The traffic has cleared for Justify, but the rain keeps pouring down. Both are very good signs for this horse.
After emerging from the Kentucky Derby crowd to win impressively on a sloppy track, Justify will race against only seven other horses in the Preakness Stakes in Baltimore.
Naturally this Triple Crown hopeful is a massive favorite to win. Sloppy conditions would favor Justify, as does the No. 7 position.
“The way the draw shook out, Justify drew very well, outside,” Good Magic trainer Chad Brown told reporters Friday. “He’s away from everyone and doesn’t have any pressure on him. So we’re just going to have to get a clean break and save some ground, not let him get too far away.”
There has been some rumbling about a possible foot injury, but Justify’s workouts have been just fine. He has been raced lightly in his career, so fatigue shouldn’t be a factor either.
Trainer Bob Baffert has traveled this path before. He has won four Derbys and each time his horse went on to win the Preakness.
“They were the best horse and they were doing really, really well,” Baffert told reporters. “They were peaking at the right time. With him, (Justify is) doing the same. He’s doing really, really well. We just need some racing luck.”
He compares Justify to Triple Crown winner American Pharoah. “What they have in common is they’re both superior horses, so there is wiggle room,” Baffert said.
Jockey Mike Smith believes Justify can adapt to whichever pace develops. “He’s run well both ways,” Smith told reporters. “Along with the talent, he has a great mind. Whatever I want to do, he’s happy to do it.”
LOOKING FOR SECOND-CHANCE MAGIC
As the 2017 Breeders’ Cup Juvenile champion, Good Magic got lots of attention heading into the Kentucky Derby. And, sure enough, he took a good run at Justify.
Brown thought long and hard before committing to the Preakness to take on Justify one more time. He arrived confident that Good Magic will be ready to race.
“He’s a horse that’s going to show up every time. That, I know,” Brown told. “He’s earned a lot of respect, even in defeat at the Derby. I feel like a lot people respect this horse now, that he’s legit. He’s not just a horse that had a lucky day at Del Mar in the Breeders’ Cup. He’s a real top-class, classic racehorse.”
But he will need to run better than he did in the Derby.
“We’re going to have to take another step forward, which I’m optimistic the horse can,” Brown said. “And we’re going to have to see if Justify, a horse that’s moved forward every start of his life so far, we probably have to see him finally take a slight regression to make up that amount of distance between the two. And it’s a horse race. That can happen. It’s hard for horses to keep moving forward.”
ROYALTY AMONG THE LONGSHOTS
By winning the Federico Tesio Stakes, Diamond King emerged as a longshot worth an investment. Jockey Javier Castellano will like coming out of the No. 4 post — as opposed to the inside, where Quip is stuck — but the sloppy track will not favor this horse.
“He’s pretty much all speed and he’s got to go, as well. It’s going to be interesting to see how the early pace shakes out,” co-owner Chuck Zacney told the Baltimore Sun. “We’ve got a top jockey and the horse is doing really well. Hopefully the track’s in decent shape. That’s the only concern.”
So if Justify falters . . .
“The best horse doesn’t always win,” trainer John Servis told the Sun. “I was always taught that you should never be afraid of one horse. Two, yeah. But never one. You never know what will happen. But I know that my horse is ready to rock and roll.”
