Justify wins the first 2 legs of the Triple Crown

Wins at Churchill Downs and Pimlico give Justify a chance at history on June 9 at the Belmont Stakes.

Justify overcame a muddy track plus wet and foggy conditions to outlast the eight-horse field to win the 143rd running of the Preakness Stakes on Saturday evening at Pimlico Race Course in Baltimore, giving the three-year-old the first two legs of horse racing’s Triple Crown.

Justify was an overwhelming 2/5 favorite to capture the 1 3/16-mile race, holding off Bravazo and Tenfold for the win, the fifth for Justify in as many races in his short career, all in the last three months.

The victory for Justify earned his owners $900,000 of a guaranteed $1.5 million purse.

Not only does this pull Justify one step closer to the Triple Crown, needing a win at the Belmont Stakes in New York on June 9, but it also makes trainer Bob Baffert 5-for-5 when running a Kentucky Derby winner in the Preakness.

Baffert also trained Silver Charm (1997), Real Quiet (1998), War Emblem (2002) and Ameican Pharoah (2015) to wins in the first two legs of the Triple Crown. Of those first four, only American Pharoah was able to make history at the Belmont.

This was the second Preakness win for jockey Mike E. Smith, and his first since riding Prarie Bayou to victory in 1993, a cool 25 years ago. At 52 years old, Smith is the oldest jockey to win the Preakness.

On Saturday at Pimlico, Justify paid $2.80 to win, $2.80 to place and $2.60 to show.