Justify 'Effortless' in Sizzling Half-Mile Workout

The official clocking taken on its own was a signal that something exceptional had just transpired May 29 at Churchill Downs.

Four furlongs in :46 4/5 is what they call racehorse time, a sizzler of a workout almost bordering on too fast given the task dual classic winner Justify will be asked to pull off June 9. And were this an ordinary charge, said time—and subsequent gallop out of five furlongs in :59 3/5—in the colt's first workout since his May 19 Preakness Stakes (G1) triumph, could spark concern that he was leaving his best form on the track during training hours.

While the stopwatch told an impressive tale, it was how the unbeaten son of Scat Daddy had just whipped through the motions that was the real eye-opener. Ears up throughout without a notion of wasted energy, the horse trying to earn his place in history threw down a monster move Tuesday while looking as if he was out for a casual gallop.

"What we saw today was pretty incredible," trainer Bob Baffert declared after watching his latest Triple Crown hopeful cool out.

Justify has inspired his share of big statements on his behalf, and his half-mile breeze in Kentucky was no different. With jockey Martin Garcia flying in to be aboard for the work, Justify glided through splits of :12, :23 3/5, and :35 1/5 with ease as he signaled his readiness for his attempted Triple Crown sweep in the Belmont Stakes (G1) at Belmont Park. The work was the fastest of 43 at the distance Tuesday at Churchill.

Upon returning to Louisville a day earlier to lay eyes on the colt seeking to become just the 13th horse to sweep the American classics, Baffert said he saw a runner ready to do something more serious than the routine gallops he had engaged in since returning from Baltimore. On a warm morning with a smattering of rain coming down, Justify effectively threw down the gauntlet to those hoping to derail him in the upcoming 12-furlong test.

"I was talking to Martin on the radio and ... when they went off, I basically didn't say anything at all to him during the work," Baffert said. "He just had him down in a nice little groove. I was surprised ... looking at the time, how easy he was doing it. When he stopped, he took a deep breath, turned around, and he was happy when he turned around."

"I was hoping to see that kind of work. Like (2015 Triple Crown winner) American Pharoah , when he came back here and he looked like that. I think we're in great shape and I feel pretty strongly that he's not going backwards on us."

Like American Pharoah before him, Justify's efficiency of motion is arguably his most dangerous asset. His 16.3-hand frame hasn't appeared to lose a single pound while packing his five career starts into about three months, and the way he switched leads on cue and powered through the lane had even those game to take him on acknowledging the need for outside help in order for an upset to happen.

"That work today, I thought he could have gone in :50 the way he did it," said Hall of Famer D. Wayne Lukas, who had his graded stakes winner and Belmont Stakes hopeful, Bravazo, on track at the same time as Justify. "It was just effortless, there was no effort at all. When you have that efficiency of motion like that, I think the mile and a half is well within his scope.

"I tried to keep Bravazo from looking at him," Lukas added with a smile. "I didn't want him to go off his feed and be intimidated."

Suitably emboldened by Justify's breeze, Baffert said he would head back to his California base with a return to Louisville slated for the weekend. Should all continue to go well, the Hall of Fame conditioner said he would likely give Justify another work June 4—the same work pattern he used for American Pharoah—before shipping the colt owned by WinStar Farm, China Horse Club, Starlight Racing, and Head of Plains Partners to Belmont June 6.

"I wish the race was this week, but we've got another week to go," Baffert said. "He's a great horse and he was doing it (the work) in hand. Yesterday, I could tell he was ready to do something ... so I wanted to make sure we got a little air into him."