He did it! Yes. Justify won the Belmont and crowned himself a Triple Crown Winner. And he did it in true champion fashion leading wire-to-wire and winning by 1 ¾ lengths in 2:28.18 (American Pharoah won by 5 ½ lengths in 2.26.65), but a win is a win and Justify now joins the other 12 Triple Crown Winners, while his trainer, Bob Baffert, joins “Sunny Jim” Fitzsimmons in saddling two Triple Crown Winners.(Yup. He also trained American Pharoah.). Justify’s win may not have been as spectacular as American Pharoah’s win in 2015, but he is only the second horse to have done so as undefeated (Seattle Slew was the first back in 1977). However, the same way Seattle Slew was compared to Secretariat, so will Justify be compared to American Pharoah. Both Triple Crown winners, both with different victories:
KENTUCKY DERBY: While American Pharoah settled in 4th place during most of the race, going wide on the last turn and battling Firing line all the way to the finish line, edging him out by a length, Justify lead wire-to-wire on a sloppy track, winning by 2 1/2 lengths.
PREAKNESS STAKES: American Pharoah broke early and held the lead throughout the race, breaking from the pack in the homestretch and winning by seven lengths. Justify also took the lead early, challenged by Good Magic all the way until mid-home stretch when Bravazo came thundering down on the outside and barely missed beating Justify by half a length.
BELMONT STAKES: American Pharoah pulled into the lead which he easily maintained from wire to wire, winning by 5 ½ lengths. Like American Pharoah, Justify went to the lead, winning by 1 ¾ lengths, holding off a serious charge from Gronkowski.
I know I shouldn’t have but I did boast to Ziggy about Justify winning the Belmont Stakes and grabbing the Triple Crown when she had her misgivings about him being able to do so. “Mare Intuition” is what she had claimed. Well, her “Mare Intuition” didn’t work this time, although she has been right about a lot of things in the past. After all, she did predict that American Pharoah would be a Triple Crown winner. I think she just liked him because he’s a bay like her.
