Justify (horse)

Justify
Justify and his connections after the 2018 Preakness Stakes
Sire Scat Daddy
Grandsire Johannesburg
Dam Stage Magic
Damsire Ghostzapper
Sex Colt
Foaled March 28, 2015
Country United States
Color Chestnut
Breeder John D. Gunther
Owner WinStar Farm (Majority Owner), China Horse Club, Head of Plains Partners, Starlight Racing
Trainer Bob Baffert
Record 6: 6-0-0
Earnings $3,798,000[1]
Major wins

Santa Anita Derby (2018)

Triple Crown wins:
Kentucky Derby (2018)
Preakness Stakes (2018)
Belmont Stakes (2018)
Awards
13th American Triple Crown winner (2018)

Justify (foaled March 28, 2015) is a retired American Thoroughbred racehorse who became the thirteenth American Triple Crown winner in 2018. He first attracted attention with a win in his first start on February 18, 2018, followed by two more victories, including the Grade I Santa Anita Derby, to qualify for the 2018 Kentucky Derby. Justify then won that race, the 2018 Preakness Stakes, and the 2018 Belmont Stakes to win the Triple Crown. He was retired undefeated several weeks after the Belmont.

Justify is only the second horse to win the American Triple Crown with an undefeated record, following Seattle Slew. Justify is descended from Seattle Slew, Secretariat, Count Fleet, War Admiral, Omaha, and Gallant Fox, all of whom also won the American Triple Crown. He is also a descendant of English Triple Crown winner Nijinsky. Of the 13 American Triple Crown winners, Justify is the first who did not race as a two-year-old.

Background

Justify is a chestnut colt with a large white blaze on his forehead.[2] He was bred in Kentucky by Canadian[3] John D. Gunther, who runs Glennwood Farm with his daughter Tanya. Although the Gunthers have a small breeding operation, their 2015 foals also included Without Parole, a Group I winner at Royal Ascot, and Vino Rosso, a graded stakes winner who raced against Justify in both the Kentucky Derby and Belmont Stakes. Gunther also bred Justify's dam, Stage Magic, a stakes-placed daughter of Ghostzapper.[4][5]

Justify was part of the second-last crop of Scat Daddy, who won the Champagne Stakes and Florida Derby. Although Scat Daddy ran in America on the dirt, as a stallion he first made his reputation in Europe as a turf sire, with Group 1 winners including Lady Aurelia and Caravaggio[6] His stud fee when he was bred to Stage Magic in 2014 was only $35,000, though it was scheduled to increase to $100,000 in 2016. Scat Daddy died prematurely at the age of eleven in December 2015.[7]

Justify was sold at the 2016 Keeneland September Yearling Sales for $500,000 to a recently formed partnership between WinStar Farm (60% ownership), China Horse Club (25%) and SF Racing (15%), the latter run by employees of George Soros's investment firm.[8] David Hanley, general manager of WinStar, said that Justify stood out at the sales. "He was a beautiful yearling  had great balance and leg, great shoulder, and lovely length and neck, and power," he said. "For a big horse, he was very light on his feet, with good action and good energy."[9] In early March 2018, SF Racing sold a share to Starlight Racing,[10] then Sol Kumin's Head of Plains partners also bought a share in late March.[11]

Justify grew into a large horse, standing 16.3 hands (67 inches, 170 cm) at the withers and weighing 1,380 pounds (630 kg).[12] He was initially sent to trainer Rodolphe Brisset at Keeneland but pulled a muscle and was given time to recover and grow into his frame. In January 2018, he was sent to Santa Anita to be trained by Bob Baffert.[13]

Racing career

Justify did not make his first start until February 18, 2018, in a maiden special weight race for three-year-olds at Santa Anita Park over seven furlongs. Going off as the 1-2 favorite, he broke poorly then rushed up to challenge for the early lead. After completing the first quarter mile in a quick 21.80 seconds, he began to open up an advantage on the rest of the field, ultimately winning by 9 12 lengths. The impressive win earned a Beyer Speed Figure of 104 and caused the Thoroughbred Daily News to designate the colt as a "Rising Star". "It's not too late," said Baffert regarding the colt's chances of qualifying for the Kentucky Derby. "I've got a plan... We're looking (for a graded stakes race). He’s shown his brilliance in the morning."[14]

