Justifying his new crown

JUSTIFY’s racing career was brief but spectacular. With his first crop of three-year-olds, he has also gotten off to a spectacular start as a sire over the last two weekends.

Without racing in his two-year-old season and after winning his maiden on February 18th as a three-year-old, Justify won all his six starts, including the Triple Crown and was retired after winning the Belmont Stakes in June 9th, sent off favourite each time.

After watching Mendelsson take all the headlines in winning the 2018 UAE Derby by over 18 lengths that March, Bob Baffert was reported to have said on the winner “that’s the second best three-year-old in the world,” despite his Justify having just won an allowance race at the time.

Justify’s Belmont Stakes win was to prove his last racecourse outing. Subsequent revelations that Justify had scopolamine detected in post-race samples following his Santa Anita Derby win caused a bit of negative publicity. It could have prevented him running in Kentucky but results were not known before the Derby. His Santa Anita victory was only fully confirmed two years later with evidence of environmental contamination caused by Jimsonweed accepted as the reason for the scopolamine positive.

Racing’s 13th Triple Crown winner came just three years after American Pharoah had also completed that momentous feat. With admittedly limited evidence, the two champions have made contrasting beginnings at stud.

American Pharoah had by far the most impressive CV, proven to be an outstanding racehorse.

But to date he has been slow to shine as a sire, responsible for five Group or Grade 1 winners in America, Europe and Japan, Above The Curve in France, As Time Goes By and Harvey’s Lil Goil in the US, Critérium International victor Van Gogh and Japanese February Stakes scorer Cafe Pharoah.

Grade 1 winners

Justify already has two Grade 1 winners in Arabian Lion and Aspen Grove and the now hugely promising City Of Troy and Ramatuelle in France while Statuette is still absent and could add to his reputation.

His first crop included roughly 170 foals in the northern hemisphere did come from a host of quality Group 1 mares, the likes of Found, Misty For Me, Clemmie, Ballydoyle, Together, Immortal Verse, already dam of Tenebrism and Brave Anna.

The dams of Knicks Go, Golden Pal, Mine That Bird, Lady Aurelia, Classic Empire and Improbable among others gave him an incredible book. And he now has a southern hemisphere crops showing promise.

Getting off to such a fast start, he looks sure to continue to add to that big early impact.