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Congratulations Triple Crown Winner Justify!
As our final installment following a thrilling horse racing season, ISM extends our congratulations to Justify, trainer Bob Baffert, and jockey Mike Smith for accomplishing an incredible feat – an undefeated Triple Crown run! Saturday June 9th, 2018, Justify took the lead early on at Belmont Stakes, and held on for a 1 ¾ length win!
Take a look at some of the records that were set by this team over the Crown Races:
Justify – The star colt and 13th Triple Crown Winner
- Shattered the Apollo Curse (won the Kentucky Derby after not racing during his second year), which stood for 135 years.
- Took home the roses on the rainiest day in Derby history.
- Undefeated racing history – he has won six of six career races.
- Became the second 3-year-old to sweep the Crown undefeated – the other was Seattle Slew in 1977.
Mike Smith – Skilled veteran jockey
- Already a Hall of Famer, he is now the oldest jockey to win the Triple Crown.
Bob Baffert – Legendary trainer
- Baffert now has more attempts at the Triple Crown than any other trainers – with five horses winning at least 2/3 of their respective races.
- One of two trainers (the other being “Sunny Jim” Fitzsimmons) to saddle two Triple Crown winners!
It’s only been four years since Baffert’s last Triple Crown winner, American Pharoah, broke a 37-year streak without a winner. With Justify’s legendary win, Baffert has secured himself as the greatest horse trainer of the 21st century, if not of all time. Time will tell if Justify continues on to have a long racing career, or if he’ll go the route of American Pharoah who raced three more times after the Crown before settling in to the breeding life. Regardless, the name Justify will be recorded in racing history!