Justify, Wheels Up Roll Into Rao's

Rao's may be the most exclusive restaurant in New York City, but when a Triple Crown contender comes knocking, the doors open.

On Thursday, June 7, Wheels Up, a New York-based company that offers memberships in a fleet of private jets, hosted a press conference at Rao's with the connections of Justify to celebrate a sponsorship agreement and preview Saturday's Belmont Stakes (G1).

On hand were Wheels Up founder Kenny Dichter, jockey Mike Smith, trainer Bob Baffert, and Elliott Walden president and CEO of WinStar Farm, along with other members of Justify's ownership groups, which include WinStar, Starlight Racing, China Horse Club, and Head of Plains partners.

The terms of the sponsorship deal were not disclosed.

Wheels Up also has sponsored California Chrome  and American Pharoah , along with a number of human athletes.

"We're a winner's brand," said Dichter, "and Justify checks all the boxes. We don't hone in on horse racing; we hone in on winners." 

Among Wheels Up members and ambassadors are Serena Williams, Tom Brady, and Ricky Fowler.  

And to hear Baffert tell it, Justify has the same effect on his peers that those athletes have on theirs.

"The minute he walked into the barn at Belmont, all the horses came to the front of the stall and started jumping down," he said. "Those horses felt his presence."  

Both Baffert and WinStar have entered other horses in the Belmont. Baffert will run Restoring Hope for owners Gary and Mary West; and Vino Rosso will run for WinStar and Repole Stable.

"My philosophy all spring has been to run horses where they belong," Walden said. "It came down to what was right for Noble Indy and the partnership of Repole Stable and WinStar. He's doing extremely well and we're going to try to win."  

Should Justify win and become the 13th Triple Crown winner, he and his connections will do something that none of the other winners have—receive a brand-new Triple Crown trophy, commissioned two years ago by Chris Kay, chairman and CEO of New York Racing Association.

"Chris Kay was so excited," said Baffert, who received the old trophy from Kay in 2015. "He told me that the other one had been around for a long time and it was time to change it up a little bit."

"I just hope," the trainer added, "that this one doesn't stay in mothballs like the other one did. It's really nice."