Justify made his next start on March 11 in an allowance race at Santa Anita, run at a distance of one mile. As the overwhelming 1-20 favorite, he broke slowly and settled behind the early leaders, On the far turn, he quickened and swept to an easy 6 12 length win. "I didn't ask him to move," said jockey Mike Smith, riding the colt for the first time. "He came off that turn like it was a stroll. Just very, very impressed. I hate to compare him to other horses right now, but doesn’t he remind you of an Easy Goer way back in the day. Just a big ol’ red horse with a big, powerful stride."[15]

Despite never having raced in stakes company, Justify was subsequently ranked as one of the leading contenders for the Kentucky Derby, moving into seventh place in the March 12 NTRA poll.[16] However, the colt first needed to qualify by earning points in the 2018 Road to the Kentucky Derby. Baffert originally planned to run stablemate McKinzie in the Santa Anita Derby and ship Justify to Oaklawn Park for the Arkansas Derby. But when McKinzie suffered a setback due to injury, Baffert decided to keep Justify at his home base for the Santa Anita Derby.[17]

On April 7, Justify entered the Santa Anita Derby as part of a field of seven horses. His main rival was Bolt d'Oro, a multiple stakes winner and another top contender on the Derby trail. The two horses were almost evenly matched in the betting, with Justify going off as the slight favorite. He went to the early lead then set a comfortable pace down the backstretch, moving with a "freak stride" that helped him conserve energy. Around the final turn, the field started to close the gap, with Bolt d'Oro getting to within 1 12 lengths in mid-stretch. Justify responded to the challenge and drew away for a three-length lead despite drifting somewhat down the stretch.[18][19]

Kentucky Derby

The win moved Justify to the top position in the NTRA 3-year-old poll and made him the favorite for the Derby. To win the race though, he would have to overcome the so-called "Curse of Apollo" – no horse had won the Kentucky Derby without racing as a two-year-old since Apollo in 1882. Baffert pointed to the horse's natural ability but acknowledged the colt was still green.[20] Furthermore, the field for the 2018 Kentucky Derby was considered one of the best in recent memory, with most of the major prep race winners given serious consideration by handicappers. In addition to Justify, the field included graded stakes winners Good Magic (Breeders' Cup Juvenile and Blue Grass Stakes), Mendelssohn (Breeders' Cup Juvenile Turf and UAE Derby), Audible (Florida Derby), Magnum Moon (Arkansas Derby), Noble Indy (Louisiana Derby), Vino Rosso (Wood Memorial), My Boy Jack (Lexington Stakes), Free Drop Billy (Breeders' Futurity), Firenze Fire (Champagne Stakes) and Bolt d'Oro.[21]

The 2018 Kentucky Derby was held on May 5 on a rainy day at Churchill Downs. Although the surface had been sealed earlier in the day to minimize the effect of the rain on the footing, the track was still labeled as sloppy. Justify broke well and used his early speed to establish good position near the rail going into the first turn, running a length behind Promises Fulfilled in a fast opening quarter of 22.24 seconds. These two maintained their position for the first three-quarters of a mile, completed in 1:11, followed closely by Bolt d'Oro, Flameaway, and Good Magic. Going into the final turn, Promises Fulfilled dropped back while first Bolt d'Oro and then Good Magic were put to a drive. Justify responded to the challenge and opened up a lead of 1 12 lengths at the top of the stretch, widening to 2 12 lengths at the finish line. Good Magic held on for second while Audible closed late to finish third.[22][23][24]

Justify came out of the race almost untouched by the mud due to his front-running style.[25] The day after however, he appeared to be somewhat lame in his left hind leg – a condition that Baffert attributed to "scratches or whatever" from the wet track.[26] The sensitivity was later determined to have been caused by a heel bruise. To protect the heel, Justify was shod with a three-quarter horseshoe before he resumed galloping on May 10.[27]

Preakness Stakes

Justify narrowly wins in a blanket finish at the 2018 Preakness

The track conditions for the 2018 Preakness Stakes, run on May 19 at Pimlico Racetrack in Baltimore, were even worse than for the Derby.[28] After heavy rain over several days, the track was sloppy.[29] The rain finally stopped shortly before the race but then a heavy fog descended, limiting visibility to about a sixteenth of a mile.[30]

