Will Justify secure its place as one of the greatest thoroughbreds in horseracing history?
That question will be answered Saturday (June 9) during the 150th running of the Belmont Stakes in Elmont, New York, where Justify will look to become the 13th Triple Crown winner in the history of the sport.
The latest odds have Justify as the 4-5 favorite, with Hofburg (4-1), Bravazo (7-1), Vino Rosso (8-1) and Tenfold (10-1) and Blended Citizen (14-1) given the best chance to pull the upset thereafter, as reported by CBS Sports on Tuesday. A total purse of $1.5 million will be awarded, with $800,000 going to the winner.
A sold-out crowd of 90,000 fans are expected at Belmont Park on Saturday to see if Justify can become the first Triple Crown winner since American Pharoah pulled off the elusive feat in 2015. The common thread between the two thoroughbreds is renowned trainer Bob Baffert, who would become just the second trainer in horseracing history to train two Triple Crown champions if Justify wins the Belmont Stakes on Saturday.
The race is set to start at 6:37 p.m. EST on NBC.
Before American Pharoah clinched the feat three years ago, the last Triple Crown winner before that dates back to 1978, showing just how hard it is to sweep The Kentucky Derby, The Preakness Stakes and Belmont Stakes.
Although Justify is the favorite entering Saturday’s highly-anticipated race, the Belmont Stakes’s 1½-mile distance is the longest, most demanding course of the three Triple Crown events, meaning that the champion horse will have to stay error-free to be crowned the victor.
As of Tuesday, Saturday’s weather calls for rain. However, Justify is aided in the fact that it won the Derby in rainy, muddy conditions and the Preakness under heavy fog, making the colt seemingly weather tested and primed for whatever the final leg of the Triple Crown should bring this weekend.
Before Saturday’s race, you can watch the draw for the 150th Belmont Stakes on Tuesday evening at 5:30 p.m. EST on NYRA.com, BelmontStakes.comor live via the Belmont Stakes Facebook page.
Reminder! Tune-in for the #BelmontStakes150 draw approx. 5:30pm EST tonight @CitiField on https://t.co/rmwac86tyS, https://t.co/A1ZLp4oscI or LIVE on the Belmont Stakes Facebook Page ⏰
Stream here ➡️ https://t.co/fmQ6LfHzJp pic.twitter.com/xNaFxatyWA
— Belmont Stakes (@BelmontStakes) June 5, 2018
