Justify set to return to California Sunday

ARCADIA, Calif. – Triple Crown hero Justify is scheduled to be flown from Kentucky to California on Sunday and will be paraded between races at Santa Anita on Saturday, June 23, the track announced on Wednesday.

The June 23 event will include a ceremony honoring Justify’s accomplishments. Unbeaten in six starts, Justify became the 13th Triple Crown winner with a victory in the Belmont Stakes last Saturday.

Justify won three races at Santa Anita earlier this year, including the Santa Anita Derby on April 7.

Paradise Woods on brief vacation

Paradise Woods is in the midst of a vacation following a third-place finish in the Grade 1 Beholder Mile at Santa Anita on June 2.

Trainer Richard Mandella said on Wednesday that Paradise Woods has been turned out at Julie Adair-Stack’s local layup facility. Paradise Woods is expected to return to Mandella’s stable this month and is being considered for the Grade 1 Clement Hirsch Stakes at 1 1/16 miles at Del Mar on July 29.

Mandella said turf races or a sprint are other immediate possibilities for Paradise Woods, who won two Grade 1 races in 2017.