The start was once again critical, and Justify broke well to go take the early lead. To his inside, Good Magic rushed up to challenge him and the two matched strides around the first turn and down the backstretch while setting moderate fractions. They picked up the pace rounding the final turn and opened a gap on the rest of the field. However in mid-stretch, Tenfold started closing ground rapidly to Justify's outside while Bravazo, who had trailed by five lengths in mid-stretch, was moving fastest of all in the center of the track. Justify dug in to win by half a length over Bravazo, with Tenfold just a neck farther back in third, another neck in front of Good Magic.[30][31]

The win earned Justify a Beyer Speed Figure of 97, the lowest of his career. Baffert felt that the colt had suffered a bit of a "bounce", or regression, from a peak performance in the Derby. He was still impressed by Justify's performance, pointing out that the colt had been pushed hard by Good Magic and had also reacted greenly by jumping several puddles during the race. "You can't bring it all the time," he said. "This will set him up for the next one."[32]

On May 24, ESPN.com and the New York Times reported that Justify's breeding rights had been sold prior to the running of the Preakness to Coolmore Stud (which had owned his sire Scat Daddy) for $60 million. Reportedly, a bonus of $25 million would kick in if Justify subsequently won the Triple Crown.[33] WinStar Farm replied that they had received many inquiries but nothing would be finalized in the "foreseeable future".[34]

Belmont Stakes

Baffert was the trainer of the last Triple Crown winner, American Pharoah in 2015, and followed a similar training regimen with Justify at Churchill Downs until shipping to New York a few days before the Belmont.[32] Baffert noted that one of the main differences between the two horses was their attitude: American Pharoah is known as a kind, easy going horse whereas Justify is more dominant. "You have to watch him," said Baffert. "He likes to push you around. He's not a mean horse, but his patience level with people is, like, five seconds."[35]

Justify wins the Belmont Stakes.

The 2018 Belmont Stakes was run on June 9 over a fast track before a sold-out crowd of 90,000. Justify drew post position one, which meant that a poor start would have resulted in him getting trapped on the rail. However, Justify broke well and Smith sent him to the lead with a quick opening quarter of 23.37. He then slowed down the pace as they moved around the first turn and down the backstretch, leading by two lengths over Restoring Hope as he completed the mile in 1:38.09. Around the far turn, Vino Rosso mounted a drive to move into second place, while Gronkowski and Hofburg started closing on Vino Rosso from far back. Despite drifting out slightly in the stretch, Justify increased a one length lead over the challengers after the final turn to win by 1 34 lengths over Gronkowski. He completed the mile and a half race in 2:28.18.[12][36][37]

Baffert was elated following the race. "It's just amazing, I'm so proud to be an American, very emotional and a lot of help upstairs," he told Forbes. "It never gets old. American Pharoah was my first love, but wow, Mike Smith deserves something like this. This horse is just amazing, he could have won every race on the undercard today."[38]

The win made Justify the thirteenth winner of the American Triple Crown, and just the second horse to accomplish the feat while still undefeated.[37] Justify's owners received a total of $2.94 million for winning all three Triple Crown races.[38]

Controversy

Following the Belmont Stakes, observers questioned the tactics of jockey Florent Geroux aboard Restoring Hope, who was also trained by Baffert. Restoring Hope broke slowly from the starting gate but quickly headed for the lead in between horses, cutting in front of Noble Indy and drifting wide entering the first turn. He then veered left, pushing Bravazo towards the rail.[39] Some of those connected to other horses in the race believed that Geroux's actions helped give Justify an advantage by giving him an uncontested lead. Mike Repole, the co-owner of Vino Rosso and Noble Indy, told the Daily Racing Form that he was confused by seeing Restoring Hope "rush up like he was a Quarter Horse". Vino Rosso's rider John Velasquez said he felt like Geroux was trying to protect Justify.[40] On the other hand, D. Wayne Lukas, the trainer of Bravazo, found the situation "strange", but did not think Restoring Hope's actions affected the outcome of the race.[39][41]

