Justify moving well, eating up Baffert says

LOUISVILLE, Ky. – Bob Baffert laid eyes on Justify in the flesh on Monday for the first time since the colt left Baltimore after winning the Preakness Stakes to move to the threshold of racing history. Baffert liked what he saw from his Triple Crown hopeful as the colt went for a routine gallop on a busy, warm morning at Churchill Downs.

Justify, who is unbeaten in five starts with his victories in the Kentucky Derby and Preakness Stakes, went for a gallop of about 1 1/2 miles under exercise rider Humberto Gomez during the training window reserved for Belmont Stakes hopefuls at Churchill Downs.

“I liked his flesh, he looked good, he’s holding it well,” Baffert said. “He’s moving really well. He’s hitting the ground really well. You can tell the rider had his hands full.

“He looks like he’s at his weight. He doesn’t look like he’s missed a meal.”

Having been in this position before – Baffert, of course, brought dual classic winners Silver Charm (1997), Real Quiet (1998), and War Emblem (2002) to the Belmont before breaking through with Triple Crown hero American Pharoah (2015) – the Hall of Fame trainer stressed Justify’s steady weight and strapping build as positive indicators as the colt trains toward the June 9 Belmont Stakes. Those factors may be of particular importance during what has been a hot and muggy period in Kentucky. The temperature had already climbed into the high 70s by the time the track opened to Belmont horses at 7:30 a.m.

“The thing he’s got going for him is he’s a big, strong horse and can handle a lot,” Baffert said. “He eats everything you put in front of him, and that’s the main key, that they don’t lose weight. I remember War Emblem, the heat got him. He wasn’t eating well. He lost a lot of weight during that time.”

Baffert said that Justify might have “a little light breeze” on Tuesday morning to keep sharpening the colt’s fitness in advance of a final work the weekend before the Belmont Stakes.

“I’m going to play it by ear and see how the track is,” Baffert said. “He has to go a mile and a half, and I want to make sure, when I throw Mike Smith on his back, he has a full tank of gas. I want to make sure that he’s fit. When they hit the stretch, if they get in a battle I want them to hit another gear. I want to give them that opportunity.”

Slated to work Tuesday for Baffert is Belmont hopeful Restoring Hope, who finished third in the Wood Memorial earlier this spring and was most recently 12th in the Pat Day Mile on the Kentucky Derby undercard. Restoring Hope, a homebred for Gary and Mary West, went for a routine gallop under Gomez shortly after the reserved window.

“He’s doing well,” Baffert said. “We’re gonna put a work into him. He’s a horse that just gets out there and is steady. He got away a little slow [in the Pat Day Mile] and never really picked it up in the mud. He really struggled on the off track.”

Working Monday morning was Free Drop Billy, who finished 16th in the Kentucky Derby. Churchill Downs clockers caught the colt going five furlongs in 59.60, after which trainer Dale Romans said Free Drop Billy would “probably” run in the Belmont.

Free Drop Billy, a Grade 1 winner as a juvenile, turned in splits of 12.60, 23.80, 35.60, and 47 en route to galloping out in 1:12 and 1:25.20.

Bravazo and Tenfold, second and third in the Preakness Stakes, went for routine gallops during the reserved training window.