Justify runs to glory
It wasn’t easy coming up with scenarios where Justify might have lost the Belmont. Maybe Noble Indy, the only opponent who had shown any speed f rom the gate, would soften up the Derby/ Preakness winner early. Maybe Bravazo would unleash the same big finish that brought him to within a length of victory in the Preakness. Or maybe Hofburg, benefiting from a cleaner trip than he had in the Derby, would give his sire (Tapit) his fourth Belmont win in five years.
Of course, none of these things happened. Noble Indy did not go with Justify early, eventually fading to last in the 10-horse field. Bravazo lacked punch in the lane and checked in sixth. And Hofburg, after looming a possible threat at the quarter-pole, was unable to make up ground in the stretch. He finished third, beaten 3½ lengths.
Justify’s stoutest opponent turned out to be Gronkowski, a 24-1 shot who had never raced on dirt or at a distance longer than a mile, and who was making his first start on this side of the Atlantic. After casually exiting the gate and falling nearly 15 lengths behind, the son of Lonhro put in a spirited run over the last three furlongs, motoring up the rail in mid-stretch to put himself in position to win should Justify falter.
But Justify did not falter, nor was he ever in serious danger of losing the race. He had no trouble making the lead from his inside post, and once he settled into his powerful, rhythmic stride on the backstretch, the outcome was not in doubt. He looked as strong over the final furlong as he had during the first 11, turning back the bid of Gronkowski to prevail by 1 ¾ lengths. The running time of 2:28.18 was the second-fastest Belmont (after American Pharoah) of the past decade.
As impressive as Justify was in his three Triple Crown victories, he may be remembered as much for what happened (or didn’t happen) in the months leading up to them. As most racing fans know, Justify is the first horse in 136 years to win the Kentucky Derby without having raced as a two-year-old. He made only three starts prior to the Derby. When he broke his maiden on Feb. 18, most of the horses he would face in the Derby had already raced four or five times.
What’s next for racing’s 13th Triple Crown winner, assuming he races again? Not surprisingly, nothing
has been announced as yet. Justify’s connections – which include at least four ownership groups – are no doubt still basking in their horse’s triumph. One possibility is a summer campaign that includes the Haskell Invitational and Travers. Having followed that route three years ago with his first Triple Crown winner, however, trainer Bob Baffert may still be
smarting from American Pharoah’s upset by Keen Ice in the Travers. A second option is to rest Justify over the summer, then bring him back for a race in the fall before running in the Breeders’ Cup Classic.
Both of these options could also include starts in the Pegasus World Cup and Dubai World Cup early next year. Nevertheless, given Justify’s almost incalcula-
ble worth as a stallion, his racing career is almost certainly destined to be a brief one. What are the odds that he’ll still being in training a year from now? Probably somewhere between 20-1 and 50-1.
Jeff Scott writes about horse racing Tuesday in The Saratogian. He may be reached at utahpine1@ aol.com.