Justify has been elevated into the pantheon of great American thoroughbreds after being inducted into the National Museum of Racing and Hall of Fame in New York.
The China Horse Club, Head of Plains Partners, Starlight Racing and WinStar Farm owned performer shattered long held beliefs about what was and wasn’t possible in thoroughbred racing to redefined a standard of excellence in the sport in the United States in only 111 days. In the process Justify also direct global attention on the emerging thoroughbred industry in China.
In that window Justify won each of his six race starts to become the 13th U.S. Triple Crown winner in 146 years, only the second in the last 46 years and the only one to retire undefeated.
“Of all his Triple Crown-winning campaign, I distinctly remember the Belmont and how the crowd was screaming as Justify came down the stretch to make history in our famous China Horse Club silks. It was a thrill of a lifetime.”
Teo Ah Khing leading Justify after he secured the U.S. Triple Crown by winning the G1 Belmont Stakes
The U.S. National Horse Racing Museum has been honouring key people and horses since 1955. A total of 17 finalists were shortlisted for this year’s induction into the Hall of Fame across a series of categories. Six were selected with Justify, fellow former Horse of the Year Gun Runner and jockey Joel Rosario inducted into the Contemporary category.
Racehorses must be retired for five calendar years to be eligible. The 2024 induction was the first opportunity for Justify to be considered for such an honour having debuted on 18th February 2018 and rewritten history in a career that closed on 9th June in the same year.
With each performance Justify’s profile grew and the attention drawn to him intensified. At his fourth career start he lined up as favourite in the Kentucky Derby, America’s most famous race, with more than 158,000 fans on track, some 18 million Americans watching live and millions more tuning in via social media. Justify overcame all.
In the Preakness Stakes, the second leg of the U.S. Triple Crown, a 10 million strong TV audience tuned in, more than 134,000 were drawn to see him compete live and again he saluted.
In the third and final Triple Crown leg, under the guidance of champion jockey Mike Smith, Justify set alight 90,000 screaming fans at Belmont Park and some 15 million TV viewers to retain his record of perfection.
CHC’s Mike Smith accepts Justify’s U.S. Hall of Fame plaque
“In the Belmont, we knew what we had to do. In the Triple Crown, everything has to go perfect. The only thing I said to Mike Smith was, ‘Don’t make an early move.’ Mike told me later he kept hearing my voice in his head,” said Hall of Fame trainer Bob Baffert.
“[Justify] was like a comet, streaking along the sky. Winning the Triple Crown, it’s all about the horse. You’re just in awe of the horse. It’s just so hard to accomplish. Thinking of all the Triple Crown winners – those horses must have been ridiculous.”
The uniqueness of Justify was apparent immediately according to those who interacted with him.
Tanya Gunther, daughter of his breeder John Gunther: “[Justify] really was so full of life and cheekiness, he never seemed to get tired or tired of being playful. He could give you a side look that very plainly indicated he knew exactly what his rank was and if he sensed you didn’t know it already, he would rectify that lack of understanding in short order.”
Elliott Walden, President of WinStar Farm: “Justify was an incredible physical and never had a bad day on the track. From the time he trained up the hill at WinStar in March of his two-year-old year, there was just a special aura about him.”
Hall of Famers Justify and trainer Bob Baffert
Baffert: “The first time I worked him at Santa Anita, I was on the walkie-talkie with the exercise rider, watching him work. The good ones, they don’t have a bottom to them. I said, ‘keep going,’ and he just kept going and going. I thought then, ‘man, he is really something special.’ ”
Charismatic as well as talented, the exploits of Justify resonated throughout the racing world. Mr Louis Romanet, then Chairman of the International Federation of Horseracing Authorities, summed up the opinions of many when sharing his personal congratulations to the partnership.
“My sincerest congratulations to owners China Horse Club, Head of Plains Partners LLC, Starlight Racing, WinStar Farm, to trainer Bob Baffert, and to jockey Mike Smith for the victorious Triple Crown campaign of Justify. What Justify accomplished has resonated not only in the United States but around the world,” Romanet said.