Baffert not worried ahead of final jewel

Hall of Fame trainer Bob Baffert exuded confidence after unbeaten Justify completed his preparations for the $1.5 million Belmont Stakes with a strong 1 3/8-mile gallop Friday morning at Belmont Park.

“This is what a trainer hopes to see the day before his horse runs,” said Baffert, who is attempting to join “Sunny Jim” Fitzsimmons as the only trainers to win two Triple Crowns.

Baffert, of course, earned his first Triple Crown in his fourth attempt when American Pharoah rolled in the Belmont in 2015. Fitzsimmons entered the record book with Gallant Fox (1930) and Omaha (1935).

Baffert is delighted with Justify’s conditioning and appearance.

“He looks no different than the way American Pharoah did coming in here,” he said. “So we’ll just have to see how it goes.”

Justify won the Kentucky Derby and the Preakness over sloppy tracks. He owns three wins over wet tracks in five starts. The weather forecast calls for partly cloudy skies with a 20 percent chance of rain.

But Baffert said: “I prefer to see a fast track.”

The New York Racing Association is marking the 25th anniversary of Julie Krone’s barrierbreaking ride aboard Colonial Affair in the 1993 Belmont. The Hall of Famer became the first female jockey to win a Triple Crown race.

Krone said the accomplishment became more meaningful to her over time.

“Twenty-five years later, girls still come up to me and say, ‘You inspired me so much. You let me know a girl could do it,’ ” said Krone.

She remains the only woman to ride a Triple Crown winner. Dale Romans, who trains Belmont longshot Free Drop Billy, may have good karma coming his way. When he attended the Mets game against the Orioles on Tuesday night following the draw for post positions at Citi Field, he spotted a young woman who was choking and unable to speak. He came to her aid with the Heimlich maneuver.

“I grabbed her, and two or three pops and she got rid of what was in her throat, got up and she was fine,” the hefty Romans said.

He will need all the luck he can muster. Free Drop Billy, facing tough competition throughout his career, is 2-for-9 lifetime. He ran 16th in the Kentucky Derby, lagging a whopping 41 lengths behind Justify.