Kentucky Derby hero Justify one race away from Triple Crown glory

Report: USA, Saturday

Pimlico: Preakness Stakes (Grade 1) 1m1½f | dirt | 3yo

Kentucky Derby winner Justify will bid to become the 13th winner of the US Triple Crown after denying a select field of seven rivals to land the Preakness Stakes.

Sent off 2-5 favourite following his impressive performance at Churchill Downs, the Bob Baffert-trained colt held off a fast-finishing Bravazo in second following a lengthy battle with Derby runner-up Good Magic.

Drawn in stall seven, Justify and jockey Mike Smith immediately made a move for the lead, but were soon joined by Jose Ortiz and Good Magic, who secured the rail. The status quo remained turning into – and out of – the back stretch, the crowd straining to see through dense fog as the pair went toe-to-toe through the testing conditions.

Turning for home Smith asked the question, going for the whip and bidding to separate himself from the tussle. Justify responded with ease, and despite Good Magic rallying and fighting his way back to within touching distance of the lead, he was unable to peg back the winner, being overtaken by Bravazo and the outsider Tenfold to lose out on the places.

Triple Crown buzz can now be expected to reach fever pitch, but Baffert knows how precarious a position this can be, having sent three contenders to Belmont and missing out before finally making history with American Pharoah in 2015.

Speaking after Justify's victory, the Hall of Fame trainer said: "That was a nail-biter! Good Magic really put it to us – it's like they had their own private match race. Justify is such a great horse to handle all the pressure, he really had to work for it but he has the talent. I've never had one run that fast here."

In winning, Justify maintained Baffert's 100 per cent record in the race when sending his Kentucky Derby winners, the trainer having landed the double in 1997, 1998, 2002 and 2015.

Smith, who first won the Maryland Classic in 1993, said: "That was unbelievable, it's a dream come true. It's 23 years since my first one – I'm on cloud nine."

Justify and Mike Smith win the 144th Kentucky Derby at Churchill DownsCredit: Jamie Squire

Whether Justify would line up for the second Classic was in some doubt shortly after his Derby romp when suffering from a bruised heel, but the son of Scat Daddy was soon back in action and pleasing connections.

The colt now has three weeks to recover from his Maryland exertions before lining up in the 1m4f Belmont Stakes in New York on Saturday, June 9, where he will be given a chance to move from dual Classic winner to racing legend.

US Triple Crown: the lowdown

• Formed of three races: the Kentucky Derby at Churchill Downs (Kentucky), the Preakness Stakes at Pimlico (Maryland) and the Belmont Stakes at Belmont (New York).
• Unlike its British counterpart, the races are not run over progressively longer trips. Contenders start off over 1m2f in the Kentucky Derby, drop down half a furlong to 1m1½f in Baltimore, before stepping up to 1m4f in the Belmont Stakes.
• Twelve horses have successfully completed the incredible feat, most recently when Bob Baffert scored with American Pharoah in 2015. Before that historic victory, the most recent Triple Crown winner had been been Affirmed in 1978. Nijinsky is the most recent winner of the British Triple Crown (2,000 Guineas, Derby and St Leger), scoring for the legendary Vincent O'Brien in 1970.

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