Justify professional in final Belmont Stakes work
LOUISVILLE, Ky. – Bob Baffert’s work is mostly done. The Hall of Fame trainer sent out Triple Crown hopeful Justify for the colt’s final pre-race breeze Monday morning at Churchill Downs and now will look to jockey Mike Smith and the racing gods to see what awaits Saturday in the 150th Belmont Stakes.
“If it’s meant to be, it’s going to happen,” Baffert told a media throng after Justify went five furlongs in 1:01.40. “Right now, all we can do is prepare.”
On a perfect spring morning, Justify was his professional self in the Monday work, which came over a freshly harrowed surface and with Martin Garcia in from California to ride. Breaking off approaching the half-mile pole, the colt went in splits of 12.80 seconds, 24.80, 37, and under the wire in 48.80, with a six-furlong “out” time to the three-quarter pole in 1:13.60.
Baffert, who arrived Sunday in Louisville from his California home and was scheduled to fly Tuesday to New York ahead of the Belmont post-position draw at Citi Field in Flushing, could not have been more pleased.
“He went smooth,” he said. “He relaxed nice … came back, Martin was happy with him, said he didn’t take a deep breath. Everything’s good.”
This was the second work for Justify since the colt won the May 19 Preakness; the colt breezed a half-mile here May 29 in 46.80 seconds. The work pattern is identical to what Baffert used here three years ago in preparing American Pharoah for the Belmont, which he won to become the first Triple Crown winner in 37 years.
Justify is booked on an equine charter flight scheduled to leave Louisville International Airport at about 10 a.m. Eastern on Wednesday. The plane will land at Long Island MacArthur Airport in Islip, N.Y., a couple of hours later, with a van waiting to transport him to Belmont Park.
As the heavy Belmont favorite, Justify will be seeking to become the 13th horse to sweep the Triple Crown and just the second to do so while unbeaten, following Seattle Slew (1977).
Baffert said the pressure to complete the Triple Crown now shifts mostly from him to Smith, the Hall of Fame jockey who has ridden Justify in his last four starts, including the Kentucky Derby and Preakness.
“A good rider like him, they just keep a good horse from getting beat,” said Baffert. “His job is keep him out of trouble … he’s going to have to make some split-second decisions. He’s going to have a lot of pressure on him.”
Baffert said he is feeling the excitement build as the Belmont draws closer.
“I can tell it at the airports,” he said. “Complete strangers telling me, ‘Good luck in the Belmont.’ … America is a sports kind of society, so I think it brings a lot of excitement.” Justify, he added, “has become a rock star like Pharoah, so let’s see if he can do it.”
Baffert has a second entry in the Belmont in Restoring Hope, who also had his final breeze shortly after Justify went. With Florent Geroux up, Restoring Hope went six furlongs in 1:13.
“He went really well,” said Baffert. “He’s a steady, one-paced kind of horse.”
In all, five Belmont starters will be traveling to Belmont from Churchill. Besides the Baffert pair – both booked on the same Wednesday flight with Free Drop Billy – Bravazo left here early Monday by van, while Tenfold was booked on a Tuesday charter flight into Islip.
A field of 10 was expected to be entered on Tuesday in the Belmont Stakes, with posts drawn later in the day. In addition to Justify, Bravazo, Free Drop Billy, Restoring Hope, and Tenfold, the field was expected to include Blended Citizen, Gronkowski, Hofburg, Noble Indy, and Vino Rosso.
If that field size holds, and Justify beats nine opponents, it would set a record for most horses defeated in the Belmont Stakes with a Triple Crown on the line. American Pharoah (2015) and Citation (1948) both beat seven rivals in their Belmont victories.
Justify won both the Derby and Preakness on off tracks, and there is a growing chance of rain on Belmont day, too. The Weather Channel forecast for Saturday is for a 50 percent chance of afternoon showers, and a high temperature of 74 degrees.
It rained Sunday night into Monday at Belmont Park, resulting in off tracks Monday morning for training on both the main track and training track. More rain was forecast for Tuesday, but both Wednesday and Thursday are expected to be dry, and refreshingly mild, with high temperatures those days in the upper 60s.
– additional reporting by Jay PrivmanPROSPECTIVE BELMONT STAKES FIELD
| HORSE | TRAINER | JOCKEY | LAST RACE/FINISH |
| Blended Citizen | Doug O'Neill | Kyle Frey | Peter Pan Stakes - 1st (BEL) |
| Bravazo | D. Wayne Lukas | Luis Saez | Preakness - 2nd (PIM) |
| Free Drop Billy | Dale Romans | Robby Albarado | Kentucky Derby - 16th (CD) |
| Gronkowski | Chad Brown | Jose Ortiz | Burradon Stakes - 1st (Newcastle - ENG) |
| Hofburg | Bill Mott | Irad Ortiz Jr. | Kentucky Derby - 7th (CD) |
| Justify | Bob Baffert | Mike Smith | Preakness - 1st (PIM) |
| Noble Indy | Todd Pletcher | Javier Castellano | Kentucky Derby - 17th (CD) |
| Restoring Hope | Bob Baffert | Florent Geroux | Pat Day Mile - 12th (CD) |
| Tenfold | Steve Asmussen | Ricardo Santana Jr. | Preakness - 3rd (PIM) |
| Vino Rosso | Todd Pletcher | John Velazquez | Kentucky Derby - 9th (CD) |
