Justify's win puts Bob Baffert in rare Triple Crown air
With his victory in the 2018 Belmont Stakes, Justify became the 13th Triple Crown winner and, at the same time, Hall of Fame trainer Bob Baffert moved out of a tie with D. Wayne Lukas at 14 total wins in the Kentucky Derby, Preakness Stakes and Belmont with victory number 15.
For Justify, it all happened in a just shy of four months and in only six career races. For Baffert, it began some 21 years ago, in 1997, when he won the Kentucky Derby with Silver Charm. Justify has won a Maiden Special Weight, an allowance, the Santa Anita Derby, and now the three jewels of American thoroughbred racing. The superstar trainer now has won five Kentucky Derbys, seven editions of the Preakness and, finally, three Belmonts. In addition, Baffert has hit the board in the Triple Crown races 11 other times.
Justify and Seattle Slew are now the only unbeaten Triple Crown winners. In 1977, Seattle Slew was 9-for-9 after the Belmont, including three races as a 2-year-old. At the same time, Baffert became only the second trainer in history to win the Triple Crown twice along with the legendary Belair Stables conditioner “Sunny Jim” Fitzsimmons.
Baffert's Triple Crown timeline
1) 1997 – Kentucky Derby – Silver Charm
2) 1997 – Preakness – Silver Charm
3) 1998 – Kentucky Derby – Real Quiet
4) 1998 – Preakness – Real Quiet
5) 2001 – Preakness – Point Given
6) 2001 – Belmont – Point Given
7) 2002 – Kentucky Derby – War Emblem
8) 2002 – Preakness – War Emblem
9) 2010 – Preakness – Lookin At Lucky
10) 2015 – Kentucky Derby – American Pharoah
11) 2015 – Preakness – American Pharoah
12) 2015 – Belmont – American Pharoah – Triple Crown
13) 2018 – Kentucky Derby – Justify
14) 2018 – Preakness – Justify
15) 2018 – Belmont – Justify – Triple Crown
When WinStar Farm's President and CEO, Elliott Walden, was asked why he sent Justify to Baffert, he replied simply and yet profoundly.
"We tried to hire a very good trainer," Walden said. "Bob is maybe the greatest of all time.”