In response, Baffert said that his original plan was to have Restoring Hope sit behind Justify in second. Geroux stated that he wanted to be towards the front early but Restoring Hope became rank. "When he broke a step slow - he's kind of an aggressive horse to ride, he pulls very hard - I wanted to make sure I put him in the clear. I didn't want to break, get the horse covered up and then the horse starts getting aggressive behind horses. It would have been even worse if he was behind horses.”[40] Gary West, the owner of Restoring Hope, told the New York Post that he was unaware of any plan to have the colt near the pace. "Maybe the horse was completely out of control and Florent had no choice. I will never know.”[41] The Belmont Park stewards spoke to Geroux about his ride the Thursday following the race. Geroux said he felt like the stewards were only talking to him because of the media attention. "I didn't bother anybody, I didn't shut anybody off. If there was something, I think they would have contacted me right away to review the race," he said.[42]

Injury

After the Belmont, Justify was returned to Churchill Downs where he was paraded before a large crowd on June 16.[43] He was then shipped back to Santa Anita, where he was paraded on June 23.[44] Baffert kept Justify in light training to give the colt time to recover from the grueling Triple Crown campaign. His ultimate target was to complete the Grand Slam later in the year by racing Justify in the Breeders Cup Classic. In early July, Baffert noticed a slight filling in the ankle of Justify's left front leg. The filling subsided but then reappeared a few days later, so Baffert decided to send the colt for a detailed evaluation. Justify was officially retired from racing on July 25, 2018, ending the colt's bid for the Grand Slam.[45][46][47]

Statistics

Date Age Distance Race Grade Track Odds Field Finish Winning time Winning
(losing)
margin
Jockey Ref
Feb 18, 2018 3 7 furlongs Maiden Special Weight Maiden Santa Anita 0.50* 5 1 1:21.86 9 12 lengths Drayden Van Dyke [48]
Mar 11, 2018 3 1 mile Allowance Optional Claiming Allowance Santa Anita 0.05* 5 1 1:35.73 6 12 lengths Mike E. Smith [49]
Apr 7, 2018 3 1 18 miles Santa Anita Derby Grade I Santa Anita 0.90* 7 1 1:49.72 3 lengths Mike E. Smith [19]
May 5, 2018 3 1 14 miles Kentucky Derby Grade I Churchill Downs 2.90* 20 1 2:04.20 2 12 lengths Mike E. Smith [22]
May 19, 2018 3 1 316 miles Preakness Stakes Grade I Pimlico 0.40* 8 1 1:55.93 12 length Mike E. Smith [31]
June 9, 2018 3 1 12 miles Belmont Stakes Grade I Belmont Park 0.80* 10 1 2:28.18 1 34 length Mike E. Smith [36]

An asterisk after the odds indicates that Justify was the post-time favorite.

Retirement

On September 14, 2018, WinStar Farm announced that Justify would stand at Ashford Stud, the North America branch of Coolmore Stud, although the original ownership group had retained some breeding rights.[50] His stud fee for 2019 will be $150,000.[51]

Pedigree

Pedigree of Justify, chestnut colt, March 28, 2015[52]
Sire
Scat Daddy
2004
Johannesburg
1999
Hennessy Storm Cat
Island Kitty
Myth Ogygian
Yarn
Love Style
1999
Mr. Prospector Raise a Native
Gold Digger
Likeable Style Nijinsky
Personable Lady
Dam
Stage Magic
2007
Ghostzapper
2000
Awesome Again Deputy Minister
Primal Force
Baby Zip Relaunch
Thirty Zip
Magical Illusion
2001
Pulpit A.P. Indy
Preach
Voodoo Lily Baldski
Cap the Moment (family: 1-h)

Justify is inbred 3 x 5 x 5 to Mr. Prospector, meaning this sire appears once in the third generation of the pedigree and twice in the fifth-generation as the sire of full sisters Yarn and Preach. Justify also has six crosses to Northern Dancer through Storm Cat, Yarn, Nijinsky, Deputy Minister, Preach, and Baldski. Further back, Justify's pedigree contains multiple crosses to some of the greatest sires of the twentieth century, including Native Dancer, Nearco, and Man o' War.[53][54]

Justify's pedigree includes several Triple Crown winners. He is a fifth generation descendant of Seattle Slew through A.P. Indy; a sixth generation descendant of Secretariat through both Storm Cat and A.P. Indy; descends from Count Fleet through Mr. Prospector and Primal Force, and has multiple crosses to War Admiral through Ogygian's daughter Myth, Personable Lady, and A.P. Indy.[52][55][56][57][58] Even farther back in his pedigree are Omaha and Gallant Fox.[59][60] Nijinsky, who appears several times in Justify's pedigree, won the English Triple Crown in 1970.[53]

