Superhorse!
Justify Dominates in Triple Crown Sweep
There was never controversy surrounding his brilliance, that question laid quickly to rest in the five previous starts of his meteoric career. Similarly, the question of his courage had been emphatically answered in the Preakness (G1) three weeks earlier when he dueled with the gallant two year old Eclipse champion Good Magic for 1 1/16th miles before finally putting that one away and then, digging deep, found enough to handily hold the late closers at bay while prevailing in an epic stretch run. The remaining question, the prevailing topic of concern, surrounded his ability to carry that speed an extra ¼ mile as he faced nine rivals in the final race of the Triple Crown series , the daunting 1 ½ mile Belmont Stakes (G1). Known in racing circles as the “Test of Champions,” this final leg in the journey has proved the stumbling block for many outstanding horses in its now 150 year history, the lengthy list of those falling to defeat including even Hall of Fame horses.
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| Ann and David Hanley, Winstar GM |
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| Jill and Bob Baffert |
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| Elliot Wladen, Winstar CEO |
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| Justify, exercise rider Humberto Gomez, and assistant trainer Jimmy Barnes |
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| Bob Baffert with Ron Turcotte |
The constant
murmur of the crowd escalated to a crescendo as the ten horses entered their
respective stalls in the starting gate then, as if frozen in time awaiting the
springing of the latch, all sound seemed muted as collective breath seemed held
in anticipation of the start. The ringing
of the bell and the springing of the stall doors was met with a deafening roar
from the crowd as the combatants exploded from the gate, over five tons of
equine royalty, each seeking the glory
of an American Classic while for one, firing from the number one position down
on the rail, a quest for racing
immortality! Here Justify responded
instantaneously to jockey Mike Smith’s encouragement leaving the gate,
accelerating like a quarter horse and seizing the lead, Smith clearly intent
upon taking immediate control of the race and not falling victim to the
dictates of others. Holding a 1 ½ length
advantage going into the first turn, after a ½ mile this advantage had extended
to 2 lengths. With Justify running
easily down the backstretch Restoring
Hope attempted to move on him to apply pressure but such tactics proved to no avail
as Smith simply let out a notch and the fluid moving red colt instantly
quickened and lengthened to maintain his comfortable margin. Restoring Hope was finished soon after one
mile, and now pursuit was taken up by the stamina-laden Vino Rosso. Here again Smith gave slight urging to
Justify and this challenge was also quickly rebuffed, Justify again seemingly
effortlessly quickening and lengthening stride as needed. Turning into the stretch with a two length
margin, the roar of the crowd was thunderous as all could sense that history
was in the making. Down the stretch the
outcome appeared never in doubt, Smith riding confidently, giving near-token
intermittent reminders to the grand colt to keep his mind on his task. The surprising Gronkowski, making his dirt
debut, proved his closest challenger as they entered deep stretch but was held
at bay with no difficulty. Inside the
1/16th pole, Smith put his stick away and crossed the wire a
relatively easy winner, finishing 1 ¾ lengths in front of Gronkowski with a
similar margin back to the third place Hofburg.
The final time was 2:28.18, 0.43 seconds faster than older horses had
run earlier on the card in the G2 Brooklyn Invitational.
After
waiting 37 years for a Triple Crown winner in the form of the grand American Pharoah
in 2015, a mere three years later finds him joined in the exclusive pantheon of
Triple Crown champions by the gorgeous Justify. The former is a long, lean bay
horse of moderate size, exquisite movement and gentle temperament, while the
latter a very tall, very flashy colt with Hollywood looks, body-builder
physique, equally beautiful movement, and a temperament that, while kind, keeps
those around him on the alert. Both
great horses were trained by the immensely gifted Hall of Fame trainer, Bob Baffert. With this Belmont victory Baffert now becomes
the winningest Classic winning trainer in history with 15 wins, this day
surpassing D. Wayne Lukas who to date has won 14 such races. Further, Baffert also becomes only the second
trainer in the history of the American Turf to saddle two Triple Crown winners,
the other conditioner being “Sunny” Jim Fitzsimmons who saddled Gallant Fox
(1930) and, from that one’s first foal crop of only 18 horses, his son Omaha
(1935), both in the colors of Belair Stud.
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| Justify with his groom, LAlo (Eduardo) |
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| Jimmy Barnes, Ass't Trainer |
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| Humberto Gomez, exercise rider for Justify |
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| Justify leaving Test Barn after Belmont victory |
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| G1 Belmont Stakes (Justify) and G1 The Ogden Phipps (Abel Tasman)...all in a day's work at the Baffert barn! |
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| Bobby Shiflet, Humberto Gomez (exercise rider for Justify), and Willie Koester |
Two Triple
Crown winners, three years apart, the first coming after an almost four decade
hiatus. Lest one mistakably think that
this journey has magically become easier, place that erroneous thought aside. This challenge is no less daunting now than
during those 36 years of frustration when many outstanding horses were foiled,
through one of a multitude of fashions, in their attempts to capture this most
elusive of all racing prizes. Savor the
wine, luxuriate in the bouquet, and most assuredly cherish the moment. We may possibly be blessed with another with
the coming of the new year but, over the course of time, history has taught
that we will witness this crowning achievement every eleven years, sometimes in
clusters within a golden decade, commonly with long droughts between drinks of
the nectar. For those who love the horse
and horse racing, this is the top of the mountain. We were blessed to be along for the ride.
Murray West
Adapted from Article in Bourbon Citizen
6-11-2018
All photos
by Murray West
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