Baffert all smiles as Justify sets sights on Preakness

LOUISVILLE, Ky. – As Justify was brought out to meet an adoring throng on Sunday morning here at Churchill Downs, like a king granting an audience to his loyal subjects, the colt got a bit worked up from the attention and the constant clicks from the cameras.

“You better get used to this,” said trainer Bob Baffert, looking up at Justify from the other end of the lead shank. “This is your new life.”

Indeed, Justify – who only came onto the racing scene less than three months ago – will be the face of racing for at least the next two weeks. Next up for him is the Preakness Stakes on May 19 at Pimlico, where he will try to keep hopes alive of sweeping the Triple Crown, something Baffert accomplished just three years ago with American Pharoah.

That quest was far from Baffert’s mind on Sunday morning. He said it was still sinking in that Justify had won the Derby in only his fourth start, becoming the first horse to win the Derby without racing at 2 since 1882, and giving Baffert his fifth Derby victory, the second most all time.

Justify set a fast pace and turned back several challengers during the 1 1/4-mile race to remain unbeaten after four starts. He got a Beyer Speed Figure of 103; all his figures have been at least 101.

“He came out of it really well,” Baffert said. “When I saw those fractions, most horses would have laid down. He kept on rolling. We saw another gear we hadn’t seen.”

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Baffert finally allowed himself to relax after what he said had been a stressful past two months owing to his expectations for Justify. The decisions he made to get Justify here – an allowance race March 11 after his romping maiden win on Feb. 18, the audible to go in the Santa Anita Derby on April 7 rather than the Arkansas Derby on April 14 when stablemate McKinzie was injured, plus doing all his serious training at Santa Anita – all paid off.

“Santa Anita is a great place to prep a horse. The track is deep, and you don’t have to fight the weather,” Baffert said. “It’s stressful all week when you come in with the favorite, a real favorite. We knew he was special.

“After his maiden win, we had a plan: Run in the allowance, then take one shot in the deep end, in the Arkansas Derby. Then the deal happened with McKinzie,” Baffert said. “The allowance, I give Santa Anita a lot of credit for making that go. We entered, and then everybody [else] vomited when they saw the entries.”

Elliott Walden, the president and chief executive of WinStar Farm, a co-owner of Justify, said he “got excited when Bob said he had a plan to get to the Derby” the day before Justify’s first race.

A mere 76 days after his first race, Justify was in the gate as the favorite for the Derby. Leaving the gate cleanly, Baffert said, put Justify in position to show his best.

“Once he got in the clear, I felt good about it,” Baffert said. “He has a big, long stride that’s so efficient. He’s a fast horse with a long stride. He can put good horses away.”

Baffert reiterated his belief, which he had stated prior to the Derby, that Justify belongs in the same company as his two recent superstars, American Pharoah and the champion colt Arrogate.

“I’d put him up there. Those are superior kind of horses,” Baffert said. “For a horse to do what he’s done, he’s really great.”