Justify is the horse that won the Triple Crown.
The 13th and most recent winner of the American Triple Crown is a retired American thoroughbred named Justify.
He first attracted attention with a win in his first start in February of last year, followed by two more victories and a spot in the Kentucky Derby.The Triple Crown was won by Justify in the 2018?He was the only American who never lost a race in his career after winning the Triple Crown.
Seattle Slew, who Justify is descended from, was the second horse to win the American Triple Crown after Gallant Fox.Nijinsky won the English Triple Crown.Justify is the first Triple Crown winner who did not race as a two-year-old.
According to The New York Times, Justify tested positive for a banned substance that can be used to enhance performance.The case was dismissed by the California Horse Racing Board because the positive came just a few days after the Santa Anita Derby.[4]
A chestnut stallion with a white blaze on his forehead is named Justify.He was bred in Kentucky by John D. Gunther, who runs Glennwood Farm with his daughter.Without Parole, Vino Rosso, and Competitionofideas were among the 2015 foals of the Gunthers.The Eclipse Award for Outstanding Breeder was earned by Gunther.Stage Magic is a stakes-placed daughter of Ghostzapper.Stage Magic was named the Kentucky Broodmare of the Year.[9]
The second-last crop of Scat Daddy, which included Justify, won the Champagne Stakes and Florida Derby.His stud fee when he was bred to Stage Magic was only $35,000, as he first made his reputation in Europe and South America as a turf sire, with Group 1 winners including Lady Aurelia and Caravaggio.In December 2015, Scat Daddy died at the age of eleven.[2]
A recently formed partnership between WinStar Farm, China Horse Club and SF Racing bought Justify for $500,000 at the 2016 September Yearling Sales.David Hanley said that Justify stood out at the sales.He said that he was a beautiful yearling, with great balance and leg, great shoulder, and lovely length and neck.He was a big horse and he was light on his feet.Sol Kumin's Head of Plains partners bought a share in late March after SF Racing sold it.[15]
During his Triple Crown run, Justify weighed 1,380 pounds and stood 16.3 hands at the withers.After pulling a muscle, he was given time to recover and grow into his frame.He was going to be trained by Bob Baffert.[18]
Justify did not make his first start until February 18, 2018, in a maiden special weight race for three-year-olds.He broke poorly and rushed up to challenge for the early lead after being the 1-2 favorite.After completing the first quarter mile in a quick 21.80 seconds, he began to open up an advantage over the rest of the field.The colt was designated as a "Rising Star" by the Thoroughbred Daily News after his impressive win.Baffert said that the colt's chances of making the Kentucky Derby are not too late.We're looking for a graded stakes race.He was brilliant in the morning.[19]
Justify ran at a distance of one mile in his next start on March 11.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.Mike Smith said he didn't ask the colt to move.He came off the turn like he was on a stroll.Very impressed.I don't want to compare him to other horses, but does he remind you of an Easy Goer?A big red horse with a powerful stride.[20]
Despite never having raced in stakes company, Justify was ranked as one of the leading candidates for the Kentucky Derby, moving into seventh place in the March 12 NTRA poll.The colt needed to earn points in the Road to the Kentucky Derby to qualify.Baffert had originally planned to run Justify in the Arkansas Derby, but he changed his mind.Baffert decided to keep Justify at his home base despite the fact that McKinzie had an injury.[22]
Justify was part of a field of seven horses.Bolt d'Oro was a multiple stakes winner and a top contender on the Derby trail.Justify was the slight favorite, despite the fact that the two horses were almost evenly matched.He went to the early lead and set a comfortable pace that helped him conserve energy.The field started to close the gap around the final turn, with Bolt d'Oro getting to within 1 12 lengths.Justify responded to the challenge and drew away for a three-length lead.[23]
The New York Times reported that Justify failed a drug test after winning the Santa Anita Derby.The international standard of 60 ng/ml and the modified limit in California were used to calculate the amount detected.According to the New York Times article, the excessive amount detected suggested that it was used as a performance enhancer and not just a feed contaminant.It was possible that Justify would not have qualified for the Kentucky Derby if he had tested positive for a drug.The California Horse Racing Board did not announce the positive and delayed making a decision on the case before dismissing it in August.They changed the penalty for a positive test to a fine and trainer suspension, which is in line with international standards.[25][26]
The board's equine medical director explained that the result was due to feed contamination by jimson weed.One key factor was that horses from five different barns had high readings for scopalimine over the same period, though none of these were as high as Justify's.Arthur said that Justify may have eaten a seed or had his reading inflated because of dehydration after the race.He said that the blood level was quite low and that it was consistent with feed contamination because of the high level of atropine found in jimson weed.There are 27 and 26 items.
Baffert said in a statement on September 12 that he "unequivocally reject any implication that Justify or any of my horses were ever intentionally administered with the drug."[28]
The win made Justify the favorite for the Derby and moved him to the top of the NTRA 3-year-old poll.No horse has 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.The field for the Kentucky Derby was considered to be one of the best in recent memory, with the major prep race winners given serious consideration.Good Magic, Audible, Noble Indy, and Vino Rosso were all graded stakes winners.[29]
The Kentucky Derby was held on a rainy day.The track was still labeled sloppy despite the surface being sealed earlier in the day.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.Bolt d'Oro, Flameaway, and Good Magic followed closely after the first three-quarters of a mile.Bolt d'Oro and Good Magic were put to a drive as Promises Fulfilled dropped back.Justify responded to the challenge and opened up a lead of 1 12 lengths at the top of the stretch.Good Magic held on for second place.There are 30 and 31 days.
