Justify confirmed for Preakness 2018; 'a handful' after Derby win
As trainer Bob Baffert emerged Sunday morning from his Churchill Downs barn, the Hall of Famer did so with his 2018 Kentucky Derby winner, Justify. And his message to the precocious colt was simple.
“You’d better get used to this,” Baffert told the horse. “This is your new life.”
A wall of reporters, photographers and fans awaited, but Justify’s appearance proved brief. He looked no worse for the wear, though was “a handful,” as Baffert put it, before returning safely to his stall.
Now it’s on to the second leg of the Triple Crown.
“I just got a call from the Preakness for the invitation — the official invitation,” Baffert said. “I didn’t tell them I’d think about it. If he’s good — if he gets on that plane — we’ll come. We’ll take it day by day here.”
“I’ll leave today,” Baffert said. “I was going to stay a couple of days, but he looks phenomenal today.”
As for a Triple Crown bid — it would be Baffert’s second in four years, going back to American Pharoah’s run in 2015 — the trainer said he’ll take things “one race at a time.” It’s the Kentucky Derby he considers the toughest of the three legs to win.
With Justify, a victory made quite a bit of history. The son of Scat Daddy became the first Derby winner since 1882 to have not raced at age 2, and just the second overall. Baffert is now second to only Ben Jones on the all-time Derby wins list with five.
“It’s just sinking in now that we won the Kentucky Derby, because it was just so stressful these last few weeks just trying to get him here, trying to figure out — well, he’s lightly raced,” Baffert said. “Do I take him there early? Do I wait? Take him at the last minute? He was happy at Santa Anita.”
Justify arrived to Churchill Downs race week and put in the sort of training that established himself as the Derby favorite. He pressed the pace Saturday during the wettest Derby on record, and jockey Mike Smith indicated there’s more left in the tank.
“The outrider had to help pull him up,” Baffert said. “What happened was, he was a little tired, but when those horses came to him pulling up, he wanted to take off again. I don’t know if he was just strong or if Mike’s getting too old to pull him up.”
Next out, Baffert will be seeking his record-tying seventh Preakness victory. Each of his previous Derby winners – Silver Charm, Real Quiet, War Emblem and American Pharoah – all went on to win at Pimlico as well.