Justify wins sloppy Kentucky Derby, Baffert gets fifth title
LOUISVILLE, KY. — If you want to bust a racing curse, call Bob Baffert.
The white-haired trainer smashed a jinx that stood for 136 years when Justify splashed through the slop to win the Kentucky Derby by 2 1/2 lengths on Saturday. Not since Apollo in 1882 had a colt won the roses without racing as a two-year-old.
Now, Baffert is in position to make another run at the Triple Crown. Three years ago, he trained American Pharoah to the sport’s first sweep of the Derby, Preakness and Belmont in 37 years and just the 12th ever.
The Derby record for most wins by a trainer is within Baffert’s grasp, too. With his fifth victory, the 65-year-old snapped a tie for second and trails only Ben Jones with six.
Justify is just as impressive. The imposing chestnut colt with the blaze running from his eyes to the tip of his nose improved to 4-0 — winning his races by a combined 21 1/2 lengths. The favourite won for the sixth year in a row, the longest such run since the 1970s.
Mike Smith earned his second Derby victory, becoming at 52 the second-oldest winning jockey. Bill Shoemaker was 54 when he won with Ferdinand in 1986.
Smith crossed the finish line at Churchill Downs with only a few specks of mud on his white and green silks in the rainiest Derby in the race’s history. Nearly three inches fell on the crowd of
157,813.
“Amazing horse,” Smith said. “He’s got that ‘it’ factor. He is so above average, he’s got unbelievable talent and he’s got a mind to go with it. He was loving this stuff.”
Smith kept 5-2 favourite Justify near the lead throughout the race. He gunned Justify out of the No. 7 spot in the starting gate — something Baffert said had to happen — and the colt’s early speed helped hook leader Promises Fulfilled from the start.
“When he got away clean, then I thought we had a chance,” Baffert said. “We had to get away. Then Mike took his time.”
They set a blistering pace through the muck, going a halfmile in 45.77 seconds.
“It was an unbelievable performance by the winner, on this track, going that fast,” Derby trainer Dale Romans said. “He never stopped. He may be a super horse.”
Entering the final turn, Justify took the lead and kept on going to the finish under Smith’s lefthanded whip. Justify ran 1 1/4 miles in 2:04.20.
“I was just in awe of the performance,” Baffert said. “He just put himself up there with the greats.”
The victory was worth $1,432,000 to owners WinStar Farm, China Horse Club, Starlight Racing and Head of Plains Partners. They bought Justify for $500,000.