When Affirmed tenaciously flung his head down in the Belmont Stakes and held it there, winning the Triple Crown, he became the third horse in five years to capture the sacred prize. Racing fans were left rejoicing in the fact that they were surrounded by greatness after going so many years without bearing witness to a Triple Crown sweep. The previous drought of winners had reached a staggering 25 years before Secretariat put an end to the curse in 1973, triggering a cluster of winners in the wake of his feat. After Affirmed took home the carnations, people began to sing a different tune. Critics began to claim that the Triple Crown had become too easy, and felt that the next winner wouldn’t be too far in the future. Little did they know that they were about to endure the longest Triple Crown drought in history. It would be nearly four decades before the next horse would rise to be crowned.
After years of failure, the tunes of past critics switched from thinking the Triple Crown was too easy, to thinking it had become downright impossible. In fact, some people felt that the time between the races needed to be spaced out longer to make it easier. Many people were absolutely convinced that there was no way that the modern thoroughbred could conquer three difficult races, against the highest level of competition, in only five short weeks. Since Affirmed, thirteen talented horses had dominated in the Kentucky Derby and the Preakness, only to come up empty in the final, grueling challenge. Some of those were great champions, such as the legendary Spectacular Bid, Smarty Jones, and Sunday Silence, just to name a few. Seeing horses of their caliber fall short left racing fans feeling hopeless. If those horses were not great enough to sweep the three races, then just what kind of freak of nature did it take to win?
The answer to that question would come in the form of a bay colt with a short stump of a tail, and a misspelled name. The answer to that question was a horse named American Pharoah.
Trained by the legendary Bob Baffert, the intrepid specimen known as American Pharoah became the fourth horse to give his trainer a shot at the Triple Crown. Years before, it was Silver Charm, Real Quiet, and War Emblem who had taken the trainer to the edge of greatness. But in the final, testing challenge of the series, all three came up short of the prize. But things ended differently with American Pharoah. In 2015, the regal beast did what the predecessors of his stable had all failed to do. American Pharoah took the roses, the Black-eyed Susans, and the cape of carnations. American Pharoah looked the daunting challenge of the Crown dead in the eye and said "you're not stopping me". American Pharoah did what the experts said no modern horse could do, and proved to the world that yes, the Triple Crown can still be won.
Fast forward three years later and Bob Baffert is once again on the cusp of immortality. On the third Saturday in May, his hulking chestnut colt, Justify, dashed over the wire in the Preakness Stakes, declaring not only victory, but the hope for a Triple Crown. For the second time in two weeks, Justify stepped forward in the Classics to remind the world that he is the best of his class, passing every challenge thrown at him, and gliding through every obstacle with the grit and courage that only the true champions possess.
In five career starts, Justify has walked away from his competition, unmatched. The intrepid beast has yet to meet a challenge or foe that he cannot beat, and in three weeks, he will attempt to do what only twelve horses before him have ever done, and add his name to the exclusive list of Triple Crown champions.
From the very beginning, it was clear that Justify was different from the others. His smooth and efficient stride propels him over the ground with uncanny ease and grace, carrying him to thundering victories and the brink of history. To date, Justify has won races ranging from seven furlong sprints, to the testing distance of 1 1/4 miles. He has defeated his foes on a fast track, and in grueling oceans of slop. No matter the challenge, competition, distance, or surface, Justify has not been stopped. This massive, blazed son of the late Scat Daddy has consistently delivered courage, class, and determination to his races. Each and every test has been vanquished with superlative resiliency, and above all, heart.
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Justify's current domination of the three-year-old classics is made even more impressive when you consider the fact that this horse had never even raced until February of this year. Unlike many of his rivals who began their careers in 2017, Justify didn't debut until he was three. Far behind in achievement and lacking in experience, the young horse had a lot to do, but not a lot of time to do it when it came to making the gate for the Kentucky Derby. Yet, somehow, the unflappable youngster pulled it off. In only his third career start, Justify entered the Santa Anita Derby (Gr.1), and mercilessly wired the field in what was his stakes debut. From there he headed to Louisville, and conquered 19 formidable foes in America's greatest race. Winning the Kentucky Derby in your fourth career start is almost unheard of, but to add the Preakness to your resume two weeks later along with it is an absolute feat.
But the lure of this horse doesn't end there.
When Justify stormed over the wire in front in the Kentucky Derby, he became the first horse in 136 years, and only the second horse overall, to capture the roses without ever racing as a two-year-old. That feat in itself stood as a testament to the colt's raw ability. But now that Justify has taken the Preakness as his own, he stands as the one and only horse in the history of the sport to take down both classics, having never started at the age of two.
In the Preakness Stakes, Justify braved the blinding fog and sea of slop. He stormed over the track with supreme gallantry, being relentlessly hounded by Two-Year-Old Champion, Good Magic, every step of the way. In the stretch, Good Magic took it to his rival, but Justify was quick to shut it down. Justify looked Good Magic dead in the eye, dared him to keep up, and quickly found that he couldn't. With a devastating kick of his legs, Justify launched to the lead and refused to stop. He splashed rapidly down the stretch, empowered by the pulsating roar of the crowd. A thick cloak of fog heavily obscured the stretch, but what became clear was the fact that Justify was not home safe yet. Two daring colts, Bravazo and Tenfold, were launching their final and desperate attacks. The brazen duo were flying after Justify at an alarming rate, threatening to end his bid for the Crown. But then, from out of the fog came the familiar, blazed face of our Kentucky Derby hero, and there it stayed. With the stubborn grit and unwavering determination of a true champion, Justify refused to give in to defeat, and soared over the wire.
In the 1970s, the Triple Crown was claimed on three different occasions after a dry spell that lasted a quarter of a century. In 2015, American Pharoah ended a record-shattering drought of 37 years. Perhaps we are about to experience the revival of the '70s, and witness a cluster of Triple Crown winners after enduring such a staggering drought. Or maybe Justify will fall victim to the longest and most testing leg of the Triple Crown, and taste his first defeat on a day that victory will matter the most.There is no way to say for sure whether or not Justify truly has what it takes to add his name to the exalted ranks of the 12 Triple Crown winners. It is a question that only the colt can answer for for himself when the starting gates spring open on June 9. But one thing that we do know is that this horse is undeniably special. From the very start this colt has treaded the waters of history that were uncharted by his peers, and vanquished every test that has loomed along the way. Justify has been changing history in every race so far throughout his Triple Crown journey, and he might just continue to do it. The only thing that is certain as we move forward is that the Triple Crown is on the line, and that means that for now, hope is still alive.
Thank you to Eric Kalet for the pictures of Justify! You can find more of his work here http://erickalet.zenfolio.com/
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