Baffert: Justify an 'easy' vote for Horse of the Year

Sure, there's plenty of reason for him to be biased, but Hall of Fame trainer Bob Baffert feels undefeated Triple Crown winner Justify is an “easy” choice when it comes to Horse of the Year. 

Justify’s biggest competition for the highest Eclipse Award honor is Breeders’ Cup Classic winner Accelerate.

“Everybody, they’re talking that other horse. I go, 'What?'" Baffert said. “Did they forget the boy? It’s easy. It’s like, ‘Eh, Triple Crown. It’s not a big deal.’ We’re only as good as our last win.”

Since the Eclipse Awards were established in 1971, Triple Crown winners Secretariat, Seattle Slew, Affirmed and American Pharoah have each won Horse of the Year. The argument presented against Justify is that he didn't race after winning the Belmont Stakes in early June and never faced older horses.

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A look at the other Triple Crown winners who Eclipse voters named Horse of the Year:

• Secretariat (1973) raced six more times following the Belmont Stakes, winning the Arlington Invitational, Marlboro Cup, Man O’War Stakes and Canadian International. He beat older horses and made appearances on both dirt and turf before retiring at the end of his 3-year-old year.

• Seattle Slew (1977) raced only one more time as a 3-year-old after his Triple Crown win, finishing fourth in the Swaps Stakes.

• Affirmed (1978) ran four more times at 3 after the Belmont, winning the Jim Dandy, finishing second in the Travers and Marlboro Cup, and running fifth in the Jockey Club Gold Cup.

• American Pharoah (2015) retired at the end of his 3-year-old season. Following the Belmont he won the Haskell under wraps before Keen Ice upset him in the Travers. He then returned in the Breeders’ Cup Classic against older horses to lead every step of the way in his swan song race.

Horse of the Year was awarded in different formats before the Eclipse Awards were established. Triple Crown winners Sir Barton, Gallant Fox, War Admiral, Whirlaway, Count Fleet, Assault and Citation were all named a variation of Horse of the Year. Omaha was the only Triple Crown winner to not receive such a title, but he was named champion 3-year-old colt. 

Justify, who did not debut until Feb. 18 this year, changed the Kentucky Derby picture for Baffert, whose early favorite looked like McKinzie. Although it was by disqualification, McKinzie won the Los Alamitos Futurity (G1) at 2. He came back in early 2018 to win the Sham Stakes (G3) and ran second in the San Felipe (G2) on March 10.

One day later, Justify won against allowance company and earned his spot in the Santa Anita Derby (G1), which he also won going wire to wire.

“I thought I was going to win (the Kentucky Derby) with McKinzie, and then all of a sudden, Big Red came in there. I can’t believe they’ve already forgotten about him. That hurts my feelings,” Baffert said with a laugh. “They need to go back on YouTube and watch those races.”

As for Accelerate, the 5-year-old John Sadler trainee won six of seven starts this year, five of those being Grade 1s. Prior to the Breeders’ Cup Classic, he swept California’s biggest races – the Santa Anita Handicap, the Gold Cup at Santa Anita, the Pacific Classic and the Awesome Again. His races span from February to November, and his only loss came to City of Light in the Oaklawn Handicap (G2). City of Light later won the Breeders’ Dirt Mile.

“That City of Light, he’s the only one that beat Accelerate when they both ran. He should get older horse, right?” Baffert quipped.

The Eclipse Awards will be announced Jan. 24, 2019, at Gulfstream Park, two days before the Pegasus World Cup.