished a
non-threatening fifth. European invader
Mendelssohn had a very difficult trip, lost all chance early, and was ridden
cautiously and ultimately eased by rider Ryan Moore, this race giving no
indication of the talent within this beautifully bred colt. Much more will surely be later heard from this Aidan
O’Brien trainee. Highly regarded Magnum
Moon had a very rough trip and defeated but one horse, while the very talented
Bolt d’ Oro raced forwardly while
closely stalking the leaders in the early going, but faded badly in the final ¼
mile to finish a soundly beaten 12th.
And so we
are down to Justify as the bearer of the torch, or perhaps burden if you will,
of being our hope for another Triple Crown winner. He has done much in his brief career. He joins a very exclusive group of undefeated
Derby winners; he has forever put to death the 136 year curse of no horse
winning the Kentucky Derby without racing at two years of age; he was
victorious on the wettest Kentucky Derby ever; his opening first ½ mile is
among the fastest ever, yet he finished with good energy and was never
threatened. He is a grand chestnut
specimen and his potential at this stage appears limitless. Concern still relates to his lack of
foundation. While he was the clear and
never threatened victor, he was in a full drive, with jockey Mike Smith using
the stick at least eight times in the stretch, fully extending the willing colt. Leaving the track his head was low, he walked
very quietly, and he looked fatigued, which of course he had every right to be,
but such observations mean little when the normal behavior of a horse is
unknown. The clustering of races at 2-3
week intervals while a horse is in good form has many advocates but, with his
limited racing experience and the Preakness but two weeks hence, the hope is
that this race did not take too much from him.
If such proves the case recognition of the fact and bypassing the
Preakness would be a very sensible, if not unpopular, decision. Fortunately Justify is in the hands of the
consummate horseman in trainer Bob Baffert and, with nothing left to prove in
his legendary career, there is little doubt he will recommend what is best for
this very special son of the outstanding, and unfortunately deceased, stallion,
Scat Daddy. American Pharoah, Arrogate,
Gun Runner, and now comes Justify, a very special colt who appears to have all
the physical and mental tools requisite to join this illustrious group of Hall
of Fame quality horses. Only time will
tell but the dream is alive and in good hands... and again we hope!
Murray West
(From Bourbon Citizen article)
All photos by Murray West
Paris, Ky
Glad you’re back, Mur!
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