Justify's front-running style allowed him to come out of the race almost untouched.He appeared to have a problem in his left hind leg the day after, which Baffert attributed to "scratches or whatever" from the wet track.A heel bruise caused the sensitivity.Justify had a three-quarter horseshoe put on before he resumed galloping on May 10.[35]
The track conditions for the second leg of the Triple Crown were worse than the first.The track was sloppy after several days of rain.The rain finally stopped shortly before the race but then a heavy fog descended, limiting visibility to about a sixteenth of a mile.[38]
Justify took the early lead because of the critical start.Good Magic rushed up to challenge him and the two matched strides around the first turn and down the back stretch while setting moderate fractions.They opened a gap on the rest of the field after rounding the final turn.Bravazo was moving fastest of all in the center of the track while Tenfold was closing rapidly to Justify's outside.Justify won by half a length over Bravazo and Tenfold was just a neck back in third.There are 38 and 39 words.
Justify's speed figure was 97, the lowest of his career.Baffert felt that the colt had suffered a bit of a regression after a good 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.He said that you can't bring it all the time.He will be ready for the next one.[40]
Coolmore Stud paid $60 million for Justify's breeding rights prior to the running of the Preakness, according to a report by the New York Times.If Justify won the Triple Crown, a bonus of $25 million would kick in.WinStar Farm said nothing would be finalized in the "foreseeable future".[42]
American Pharoah, the last Triple Crown winner, was trained by Bob Baffert, who followed a similar training regimen with Justify before shipping to New York.American Pharoah is known as a kind, easy going horse whereas Justify is more dominant according to Baffert.Baffert said you have to watch him.He likes to push you.He's not a mean horse, but he is very patient with people.[42]
The sold-out crowd of 90,000 watched the race on June 9 over a fast track.A poor start would have resulted in Justify getting trapped on the rail.Smith sent Justify to the lead with a quick opening quarter of 23.37.He slowed down the pace as they moved around the first turn and back stretch, leading by two lengths over Restoring Hope.Around the far turn, Vino Rosso mounted a drive to move into second place, while Gronkowski and Hofburg were close behind.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.He ran a mile and a half race.There are 16 and 44 words.
Baffert was happy after the race.He told Forbes that he was proud to be an American and that there was a lot of help upstairs.It never gets old.Mike Smith deserves something like this because American Pharoah was my first love.He could have won every race on the undercard.[46]
Justify became the 13th winner of the American Triple Crown and the second horse to do it while still perfect.The owners of Justify received a total of $2.94 million for winning the Triple Crown.[46]
Baffert is the trainer of Restoring Hope, who was also trained by Florent Geroux.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 pushed Bravazo towards the rail.Some of the horses in the race believed that Geroux's actions gave Justify an advantage.Mike Repole, the co-owner of Vino Rosso and Noble Indy, told the Daily Racing Form that he was confused by Restoring Hope.John said he felt like Geroux was trying to protect Justify.D. Wayne Lukas, the trainer of Bravazo, did not think Restoring Hope's actions affected the outcome of the race.There are 47 and 49 words.
Baffert said that his original plan was to have Restoring Hope sit behind Justify.Restoring Hope became rank as Geroux wanted to be towards the front early.When he broke a step slow, I wanted to make sure I put him in the clear.I didn't want the horse to get aggressive behind the horses, so I covered him up.If he was behind horses, it would have been worse.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.Florent had no choice, the horse was out of control.I don't know.The stewards spoke to Geroux about his ride the Thursday after the race.The stewards were only talking to Geroux because of the media attention.I didn't bother anyone.He said that if there was a race that needed to be reviewed, they would contact him immediately.50
Justify was paraded before a large crowd at Churchill Downs on June 16.He was shipped back to Santa Anita, where he was paraded on June 23.Baffert kept Justify in light training to give him time to recover from the Triple Crown campaign.He wanted to complete the Grand Slam by racing Justify in the Breeders Cup Classic.Baffert noticed a slight filling in the ankle of Justify in July.Baffert decided to send the colt for a detailed evaluation after the filling subsided but reappeared a few days later.On July 25, 2018, Justify was retired from racing, ending his bid for the Grand Slam.There are 53 and 54 words.
Justify was given a rating of 125, making him the second best three-year-old colt behind Roaring Lion and the eighth best racehorse in the world.[58]
Justify was named the American Horse of the Year with 191 votes compared to 51 votes for Accelerate.Justify was the unanimous choice for champion three-year-old male.60
The NTRA Moment of the Year was chosen from events that demonstrate a range of human emotions as well as outstanding displays of equine athletic ability.61
On September 14, WinStar Farm announced that Justify would stand at Ashford Stud, the North America branch of Coolmore Stud.His stud fee will be $150,000 in 2019.[63]
In the third and fifth generations, Justify is the sire of full sisters Yarn and Preach.Northern Dancer line bred through Storm Cat, Yarn, Nijinsky, Preach, and Baldski.Native Dancer, Nearco, and Man o' War are just a few of the great sires that Justify has line breedings on.It was 65 and 66.