5 things we’ve learned since Justify’s retirement
Since this week’s announcement that Triple Crown winner Justify has retired after six starts — all of them wins — connections have spoken a bit more on the topic. And in the process, details surrounding the decision became more clear.
Start with a text message trainer Bob Baffert sent to Sports Illustrated writer Tim Layden after the Belmont Stakes. Layden said, “I hope he runs a couple more times.” Baffert responded: “He will.”
That throws plenty of water on the idea that the son of Scat Daddy hasn’t actually experienced swelling in his left-front ankle that prevented him from training
Additionally, here are four more key things we’ve learned:
1. Haskell would have been the first option
Connections were coy about where we would see Justify run his next race, as they were also grappling with the decision to run him at all. But Baffert told the Los Angeles Times’ John Cherwa the plan was indeed to run in Sunday’s Haskell Invitational if Justify was healthy, then potentially hit the Aug. 25 Travers as well before the Breeders’ Cup Classic. That path worked out pretty well three years ago with American Pharoah.
2. Baffert made the final call
In multiple interviews, connections have acknowledged the retirement decision came down to the Hall of Famer Baffert and not Justify’s wide-ranging ownership group. The swelling hadn’t subsided enough to get Justify in training -- he'd need 60 to 90 days off -- closing the window to have him back to peak condition for the Classic. Without a prep, he’d have gone into one of North America’s toughest races off a nearly five-month layoff and limited works.
3. Justify was never racing at 4
Elliott Walden, president and CEO of WinStar Farm, told Rick Bozich, a columnist for Louisville FOX affiliate WDRB, that “it was just not practical to think about racing (Justify) as a 4-year-old.” So while the injury ended the sophomore campaign, economics prevented anything more in 2019. Walden’s statements on equine insurance are in line with estimates detailed in this Horse Racing Nation story.
4. Why WinStar would part with him
According to the LA Times’ Cherwa, WinStar Farm is in line to make $45 million on the transfer of Justify to breeding behemoth Coolmore. WinStar stands top stallions as well, but the decision to sell is a more immediate prize.“People don’t understand what it takes to make a farm sustainable,” Walden told Cherwa, “but they should because you see people getting in and out of it all the time. It takes a lot to stay in this business.”