Who is Apollo Curse-Breaker & Kentucky Derby winner Justify
Yes, the son of champion sire
Scat Daddy on that rainy first Saturday in May, became the first 3 year old since Apollo in 1882 to win race one of the famed Triple Crown without racing as a 2 year old. It begs the question who is the colt who shot to fame in the last five months?
This emphatic win marks the fourth race with as many wins for this young Champion in the making.
Starting with the Maiden Special Weight Race at Santa Anita in Feb’18, he covered the 7F race in 1:21:86 seconds, and was, hold your breath, a 9 1/2 lengths ahead of Camby who came in second. That put the Scat Daddy Colt firmly in the news as a strong contender who was maybe dormant for too long.
Next up in March, at the Allowance Grade race in Santa Anita, he won the 1 mile race finishing 61/2 lengths ahead of the second best runner. Justify’s stablemate Mckinzie was due to run in the Gr.1 Santa Anita Derby in April however Mckinzie suffered an injury, and the baton was passed on to Justify. He thundered through the 1 1/8 mile long track, winning the race by 3 lengths against highly acclaimed Bolt D’Oro (sire Medaglia D’Oro).
Having been foaled on March 28th, 2015, Justify was sold for $500,000 at the Keeneland September Yearling Sales and snapped up by China Horse Club and Maverick Racing. Now jointly owned by WinStar Farms, China Horse Club, Head of Plains Partners and Starlight Racing, Justify is just beginning to blossom into what promises to be a record breaking career. To read more about the people who Justify click
HERE.
Pedigree
Justify comes from an impressive lineage, with his sire Scat Daddy having won three group races in his career. His grandsire Johannesburg was no slacker either, having won no less than 4 G1 races. Justify’s dam (Stage Magic) was also a winner on the track, racing mostly at a mile or more, and she was sired by Ghostzapper who won 6 out of the 7 stakes races he ran in his own illustrious career.
His trainer, Bob Baffert describes the colt as a “superior” race horse, and Justify lived up to the title by winning on each of his appearances at the track. After American Pharaoh, who won the Triple Crown back in 2015, Baffert feels this confident Scat Daddy colt is the one who can again bring glory to him and his connections. He said “That’s the best Kentucky Derby performance (I’ve) had”, and that’s saying something from the man who’s won this race five times now.
Justify had everything not going for him on Race Day at Churchill Downs. The track had been muddied by more than 3 inches of rain and the heavens still felt it wasn’t enough. He was racing against a formidable line-up of some of the most promising horses of current times.
European favourite Mendelssohn (another Scat Daddy progeny), Magnum Moon - coming off the back of 4 wins from the last 4 races ran by him, Bolt D’Oro who was beaten by Justify in their last encounter at Santa Anita, Good Magic who won the Gr.2 Blue Grass Stakes coming into the Derby. Vino Rosso born a day later than Justify (who was born on March 28, 2015) was also there to give his contemporary a run for his money having come off a strong win at the Gr.2 Wood memorial.
As they say, the rest is history. Justify decimated his competition, and never for a moment looked out of place on that soggy track. The fastest 2 minutes in sports saw an exhilarating display of strength, stamina and that little bit extra as Justify pulled away for a searing win 2 1/2 lengths ahead of Good Magic to complete the race in 2:04:20.
We wish the Colt and his connections an awesome season ahead, and are “justified” in thinking he’s going to win the race to steal our hearts as well.
By Tamanna Sachdev, Guest Writer, Secretariat' World. Write to Tamanna at PR@secretariatsworld.com