IN what was a quiet period leading into Royal Ascot close to home, by far the biggest story in the horseracing world came at Belmont Park in New York, where Justify became the 13th horse in history to win the US Triple Crown by adding the Belmont Stakes to his wins in the Kentucky Derby and Preakness Stakes.

Much advance speculation, including from this corner, centred on Justify’s ability to see out the 12-furlong trip at Belmont, but in the event he prevailed at least as comfortably as he had at Churchill Downs and Pimlico, holding Gronkowski by a length and three quarters.