Justify’s Triple Crown caps magical run
What a ride it’s been for Canadian John Gunther and Glennwood Farm.
Justify captured the Belmont Stakes by 1 3/4 lengths Saturday to become just the 13th U.S. Triple Crown champion and second since 1978. The majestic chestnut colt was bred at Glennwood Farm in Versailles, Ky., which is owned by Gunther and run by his daughter, Tanya.
“What an amazing experience, my heart was pounding and I had to sit down,” said Gunther, who witnessed Justify’s historic run at Belmont Park. “Everybody was in tears, the staff at Glennwood, my daughter and even myself.
“It’s just incredible to consider the horse’s first start was Feb. 18. What he’s accomplished in such a short time is just really incredible, I just don’t know what else to say.”
It was Tanya Gunther who paired Justify’s sire (Scat Daddy) and mare (Stage Magic). John Gunther credits his daughter’s encyclopedic understanding of blood-lines for creating the champion thoroughbred.
“This means everything to Glennwood,” said John Gunther. “We’re a small, petite farm and now we’re going to be recognized around the world.
“Any time we’re consigning yearlings we’re going to get people certainly taking a second look at our consignments when we do sell yearlings. We’ve been able to brand something very special in Assistant trainer Jimmy Barnes leads Justify to the winner’s circle as jockey Mike Smith celebrates after winning the Triple Crown at the 150th running of the Belmont Stakes horse race in Elmont, N.Y.
what we’ve accomplished.”
The Gunthers knew shortly after Justify’s birth he was something special. In fact, John Gunther, of Langley, B. C., was so convinced Justify would win the Triple Crown he boldly predicted the sweep long before the horse’s Kentucky Derby win last month.
“What’s most impressive about him is his mental attitude, nothing upsets him at all,” Gunther said. “You look at 170,000 people yelling and screaming at the Kentucky Derby and he doesn’t even turn a hair.
“When we saw him in the paddock (Saturday), he just looked so typically fantastic. He even looked like he added a few pounds from the Preakness, I mean, this horse
just recovers so amazingly quick.”
At 6-0, Justify joins the legendary Seattle Slew (1977) as the only two undefeated Triple Crown winners. Justify is also the first horse to register the sweep without racing as a two-year-old due to a pulled muscle.
Justify’s pedigree features plenty of Canadian content.
Scat Daddy’s bloodlines include Canadian-breds Nijinsky (an English Triple Crown champion), Northern Dancer and Storm Bird. Stage Magic’s genealogy features Canadian Hall of Famer Awesome Again — the 1997 Queen’s Plate and 1998 Breeders’ Cup Classic champion — and Canadian-breds Deputy Minister, Vice Regent and Mint Copy.