References

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  2. McNamara, Ed. "Lightly raced Justify early Kentucky Derby favorite". Newsday. Retrieved 11 May 2018.
  3. "Justify born of Canadian father-daughter team's horse-breeding passion - CBC News".
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  5. Frary, Tom. "Frankel's Without Parole Remains Unbeaten In the St James's Palace". thoroughbreddailynews.com.
  6. "Mendelssohn scores more Grade 1 success for late Scat Daddy". Racing Post. Retrieved 14 April 2018.
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  8. Hoppert, Melissa; Goldstein, Matthew (7 June 2018). "A Secretive Investor in Triple Crown Contender Justify: George Soros". The New York Times. Retrieved 10 June 2018.
  9. "Justify's Victory Rewards Partnership Group" (PDF). The BloodHorse. pp. 11–12. Retrieved 6 May 2018.
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  13. Frakes, Jason. "Bob Baffert on Triple Crown talk for Justify: 'Not yet, not yet'". The Courier-Journal. Retrieved 6 May 2018.
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  28. Sheinin, Dave (18 May 2018). "Justify enters Preakness Stakes chasing history in weather that could be biblical". Washington Post. Retrieved 20 May 2018.
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  32. 1 2 Privman, Jay. "For Baffert, a familiar routine ahead of Triple Crown bid". www.drf.com. Retrieved 22 May 2018.
  33. Hoppert, Melissa; Drape, Joe. "Justify's Breeding Rights Are Said to Be Sold to Coolmore for $60 Million". New York Times. Retrieved 10 July 2018.
  34. "WinStar Issues Statement". bloodhorse.com. Retrieved 10 July 2018.
  35. Clarke, Liz (7 June 2018). "Justify's path to cusp of Triple Crown is unusual. But so is training a 1,380-pound athlete". Washington Post. Retrieved 10 June 2018.
  36. 1 2 "Chart of the Belmont Stakes". Equibase. Retrieved 10 June 2018.
  37. 1 2 Wincze Hughes, Alicia. "Justify 13th Triple Crown Winner After Belmont Victory". BloodHorse.com. Retrieved 10 June 2018.
  38. 1 2 Wood, Tim. "Belmont Stakes 2018 Results: Justify Triple Crown Winner, Final Order, Final Payouts And Total Purse". Forbes. Retrieved 2018-06-16.
  39. 1 2 Bieler, Des (2018-06-10). "Did Justify get undue help from another Bob Baffert horse in winning at Belmont?". Washington Post. ISSN 0190-8286. Retrieved 2018-06-16.
  40. 1 2 "Horsemen question Geroux's ride on Restoring Hope". www.drf.com. Retrieved 2018-06-16.
  41. 1 2 "Belmont controversy erupts: Did alliance ensure a Justify victory?". New York Post. 2018-06-10. Retrieved 2018-06-16.
  42. "Stewards talk to Geroux over Belmont Stakes ride". www.drf.com. Retrieved 2018-06-16.
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  50. "It's Official: Justify to Stand at Ashford Stud". BloodHorse.com. Retrieved 28 September 2018.
  51. "Justify's Stud Fee Set at $150,000 for 2019". BloodHorse.com. Retrieved 28 September 2018.
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  53. 1 2 "Experience Justify's pedigree with this video tour of his greatest ancestors". www.kentuckyderby.com. Retrieved 9 June 2018.
  54. "Man o' War's Century Of Influence - Horse Racing News | Paulick Report". www.paulickreport.com. Retrieved 12 June 2018.
  55. "Pedigree of A.P. Indy". www.pedigreequery.com. Retrieved 9 June 2018.
  56. "Pedigree of Storm Cat". www.pedigreequery.com. Retrieved 9 June 2018.
  57. "Pedigree of Primal Force". pedigreequery.com. Retrieved 9 June 2018.
  58. "Personable Lady Horse Pedigree". www.pedigreequery.com. Retrieved 9 June 2018.
  59. "Pedigree of Nijinsky". Pedigreequery. Retrieved 12 June 2018.
  60. "Pedigree of Storm Bird". Pedigreequery. Retrieved 12 June 2018.

See also

Media related to Justify (horse) at Wikimedia Commons

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