He was a bright, copper-colored flash. That’s the first thing you noticed about Justify back in 2018. He didn’t just run; he moved like he was trying to outrun his own shadow, and for a few glorious weeks in the spring, he actually did it. When people talk about the last horse to win the Triple Crown, they’re talking about a colt that basically shouldn't have existed according to the "rules" of traditional horse racing.
It was impossible.
For over a century, the "Curse of Apollo" stood firm. No horse had won the Kentucky Derby without racing as a two-year-old since 1882. That's a long time. Then comes this massive son of Scat Daddy, trained by Bob Baffert, who didn't even step onto a racetrack for a competitive start until February of his three-year-old year. Three months later, he was wearing roses. A month after that, he was a legend.
The 112-Day Blitz to Immortality
We need to be honest about how fast this happened. Most Triple Crown winners are projects. They are carefully managed from the time they are yearlings, built up through a series of juvenile races, and hardened by the time they hit the Triple Crown trail. Justify was different. He was a comet.
From his maiden win on February 18, 2018, to his Belmont Stakes victory on June 9, only 112 days elapsed. That is a microscopic window of time to ask a thousand-pound animal to reach the pinnacle of athletic achievement. He went from "who is this?" to "all-time great" in the span of a single season of a Netflix show.
The Derby was a slog. It was the wettest track in the history of the race. Justify sat near a blistering pace—fractionals that should have killed any horse's chances—and he just kept finding more. Mike Smith, the Hall of Fame jockey known as "Big Money Mike," looked like he was just trying to stay out of the horse's way. When he crossed the wire at Churchill Downs, the Apollo curse was dead. But the Triple Crown? That's a different beast entirely.
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Preakness Fog and the Belmont Pressure
The Preakness at Pimlico was weird. You couldn't see anything. A thick, cinematic fog rolled over the track, and for a few seconds, the entire racing world held its breath because the leader had vanished into a white wall. When Justify emerged, he was being hounded by Good Magic. He looked tired for the first time. He won by a half-length, a gritty, ugly win that proved he wasn't just a front-running speed merchant. He had a heart.
By the time the Belmont Stakes rolled around, the atmosphere was electric but skeptical. We had just seen American Pharoah break the 37-year drought in 2015. Could it really happen again so soon?
The Belmont is a mile and a half. They call it the "Test of the Champion" for a reason. Most horses aren't bred for that distance anymore. Justify took the lead early and never looked back. It wasn't the 31-length destruction that Secretariat put on the field in 1973, but it was clinical. He turned for home, Mike Smith gave him a nudge, and the red horse accelerated away from the field. Just like that, he became the last horse to win the Triple Crown, joining an elite fraternity of only 13 horses in history.
Why Justify Still Stirs Up Arguments
The racing community is divided on Justify, and frankly, it’s because he left the stage too soon. After the Belmont, he never raced again. He was retired due to a filling in his ankle, ending his career a perfect 6-for-6.
Some purists hate that. They wanted to see him face older horses in the Breeders' Cup. They wanted him to prove he wasn't just a "spring wonder." But when you look at the raw data—the Beyer Speed Figures, the way he handled the "Big Three" tracks in three different states over five weeks—it's hard to argue with the talent.
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- Undefeated Status: Only he and Seattle Slew entered the Triple Crown history books with a perfect record.
- The Apollo Curse: He broke a 136-year-old jinx.
- The Baffert Factor: He gave Bob Baffert his second Triple Crown, cementing the trainer as the modern king of the classics.
Then there’s the controversy. In 2019, reports surfaced about a failed drug test for scopolamine after the Santa Anita Derby. The California Horse Racing Board eventually dismissed the case, citing environmental contamination (jimson weed in the hay), but the "what ifs" still linger in the corners of trackside bars. Whether you believe the contamination story or not, the record books still say Justify.
Looking Back: What Most People Get Wrong
People often think the Triple Crown is just about being the fastest horse. It’s not. It’s about being the toughest. You are asking a teenager—in horse years—to run three grueling races in five weeks at three different distances against fresh horses who skipped one of the legs just to wait for you.
Justify’s win was a triumph of raw, unadulterated power over experience. He didn't have the foundation, but he had the engine. He didn't have the "proper" preparation, but he had the grit. When we look at the last horse to win the Triple Crown, we’re looking at a freak of nature.
The scariest part? We might not see another one for a long time. The way horses are bred today focuses on speed, not stamina. Breeders want horses that can win a million-dollar sprint, not necessarily a 1.5-mile marathon in the New York heat. Justify was a throwback in a modern body.
The Legacy of the 13th Triple Crown Winner
Since his retirement, Justify has been busy in the breeding shed. His offspring are already making waves globally, proving that his brilliance wasn't a fluke of the 2018 season. He’s siring winners on turf in Europe and dirt in America. He is effectively replicating his versatility in his foals.
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If you ever get the chance to visit Ashford Stud in Kentucky, you can see him. He’s still that same massive, imposing chestnut. He moves with a certain arrogance, the kind of swagger that only comes from knowing no one ever looked at your tail from the front.
Practical Steps for Following the Next Triple Crown Hopeful
If you’re looking to spot the horse that might eventually unseat Justify as the "last" winner, you have to look beyond the hype. Here is how to scout the trail like an expert:
- Watch the 2-Year-Old Speed Figures: Look for horses posting triple-digit figures before December. These are the ones with the lungs for the classics.
- Pedigree Matters: Ignore the "sprint" sires. Look for bloodlines like Tapit, Curlin, or Justify himself. You want "stamina on stamina."
- The "Prep" Trap: Don't get fooled by a horse that wins a prep race by 10 lengths against nobody. Look for the horse that wins a dogfight. The Triple Crown is a series of dogfights.
- Follow the Trainers: Statistics don't lie. Trainers like Todd Pletcher, Brad Cox, and Bob Baffert have the "program" to get a horse to peak in May.
The Triple Crown remains the hardest trophy to win in all of sports. It requires luck, health, and a level of talent that borders on the divine. Justify had all three for those 112 days. He may be the last for now, but the ghost of his 2018 run still haunts every starting gate at Churchill Downs.
Keep an eye on the Derby prep races starting in February. That is where the next legend usually hides, often in plain sight, waiting for their own 112-day window to change everything. Check the Beyer figures for the upcoming stakes at Gulfstream and Santa Anita; those are the real proving grounds. Look for a horse that doesn't just win, but one that looks like it could go around the track a second time without breaking a sweat. That’s the hallmark of a Triple Crown threat.
Next time you hear someone mention the last horse to win the Triple Crown, remember it wasn't just a horse. It was a copper-colored anomaly that defied a century of logic.
Expert Insight: Always pay attention to the "Freshness Factor" in the Belmont Stakes. Often, a Triple Crown bid is ruined by a horse that skipped the Preakness. Justify's ability to hold off those "new shooters" is actually his most underrated feat. Study the Equibase charts for the 2018 Belmont to see exactly how he managed the pace against rested competitors. It is a masterclass in tactical speed.