In only 111 days Justify shattered long held beliefs about what was and wasn’t possible in thoroughbred racing to redefined a standard of excellence in the sport in the United States and, in the process, to direct global attention on the emerging thoroughbred industry in China.
The U.S. Triple Crown is horse racing’s highest achievement in the sport in American and has earned the right to be a marker of greatness over almost 150 years. In less than four months in the first half of 2018, the China Horse Club co-owned Justify emerged from obscurity to begin a run of six straight wins that would see him roar through America’s most coveted horse racing series and create a legacy that will be recognized beyond the next century.
Justify became only the 13th Triple Crown winner in 144 years, only the second in the last 40 years and only the second undefeated U.S. Triple Crown winner in history. In providing his own unique twist, Justify also became the most inexperienced winner of the elite series, rewriting history in a manner that had been seen as inconceivable.
With each performance Justify’s profile grew and the attention drawn to him intensified. At his fourth career start he lined up as favourite in the Kentucky Derby, America’s most famous race, with more than 158,000 fans on track, some 18 million Americans watching live and millions more tuning in via social media. Justify overcame all. In the Preakness Stakes, the second leg, a 10 million strong TV audience tuned in. More than 134,000 were drawn to see him compete live and again he saluted. In the third and final leg, with champion jockey Mike Smith resplendent in the China Horse Club’s red and yellow silks, Justify rode a wave of 90,000 screaming fans at Belmont Park to deliver the finale that some 15 million TV viewers were hoping for.
In five short weeks the story of this lightly raced horse with ownership from Mainland China was seen by more than 55 million TV viewers in America alone. His story looped the globe again and again as his ever step and action was reported and with each performance interest in him and the ownership he represented became more significant. Interest in China’s thoroughbred industry and in CHC reached record levels.