Two Minute Lick: Justify and His March to the Triple Crown...The Preakness

Justify Prevails in Thrilling Preakness 143

In horse racing, as in all sport, there is nothing so exciting, so compelling, as when two very special horses, each primed to the height of competitive readiness, lock horns and effectively turn a competition into a match race. So it was in the 143^rd renewal of the G1 Preakness Stakes run this past Saturday at Pimlico Race Track in Baltimore, Maryland.

With the track a virtual sea of slop, very reminiscent of the Kentucky Derby only two weeks ago, heavily overcast skies threatened a deluge throughout the day but, while the rain held off, the fog moved in. By post time visibility was so poor as to obscure the starting gate at the top of the stretch while the backstretch was cloaked with a seemingly impenetrable grey blanket. The numerous film cameras carefully positioned around the track circumference proved capable of capturing only brief seconds of the race at any given point before the field raced into a shroud of secrecy, to again emerge for a fleeting few seconds for the next camera. So it was, and only the jockeys will ever have a true understanding of what really transpired during the running of this race.

The break was very good for all horses, and the battle plan became immediately apparent. Though reportedly not the intent of trainer Chad Brown, it appears clear the Jose Ortiz aboard two year old champion and Kentucky Derby runner up Good Magic had no intention of allowing heavy favorite Justify to find himself alone on an uncontested lead. For his part Mike Smith aboard Justify was equally determined to grasp the lead. In the Sir Barton Stakes run one race prior to the Preakness he had used a front running strategy to great effectiveness when scoring a decisive victory with the highly promising Ax Man. Speed was king this day, both Ortiz and Smith totally understood this, and thus the stage was set for a showdown between two very special colts.

With Good Magic on the rail and the noticeably larger Justify to his immediate outside the two ran as a team, never more than a nostril separating these two gallant and immensely talented chestnut colts. Though Justify had a slight advantage at each point of call, in fact the lead changed hands numerous times during the race. As the couplet rounded the final bend and started their surge for Preakness glory they briefly separated from the trailing group, opening nearly five lengths at one point. Straightening for home it was the smaller Good Magic, taking all the worst of it on the deeper inside track, who very briefly emerged with a slight lead. At this point, however, Mike Smith asked the question of his mount and Justify responded with great courage, quickly rebuffing the challenge of his foe while accelerating to the front. It appeared he was going to draw clear of his gutty competitor but Good Magic, showing tremendous quality, fought very gamely and, while ever so slowly giving way, stayed within one length of Justify throughout the length of the stretch run. Stalking off the pace throughout, Bravazo, trained by the venerable and crafty D. Wayne Lukas, closed with great energy to get within ½ length of Justify at the wire, while Tenfold, the longest price on the board, made up great ground in the stretch run, losing the place position to Bravazo by a mere head while gaining the show position over Good Magic by a similar margin.

There will be those who will criticize the victor for the relatively slow final time of the race (1:55.93) and for what is seen to be a narrow victory by a diminishing 1/2length. With each Classic race the first comparison is always to the wonder chestnut of 45 years ago, the immortal Secretariat, for he established a near unassailable standard for all three of the Classic races. The bar is impossibly high, for his victories were never in doubt and his times scintillating, with each victory more spectacular than the previous. Such comparisons, however, serve little useful purpose. Races are run between the horses in the field, not against a phenom athlete of another era or some mythical stopwatch, and the final times of any race are dictated by so many factors other than innate ability of those competing. Make no doubt about it, Justify is a very special animal and on this day he proved that he is much more than just raw talent. He was pressed continuously by another exceptional animal in Good Magic. Bear in mind the latter took all the worst of it throughout the race as he was pinned up against the rail and was thus forced to run on the inside in the deeper, more tiring surface, a portion of the track truthfully more muddy than sloppy. That he fought on to be defeated by a mere one length after being headed 3/16ths mile out speaks volumes to his quality. He will be a force with which to be reckoned later this year and may well prove capable, if the stars align, of gaining a measure of revenge against Justify.

Assuming all goes well, the first three finishers will meet again in the 1 ½ mile Belmont Stakes to be run Saturday June 9, 2018 at Belmont Park. Bravazo and Tenfold closed very well to snatch the place and show positions away from Good Magic. The ability to stalk and finish strongly is wonderful, often giving hope to increased success the further races are run. So often, however, it is still speed that wins the Belmont. Justify has that quality in abundance and it will not be surprising to see him placed on the lead and gallop the field into submission in New York. Good Magic, for his part, is getting a short vacation and appears likely to emerge as a very major player in the late summer and autumn. He is a very good colt, do not be misled!

Murray D. West

5-19-2018

From Bourbon County Citizen article

All photos by Murray West

Note regarding photos:

While it is common to modify photos in the computer, typically one does so in an attempt to produce an end product which reproduces, as closely as possible, the photographer's recollection of the reality of the moment when the photo was taken. In the case of this year's Preakness, shooting conditions were such that reality was so foggy, color so muted, that the pictures would be essentially all hazed and shrouded in a grey mist. Therefore, many of the photos in this particular blog are significantly color enhanced in order to make them of interest. I have attempted to reproduce color which bears in mind the colors which might seen in more advantageous lighting circumstances. In other words, what we see in many of these pictures in this sure wasn't what was being seen on the track that day! I have inserted several unaltered photos for comparison. MDW

Friday morning, May 18, 2018